Don't buy a pet bird assuming that it will be a low maintenance pet. Learn more about commom household bird breeds before deciding.
Aside from choosing a bird based on its social needs, consider its full-grown size, expense, and life span.
Breeds:
Canaries: The minimum life span of a canary is approximately eight years, but they can live to be twenty years or older. They are relatively cheap to purchase; a canary should cost less than $50, unless it is a rare breed of canary. They stay relatively small and so don't need huge cages.
Cockatiels: These birds are extremely popular as pets because of their social nature. They love to give and receive affection. They cost over $50 but should not exceed a price of around $200. The investment is worth the money because most cockatiels have a life span of over 10 years. Cockatiels are a medium sized house bird so they need a medium sized cage.
Finches: Finches are another popular house bird because they are cheap and easy to take care of. A finch is not likely to need social interaction with its owner. Most finches do not live longer than about six years, although some do exceed that age substantially. Finches are not large birds.
Lovebirds: Lovebirds are not expensive pets, they can cost under $50 and will never cost more than $100. A common misconception concerning lovebirds is that they need a mate. This is not true; lovebirds can live happily by themselves. They live to be around 15 years old.
Parakeets: Parakeets are beautiful birds that attract people because of their bright colors. They live an extremely long life span but can be acquired for around $20. Not all parakeets are that inexpensive; some can cost over $100.
Parrots: Parrots are the kind of bird that most children want to own because they can "talk." While not all parrots do learn to talk, many of them can learn frequently repeated words. But children can suffer a huge let-down if their pet parrot is slow to mimic speech, or if he never learns at all. Parrots can be huge birds that need huge cages, but not all parrots are giants. In fact, parrots cover quite a range of sizes. They also cover quite a range of prices, most parrots are not cheap. In addition, parrots are one of those attention-demanding birds that want socialization.
