Meet Juma the Pionus, Catherine Nuckley’s lovely bird.

Juma is a 3 year old Blue Headed Pionus. He's very cheeky and silly, and keeps me entertained, when he's not keeping me on my toes!

He loves to sit on my shoulder whilst I'm going about my business, and is happy to watch the world go by. Juma is definitely not a fan of men, but he will tolerate their company so long as there aren't any women (and definitely not me!) around.

Juma is very intelligent, and picks up new tricks and commands easily. Foraging and puzzle toys are easy for him, but he would figure them out much faster if he wasn't so scared of plastic! He only says 'Night Night' to me when the lights go out, but will say 'Hello' repeatedly throughout the day.

                                                                                                                                                                                      He's a big character in a small sized Parrot, and he won't let you forget it!

I chose this species after doing lots of research on what types of Parrot would suit my lifestyle, and they were generally accepted to be quiet for a Parrot (Though Juma proves this wrong every day!) which I needed, and because of their independence.

I also loved their colours, and felt comfortable with the size of the species, and felt it acceptable for the space I had to offer.

His favourite food is cashews but, as they're only given as a treat, he also really enjoys red bell pepper, redcurrants, and pomegranate.

Does he have any favourite toys?

Juma's favourite toy is the window! He loves to watch the world go by, and enjoys shouting at pigeons

We love to play a game, where I kneel on the floor and he runs and hides under my legs.

He loves to chatter to himself the entire time, and gets very excited, even making the classic 'happy Pionus wheeze'!

Does he speak?

He can speak, but his voice is very unclear. Juma says a lot of common phrases, such as hello, good boy, step up, come on, night night, and whatcha doing. He prefers to whistle songs (his favourite is the imperial march) or make silly noises like kisses, fireworks, meowing, and a horse's clip-clop.

Have you any advice for first time owners?

My advice to new owners would be to do lots of research, and even after that - expect the unexpected! Every bird is an individual, and 'breed standards' are not necessarily be your bird’s behaviour!

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If you'd like to feature in our next Meet My Parrot article please read this blog.