Blue Quaker Parrot vs Green – What’s the Difference?
A question that sometimes comes up about Blue Quaker Parrots is if there is any difference between them and green Quakers other than the price. This is an important question, because Quakers are often chosen as pets not for their looks but for their great personalities. They truly are “a lotta parrot in a little package.” So if there is a difference in personality in blues vs greens, I agree that it should be noted.
I have two green Quakers, three blues, one split to blue (visual green) and one cinnamon blue (also known as a pallid blue). In addition, I have talked to many, many Quaker owners of all color varieties over the years. So here are my general observations of the differences, keeping in mind that this is not a scientific study and that birds are individuals with traits that don’t always follow the “rules.”
Size and Health
The first and most obvious difference is that Blue Quaker Parrots are usually a little smaller than greens. My green Quakers range in weight from 110 grams to 130 grams while my Blue Quakers are more in the 90 gram to 110 gram range. So in my personal experience, Blue Quakers can be 10-25% smaller than greens. Of course, as with anything else mentioned in this article, there are exceptions.
In case you are wondering, I have not noticed that blues are any more prone to health issues than greens are. On the other hand, I think that blues may be less prone to feather plucking than greens. None of my Blue Quakers have ever become feather pluckers, and I don’t often hear of other blues becoming feather pluckers, either.
Sweetness
Again this is in my experience, but I have found Blue Quakers to be a little “sweeter” than the greens. Of course, this is a very difficult thing to measure, and there are definitely many, many sweet green Quakers out there. However, I have to say that I’ve found the blues easier to work with, and they don’t seem to be quite as ”sassy” as the greens. I think that blues are more likely to be the birds that will go to anyone, and therefore may possibly be better suited as a pet that the entire family will enjoy and be able to handle.
Talking Ability
All of my Blue Quakers have learned to talk at least a little, and Kaylee (pallid blue) in particular has picked up quite a few words and phrases. Still, both of my green Quakers far outshine any of my blues when it comes to talking ability. Not only have my greens learned more words and phrases, but they use them more often and seem to be better at using human language in context than my blues. This seems to be an area where green Quakers are superior to the blues… in our little bird family, anyway.
Again, I have to remind you that these are my observations only and that not all blue and green birds will match these observations exactly. Each bird has its own individual personality, and that personality is determined not just by genetics (or color) but by how the bird is raised, first by the breeder and then by the owner. Still, this question comes up often enough that I thought it important to document the few differences that I personally have noticed.
What do you think? Do you have a Blue Quaker Parrot or a green? Do my observations hold true for your bird? Post your comments below and let me know.
Your last paragraph is more along the lines of truth in the quaker species. Size has more to do with genetics, I have not seen our blues mature smaller than greens, as for talking, we have 6 pets of our own, lutino, pallid, pallid blue and green and all of them have their moments to shine for speaking. we have been breeding and raising quakers for almost 25 years and have definitely seen smaller chicks than others, when the parents were remated up, that problem seemed to correct itself. Also, if a pair is older, they will tend to have smaller, weaker chicks(that goes for all colors) and also sometimes a very young pair will do the same. As far as talking ability and friendliness, that depends on how the baby was handled and raised. Color does not determine size or behavior,it is simply a color mutation.
I have one blue and one green- and I’ve babysat for another green. My blue is smaller than my green, but pretty close to my friends’, so I can’t attest for size. While Rocky is right in saying handling and care make the biggest impact on personality, my blue is more affectionate and my green is more talkative, and I have heard the same from many, many people. I highly doubt it’s a hundred-bird coincidence.
I am looking for a bird that is not too noisy. Is a blue quaker loud, soft or sweet sounding? And are females easier to handle than males?
Thanks for yr in-put. June 5, 2010
I am thinking about purchasing a quaker parrot either blue or green. A friend told me they can be mean and too much for me to handle. I now have a sun conure that I love very much, but the quakers have just caught my eye and their ability to talk and their little prankster ways just intrigue me and therefore I may get one. My question is … what is their demeanor? This person told me for the first two years they can be sweet as can be and then after that …. watch out. Any comments?
i have 1 sunconure 2 green quakers 1 blue quaker and out of all my birds i love the blue the best
Well, I ended up with an 11-week-old green quaker. The adjustment for all of us seems to be going smoothly. My sun conure is still happy as well. The quaker is playing with toys and is quite vocal but not loud and loves to ring bells and climb up ladders. I just love him and glad I got him.
I have a blue female quaker and a green male quaker. Both are housed in different rooms as I want them bonded to me and not each other.
The blue was hand fed and I have had her since she was 12 wks old. She is now a bit over a year old. She talks up a storm and is very friendly.
