The wingspan of parrots

 The 110x62 is our recommended minimum cage size for a large macaw.  They have long tails, big wings, an extremely playful nature, and are commonly rehomed due to screaming - a behavior boredom contributes to heavily.  They enjoy hanging upside down, are great at foraging, and love to swing.  All of these behaviors, and their corresponding toys, take up space.  While the medium walkin is acceptable for birds who are rarely in their cages.  If your macaw spends any significant time in their enclosure they would surely appreciate the extra space.  The extra large and extra long are definitely enjoyed if you have the space. No cage is too large.  We have also included the Caninde or Blue Throated Macaw in with this recommendation.  They may be smaller in physical size, but buckle up!  They are big macaws on the inside and full of energy.  

Small macaws are a joy to be around.  They are silly, playful, and animated parrots.  The red front and severe macaws can be housed in 1" bar spacing enclosures.  The smaller macaws would do well in 1/2" spacing cages.  Fortunately we manufacture all of our enclosures in both the 1" and 1/2" spacing!  Even the smallest birds fly miles per day.  A mile is 5,280 feet.  A 6' or 8' cage is not so large even for the little guys.  Normalizing appropriate space for parrots is our goal at Natural Inspirations Parrot Cages!  The walkin aviaries are great for any of these guys.  If flight capability is important to you inside their cages, the walkins will still be needed to give the red front, severe, illiger, etc enough space to actually fly.  If flight in not a requirement, the 8040 is a great choice as well.  With the 6432 working well if you have space restraints.  We even recommend this size for the smaller of the small macaws.  If you think it looks "huge" wait till you put these zoomy guys in there.  They will use every inch! 

Amazons can be engaging feathered family members.  With their pinned eyes, flared tails, and crazy mumbling, talking, and singing they are a lot of fun.  That being said, many amazons can be territorial and hormonal after reaching sexual maturity.  They are commonly responsible for some of the worst bites I've ever seen.  And they are notorious for being unpredictable biters, even to their chosen person, during the breeding season.  Therefore it is our recommendation of the 8040 for the amazons.  The 8040 has a removable divider which can be easily inserted into the cage, dividing it in half.  This allows people (the bird sitter, the unchosen spouse, you during breeding season) to safely clean, service, pick up a fallen toy, etc from the cage at any point in time.  The 6432 and the 5024 also have dividers.  However, amazons tend to be perch potatoes and are at risk of obesity, arthritis, and other health concerns.  It's important to have a large cage where you can put desired items all around to encourage exercise and good foot health.  The other consideration is the possible aggression (often amazons will attack other family members, pets, visitors, etc) witch consequently means amazons often spend more time in their cages than other parrots.  They deserve a good quality of life and knowing their tendencies, we owe it to them to make appropriate accommodations.    

The African parrots are such a diverse group of birds, we don't have a global recommendation for them.  We'll start with the little guys.  The larger poicephalus, and even for the lovebirds we recommend the 6432 or 5024 at minimum.  These are playful birds that will enjoy and appreciate the space.  As for the vasa parrots - these birds are one of the most "flight-centric" parrots.  They fly constantly!  And their enclosure size should reflect that.  We recommend at the very smallest the 110x62 but realistically the 16062 extra long to allow actual flight within their enclosure.  These are high energy animals that need large amounts of open space to exercise continuously throughout the day.  

African Greys enclosure size cannot be calculated well with wingspan numbers.  We're not housing their physical bodies - we're housing their brains!  African grey are extremely intelligent and they are prone to feather destructive behavior.  You are not only housing their little grey bodies, but also their numerous foraging toys, their music box, their puzzle toys, their noise making toys, etc.  Plan accordingly!  Timneh greys do well in the 1/2" bar spacing.

The parrotlets and parakeets are great birds for the 5024.  These little guys are playful and in constant motion.  The 5024 will give them the space to thrive.  Of course don't hesitate to put them in a walkin also as they would love it!  No cage is too big.  We're just talking minimum recommendations here to accommodate basic needs and range of motion.

 The other species we recommend the 6432 in 1/2" bar spacing, or larger.  The birds in their own rights definitely deserve the space.  But also, this group of birds - conures, quakers, pionus, and caiques - do well in pairs or groups when properly socialized.  And they are readily available species, especially conures which are overflowing many rescue organizations and are found in almost every bird store across the country.  Parrots are incredibly social creatures.  So we recommend the larger 6432 for these guys in the hopes that you will acquire 2 or more compatible birds and offer them an increased quality of life by allowing parrot companionship.  *Note - research proper introduction techniques.  Do not just put any two parrots together as aggression can occur.  Reach out to qualified behaviorists.

The cockatoos are an endearing species!  Smart, playful, and social they're hard not to fall in love with!  However, they are one of the most challenging parrot species in the world and this is reflected in how frequently they are rehomed and the number of birds in rescue organizations.  This is another species that we move away from the wingspan numbers to gauge acceptable housing standards.  Cockatoos are prone to excessive screaming (boredom), feather destructive behavior, and self mutilation.  They are large, high energy birds, that are not only playful but also extremely destructive.  These birds require - and deserve - the very largest of housing.  They also have a very broad range of movement.  They climb, hang, fly, run, flap, and hop hop hop!  For these guys, you're housing their endless energy, their playfulness, their curiosity, and their intelligence.  And to top things off cockatoos spend a large amount of time on the ground.  This natural wild behavior is seen in our pets as they spend time playing on the bottom of their cage.  So you will need enough space for their cardboard box and foot toys where there are no perches above them to avoid getting pooped on so they have a clean place to play.   Everyone of these species, especially the goffins who are balls of energy, are recommended to be in an 8040 or walkin at absolute minimum.  The 110x62 large walkin is our recommended minimum for the largest cockatoos.     

The smaller australian and asiatic parrots such as the plum headed parakeet, red rumped, scarlet chested and the rosey bourke are great choices to house in the 5024, which will allow flight for these guys.  The other parrots, although still technically parakeets, have long beautiful tails and a naturally flighty personality which makes their recommendations the 6432 in 1/2" bar spacing.  The extra space will keep your birds looking beautiful and healthy!

The cockatiels and Budgies will get a special mention here.  These adorable, underrated, little parrots both have a very special thing in common.  They're incredible gregarious!  Both cockatiels and budgies can be easily introduced and housed together by even novice aviculturists with supervision.  Housing these parrots in pairs or flocks is a wonderful, kind, unselfish thing to do for these birds.  Having others of the same species to interact with all day long is incredibly enriching.  And considering the overwhelming availability, ease of introduction, and affordable cost of the birds- there really is no reason to house these parrots alone.  They will not bond and reject human companionship nor lose their tameness when allowed friends.

This being said, one of my favorite orders is a medium walkin with 1/2" spacing for a flock of cockatiels or budgies!  If we are able to give these parrots an exceptional quality of life - lets do it!!  If you are considering either of these species, I encourage you to plan for a flight cage with a small flock. They will fit it a small, but the medium is the better choice (and larger) as it gives you the length to allow these guys the room to fly.  In the 62x62 walkin they turn more to hops.