“Birds can do cooler tricks than dogs and cats by far,” says Maya Perez, Junior, “They’re so much more interesting and exotic”. Birds are great pets to own and are far better than common household pets such as dogs and cats. There are of course downsides to every pet you will own, some that may even override the positives. For me, owning a parrot makes me feel like I have a stronger connection to my pet.

Avians are some of the most intelligent pets within the animal kingdom. They can acquire abilities such as solving puzzles, mimicking, and a variety of tricks. They can achieve almost anything like this in a short amount of time, because of their vast brain power. Studies have shown parrots and other birds contain very large numbers of neurons within their small brains. According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences “Avian brains thus have the potential to provide much higher ‘cognitive power’ per unit mass than do mammalian brains.”

Birds are great companion pets considering they live for a very long time, up to 90 years. Not all birds bond with their owners but if you show them various attention and care they show emotional connections back. They love affection through cuddles and head scratches.They will treat you as a flock member and even sometimes as a mate. They will want to protect and care for you, much like they would in the wild.

Birds, depending on the size, usually take up less space than a dog or a cat. Dogs and cats need a lot of area to move about and exercise whereas birds only need an appropriately sized cage and space to fly about. Because dogs and cats take up more space than a common bird, landlords accept them in homes more frequently.

They are also easier to care for compared to other household pets. The maintenance is fairly straightforward for the common person. Avians usually clean or ‘preen’ themselves daily which keeps their feathers healthy. Another option for your bird is bird baths or misting sprays to keep up with their hygiene. Their cage also needs to be cleaned routinely which is fairly simple to do.