My green is age unknown and I obtained him from a bird rescue. He is very cage agressive and I have had him about six months. He says a few words and a couple of whistles but nothing to brag about. Over all I prefer my blue but then Quincy’s past is unknown. He could have been a good bird had he not been passed around so much.
My wife and I have been Budgie breeders for quite a while now, and just getting into breeding some of the “larger” parrots like Jenday Conures, Sun Conures, Pearly Conures (greencheeks) and a couple of yellow sided Turquoise Conures. We almost bought a pair of Blue Quakers just recently, but sadly had to opt for some others instead. We are still looking forward to getting our Quakers. We are hoping that, like our other birds, they will be able to be both pets and breeders, any comment on this? We have had great success with all of our others in this way, where others have said that it would not work. All of our conures and budgies are pets as well as breeder birds, so we are hoping the same will hold true when we get our Quakers.
I just got a green quaker on a trade,i traded because i wanted him, the person i got him from says he’s 5 and she’d only had him for 3 months! He gets agressive when u mess with anything in his cage, but he likes to hang out on my shoulder i just got him last night and i feel that since he is already comfortable enough to come to me and my brother in law that he will be a good bird, Should i be affraid since he’s been passed around x amount of times?? I have had other birds in the past but this is my first parrot,i do not plan to get rid of him,i plan on him being mine untill one of us pass on. can anyone give me any pointers, tips,or anything,he talks a little, he doesnt have clipped wings and no band on his leg, what does this mean? Thanks for any help i can get..
Hi,
I ging to be buying a blue quaker I have hurd so many stories some say the birds talk some say they dont.As someone who works all day has anyone used a continues tape to teach the bird or is this not a good idea.hope to here from someone Thank you Peggy
I have been a quaker owner for about three years and I can say that these little parrots have a big personality squeezed into a little package. I have owned other larger parrots but I believe the quaker has more personality and spunk than the others. They are so funny with their lilltle pranks.
I wanted to say that you are right on everything so far as I’ve noticed. I have one Pallid Blue female Quaker right now, and I have had 3 normal green Quakers in the past. All three green Quakers were talkers, one of them was the best talking bird I ever met in person (died from PTFE). The pallid blue I have now, tries hard to talk, but only mumbles, she is also the smallest at 87 grams. The greens were 110 and up. Two of the greens were also feather pluckers to the point of almost being bald. This female blue is very sweet and gentle. Only one of my birds was ever a biter, but she did that rarely and it was mostly cage aggression; related to touching the food bowl.
Over the past few years I have had 2 greens and 1 blue
my first green was, as you said, very sassy, and loved people
he was very eager to learn to talk and did so very well.
my blue was smaller than the green and very shy in comparisson.
When alone though (sad story with my green) my blues personality really came out and he very quickly bonded to me. Unfortunately this meant he hated everyone else, especially when they came near us, because he was always with me.
My newest green is unusually small due to his laziness in cracking seed when he was young. Very distractable and tends to stick to shorter phrases when talking despite learning to talk very early on
All up, I think alot of their traits were merely based on the specific bird although I agree that greens are much more confident
RICKEY:
Clipping wings is a personal choice, nothing to be worried about. Not having a band on his leg could mean he either hasn’t been DNA tested etc. or it has just been taken off for safety purposes; if you’re concerned just go see your vet
As for the agression about his cage, never alter the cage with him in it, and change it from week to week so that he doesn’t get too dominant over his belongings
I am thinking about getting a Quaker Parrot. I have owned 2 PARROTLETS in the past. My first lived to be about 4 and died i’m not completely sure how. I was unbelievably sad after his death but then got another parrotler acouple of months later. He was the runt of the liter and weaned very slow. He only lived to be acouple of months old then got sick and died. I know you can never be sure how long a bird/quaker lives…but i would like to know how long most peoples live. If you can tell me any info about their life span, that would be wonderful. If i do get another one it will be acouple of months. I don’t know if i can take another death. Please respond.
Thank you.
PS: i would prefer a female blue quaker, any coment?
I have a green Quaker. I love her so just a baby still but cuddly and sweet with everyone. said her first word the other day “kisses”.. I shouldn’t think the colour would make the difference (only in the price) …. I say this… pick the bird that picks you…. and it will be magic. But really any pet will be as much or as little as you put into them. Meaning if you don’t spend the time to have a relationship with them, they will not return the love to you (kinda like marriage:) also a side note : just because we put them in a cage for safety reasons, doesn’t mean they are cage pets, they need more time out of it then in it… Just my thoughts
i think all of you are wonderful for helping each other with your thoughts your funny stories and your caring for others and thier feathered friends.
i have had 2 cockatiels and am ready to buy my first quaker, blue or green they are all beautiful to me. if any of you have any advice for me it will be greatly appreciated and excepted. thank you in advance and enjoy your friends
My wife & I would like to share our Quaker parrot experiences with you all.
