Galah Noise Level

[FrogMan]

Hello! Over the last year and a half I have been doing research on Finding the best fitting medium/large sized parrot for the final member of my flock. After all of my research, I am looking for some help with understanding the noise level of a galah cockatoo. What I have read online states that while they can be loud, they are not nearly as loud as other cockatoos out there. Yet, in the same article/forum post it will state its extremely loud and while videos give great perspective on sound, the true volume is different. Likewise, people describing sound level varies drastically in personal opinion, the individual bird, and the location the sound was made (like a room with an echo) plus the words used to describe the sound like “ear piercing”, “soft spoken”, “extremely loud”.

To help with some background and perspective, I currently live in an apartment and have four birds, a lovebird, green cheek, Jenday, and dove. The noise level of these four birds when they are all excited and performing contact calls is not unbearable or too loud for me personally. Neighbors also state they can not hear the birds unless they are in the hallway, which I can barely hear them when I am in the hallway. Seeing as Jenday conures are usually described as “unbearably loud” and on the more extreme sound level for birds in their size range, I want to see how galahs stack up. As, while I expect and welcome screaming, I just want to be mindful to not jump to umbrella cockatoo screaming and disrupt the balanced peace I have within my apartment complex. However, if a slight step up from Jenday/Sun conure psound level, at a higher pitch, is more equal I would be more comfortable with moving forward.

Thank you!

 

[KBEquine]

I am following your thread because I have the same question - and more - about Galahs.

But I do have one comment on noise level. I downloaded a noise-meter [decibel level] onto my cell phone and use it in the bird room. Our Green Wing Macaw was as loud or louder than our Sulphur Crested too, who passed a few years ago. But the TONE of the 'Too's screech almost made my ears bleed, while the macaw was merely loud.

In fact, when they put their teeny tiny hears into it, both my lineoated parakeets and my budgies could be almost as loud as a jet engine. Sometimes it is not the size of the bird or their loudness, but the tone that makes a difference.

My concern would be whether your apartment neighbors would have the same noise tolerance as you have - I don't know many experienced parrot-owners who recommend any cockatoo for an apartment, unless you have some serious soundproofing. Best of luck!