Pure Pionus Parrot for a Pet

Smaller than a cockatoo and larger than a cockatiel, the short, stocky, blunt-tailed pionus is the perfect parrot for many owners. Though more subtly colored than many popular birds, what this beautiful family of parrots lack in color they make up for in character. The lively pionus (pie-oh-nuss), or “pi” as they are affectionately dubbed, aren’t readily available in all areas, but their charming, intelligent, and quirky qualities have been capturing hearts and vastly increasing their popularity in the United States. The more that is learned about them, the more it seems bird-lovers are falling in love with these practically perfect parrots. 

There are eight individual species in the Pionus family. The five most commonly available varieties are the Blue-head (Pionus menstruus), the Maximilian’s (Pionus maximiliani), the White Cap (Pionus senilis), the Bronze Wing (Pionus chalcopterus), and the dusky (Pionus fuscus). The coral bill (p sordidus), though available in the United States are not well established and are most commonly found only in aviaries until their population is increased. The last two species are the plum crown (Pionus tumultuosus), and the Massena’s or white head (Pionus seniloides) who are so rare they are even scarce in their natural habitat. 

Pionus are native to the tropical rainforest environments of Central and South America and are found in nearly every country on the continent. Each of the eight species has their own habitat and can be found from high altitude subtropical forests to tropical coastal forests. Due to the remote areas where these parrots are found, little is known about their lives in the wild. 

The look of the pionus is similar across the genus. Coloring ranges from the green and blue hues of the blue-head to more subtle tones of rose and bronze in the dusky and the bronze wing. All pionus have large white rings around their eyes and a patch of red feathers under the tail. Their beaks are also slightly longer and looking than many other types of parrots of similar size.