We live in Australia & bought a blue Quaker from a well respected breeder (from Campbelltown – Sydney for all you Ausies). We have to say, our Quaker is pure joy. Sure he has his nuances & some can be annoying, but above all that, he is amazing & we love him. His name is ‘Zeke’, morphed to ‘Beakie’, due to his worste habbit…beaking!! He loves my wife, tolerates me & will attempt to eat anyone else.
We also own a Sun Conure (from the same breeder). Her name is ‘Rosie’. She is sweet, loves her owners & our siblings.
Zeke talks really well. He tries to imitate us often & if we both had more time, he would be a far better talker. The most amazing thing, is he tries to teach Rosie (the Sun Conure) how to talk. I find that mind bendingly increadible.
Unfortunately Rosie wasn’t blessed with the ‘happy chat’ gene. She would much rather spend her days down my shirt making chirpie, lovie noises & trying to mate with me.
Zeke on the other hand is learning new words everyday.
Hello, I just purchased a Blue Quaker male. He is four months old.
He seems small in comparison to the Green that I had before.
At four months, is he full grown ???
How does he compare in size to a Senegal ? The reason I ask this is
because I want to order a flight suit for him to give him more freedom.
The suits are listed as size Medium for Quakers and Small for Senegals.
I can’t trust that the Blue Quaker is larger than a Sensgal.
Can someone out there help me to choose the right size ?
Thank you
Well i do not have a bird yet but i am thinking of getting a blue quaker parrot. I dont know if i should get the blue quaker as it rolls over in my hands and gives me kisses but the green one is also cute as it gives me kisses but it likes to bite my ears what one should i get????
I am about to purchase a beautiful,(young,split-blue);lime-green Quaker Parrot. Can you suggest a good healthy diet I can feed him? He is healthy-(DNA ring);I just want to be assured he stays at optimum health. Thank you, Craig
Where can I buy a quaker in the New York City or any of the surrounding boros? Even NJ? I had a beautiful cockatiel Mikey and he died after 16 years (I think he was 1 year old when I got him). He was so lovable and smart and sweet and my husband and I are devastated that he is gone. I don’t think I could bear to get another cockatiel thinking that he would remind me of Mikey but a Quaker sounds different and wonderful. Only thing is: I don’t know where to go to get one. Can someone help me?
We are in the process of adopting a Blue, she’s {He? Waiting for the DNA test} a sweet little thing. We named her Topaz, and at the ripe old age of 7 weeks has mostly mastered “Step Up”, I’m so proud of her! The other Quakers in the store do show the size difference – the Green’s are definitely the larger ones.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE POSTED QUESTIONS HERE – This area of the site is for COMMENTS on this article. There are lots of VERY helpful folks who will GLADLY answer your questions on the Forums area, top right link of this page. Be sure to post in the proper area and you’ll get LOTS of help!!
is the blue quaker friendly ? i mean in the way that, could he stay on his breeder s shoulders and be petted and trained showing no aggressivity towards humans ?
My little green quaker is full of life and love. He has this bell he LOVES to ring and is very protective over. I am getting a blue quaker and i think he will be easier to work with. but can someone tell me why my green quaker bites when you get him out of the cage?
I purchased my first green quaker (Elvis) seven years ago. He was wonderful. He caught on quickly to words. Vocabulary was endless. Whistles were repeated in the same song I had whistled them in. He went everywhere with me. His wings were clipped and he didn’t seem to mind at all.
Everything changed when I had to go away on a airplane and leave Elvis behind. When I got back, he had plucked out most of his feathers and was a wreck. The vet said he was suffering from seperation anxiety and for me to get him another bird, so I did. I got him a sweet little blue quaker.
WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WAS!!! My Elvis changed within a week. PeeWee told him to treat me with anger and disrespect. Bite me every chance he gets. Stop talking completely. And Elvis listened!! I had lost my precious bird.
That was 5 years ago. They are now housed outside in an aviary and I don protective gear to change their water and food. Elvis seldom says anything except “Yummy, that’s good” when I bring him some fresh fruit to eat.
