The Blue-headed Pionus is what a lot of people are actually looking for when they say they want an Amazon: a medium parrot with real intelligence and a long life, at a volume a normal house can absorb. Pionus are the quiet answer in this part of the market and they are badly under-bought because they are not flashy.
The wheeze
Pionus make a snuffling, wheezing sound when they are excited or frightened, and it sounds exactly like a bird in respiratory distress. It is normal for the genus and it alarms every new owner. Knowing that in advance saves an emergency vet visit - but it cuts both ways, because a Pionus with a genuine respiratory problem can be dismissed as just doing the wheeze. If the sound is new, constant, or comes with tail bobbing or a change in posture, that is a vet visit.
The smell
Pionus carry a musky, slightly sweet scent that people either like or do not. It is not a sign of poor hygiene and washing the bird does not remove it. Meet one before you buy, because a small number of people find it genuinely off-putting and there is no fixing it afterwards.
Quiet, and reserved with it
The volume really is low for a parrot this size. The honest trade is that Pionus are also more self-contained than an Amazon or a conure - they watch, they are affectionate on their own terms, and they are not clowns. Somebody who wants a bird performing for the room will find a Pionus dull. Somebody who wants a calm companion in a flat will not.
Talking
Some speech in a soft voice, often indistinct. Blue-heads are generally rated the best talkers of the Pionus, which is a low bar.
Health
Pionus are more prone than most parrots to fungal infections, particularly aspergillosis, and they do badly in damp, poorly ventilated rooms. Good air and a dry environment matter here.
Living with one
Twenty-five to forty years. A pelleted base with fresh vegetables, kept low in fat - they put on weight easily. A cage with room to fly across and time out of it daily.
Buying one
Meet the bird, for the smell and for the wheeze, so neither is a surprise at home. Ask when it weaned and about disease testing. The breeders listed on this page raise Blue-headed Pionus and can be contacted directly through the site.