I Love Birds

I've had a number of birds, my favorite being an African Grey. My best advice would be to get a young one. I got my Grey when he was 6 months old and was able to train him well. The younger they are the easier they are to train.

Years before that, I adopted a Mulucan Cockatoo. She was already 15, as her previous owner had to move and couldn't take her along. I wasn't able to train her as I wanted to at her age, but I could teach her a few things. It was difficult and took a while to do so. She unhappy and very nervous in her previous setting as her owner wasn't very attentive or kind. So, when we got her, her chest was bare. She had plucked all her feathers, and continued to do so after we got her. It was a habit we couldn't deter from. She was also a screamer. Although we could calm that down, it was a very difficult task.

All she knew how to say when we got her was hello. She eventually picked up "I love you" "You're home", "goodbye", "you hungry?" and a few others. She lived to be 45, although we knew she could have lived longer. While with us, she also fell in love with my husband. She would be sitting on his shoulder, bow her head, and bounce up and down in a cockatoo's mating fashion. He'd put her back in her cage, and the next morning, we'd find an egg or two in her cage. She never liked me, as I was another female in the house. She was always jealous of me.

So, again. Find someone young and who will attach to you. Much better to get to know and for him/her to get to know and trust you. The rewards are amazing.

I dont have a parrot but I have smaller birds and a cockatiel.
Something I wish I had been told was that they have verrryyyy complicated personalities at times.
You just dont know what you will get until its home.