I’ve thought about what to do with them now and really just don’t know. I’m afraid if I give them away someone will separate them and if they do that, well, I could do that, clip Elvis’ wings and be happy as a pig in do do. But, Elvis would not be. They have to stay together!!
hi, i have a blue quaker, his name is womble. ive had him for approx 8-9yrs. i find he is a little bugger and will pluck at his feathers, and sometimes he can bleed alittle, i have took him vets, and there r no mites on him, they say it could b a change at home, but we have done nothing 2 change his lifestyle..
he is a well spoken parrot, lol, and as his bad habits, and likes to get on our nerves. but i couldnt be without him. i bought him at 10wks old, and hand reared him right away. he loves to come out and stand on my shoulder, and give kisses and barks like a dog. i think hes a 1 persons bird, he as his moments where he will go to my partner, and then the next bite her ear, haha 
a bird lovely to have.
comment to pauls post.. i said in my comment i think blue quaker is a 1 persons bird, and if ur going to b teching him, yes he will come out on ur shoulder and listen to you. mine comes out onto my shoulder sings, blows kisses, likes tickles, tug of war with a sock. hope this helps
We might get a green quaker soon
I am going to get me a Green Quaker 2mrw. I am really looking forward to having a bird. My kids loves birds and I think it will be a great pet. I wanted the blue one but while reading these posts I have decided on the green one thanks for the help everybody.
My husband and I just purchased a blue Quaker today. Right now he is in his adjustment period with his new home and surroundings. We already have a green cheek conure (Loki) who is a mess. Suprisingly, Loki can say several words even though the pet shop said Conures do not talk. I was debabting on an Amazon or a Quaker. (big difference I know) I chose the blue Quaker because of its size (Amazons are a little intimating to me but a great talkers). At the pet shop they had a blue and a green Quaker. We visited them several times. The blue Quaker is smaller and just from my experience with these two the blue was a lot friendlier. I have heard the blues are better talkers but I think that a lot depends on how much time you devote to training your bird.
Thanks for all the posts on here. It is always good to hear other opinions. We let you all know how it goes with my blue.
Also need to think of a good name
i am thinking about adopting a blue from someone it is depressed because its mate flew away and i alread have a green so it might be happy here with me and little mojo
We just adopted the sweetest little blue quaker, He us 1.5 yrs old, and tuly adorable. He loves everyone, and although we have only had him for a week, he is talking up a storm. Even my husband likes him, which believe me says alot. I am so happy that he has joined our family.
I have had my beuatiful little blue quaker since she was 2 weeks old and she has a vocabulary of a little of 50 words and phrases and she has just turned one and is still learning new words every day like yesterday for the first time she said Oh My God and oviusly picked up from me. I find quaker parrots copy what you say sometimes but im guessing its just to perfect a word that there learning. Layla ( My Quaker ) is a perfectionist when it comes to her cage. If you move on of her toys she will call you by your name in a deep tone to tell you off then carry it in her beak and put it back in the right spot. If anythink I would suggest a blue quaker because both mine and everyone elses blue quakers that I know are very affectionate like mines sort of purrs and stuggle into your neck and loves laying on my chest for cuddles (me preening her) and scratches.
I bought a blue Quaker today. Not sure of the sex but think he’s a boy, so did the people at the pet shop (but who knows). I have named him Scooter and he seems quite talkative so far, mutters and makes little noises in response to me when I talk. He is 11 weeks old so I think that is a good sign he will be a talker, he is hand raised and likes to cuddle and sit on my shoulder while he rubs his little face lovingly on my neck. Very inquisitive and has taken it upon himself to investigate the house..
Another thing that I have read before to find true is that they are fearless and like to take on bigger animals… Which we discovered when he flew onto the cat… Which freaked out and ran away from scooter.
that’s what I have come to find thus far.
Cheers.
I breed quakers.I have found that my blue are bigger than my green. A few people on here have bought from me.Hi audrey blackman how’s that sweet chatty katty doing. I find the blue talk just as well as the green no difference. It’s up to u and the time u put into teaching your bird to talk. They love to chat with you. I have had many babies that talked before they weaned. so it’s all in the person to get out of them many words.Time and fun with these little guys is the best! owner of 8 quakers……..
I have to admit the blues are the best bird we have ever had, weve had a green quaker and a blue quaker aswell as an african grey , but out of all of them i would say the blues my favourite ofcourse the african grey is a better at talking , the thing I love the most about blue quakers is that they are so affectionate. He is also really good at imitating any sounds , he is CONSTANTLY imitating my dogs when they playfight bark and lots more. i have tried taking my green quaker and african grey out the back ( free ) but they keep on trying to make a runner . so far I have had my blue quaker 4 months and he seems to never leave my side even when he is out the back x
I have 2 quakers and i do not know if I have blues or green one is loveable and will not talk and the other one is hateful and talks alot. I have tried to calm the one down and all it wants to do is bite you. I bought them from a private person and they was together and I seperated them to see if that would be better but it just made it worst. It trys to bite me when I feed and water it and if I clean its cage can you hep me with any info.
Thank you