Matt, I currently have both a Congo AG and a B/G. Honestly, both are easy to care for but there are BIG differences in caring for them. For instance, Cosmo, the CAG, likes to fly off his cage, crash land on the floor (Clipped wings), than rome the house looking for things to chew on (Including the dog's and cats; yes he terrorizes them). Lucy, the B/G, occasionally likes to climb off her cage and wander to the food bucket to see what she can find that is no longer in her dish.
Toy's... we sometimes call the B/G Iron Beak because there is nothing that she can not chew through in a very short period of time. And with having both birds, smaller toys intended for the CAG become destroyed very quickly by the B/G. I have found though that phone books make great chew toy's for both birds (Although VERY VERY messy).
Noise: yes the B/G can be MUCH louder then the CAG. However, even though both can talk, the CAG talks MUCH more and it can get quite annoying at times. You may also hear allot about the "Macaw Yell". I'm not going to kid you or sugar coat it though, if you are near them when they do this and you are not ready for it, it will scare the living hell out of you. With my B/G, we got her when she was about 2.5 years old and she would do this for about an hour in the mornings and evenings. However, and some may not agree with me, but when she would do it I would give her a pop on the beak and tell her NO. It took a few weeks before she started yelling much less and now, a bit over a year later, she will only do it when she is scared or once in a great while. In fact, in the last month, she only did it twice and that was when she saw the pest control guy for the neighbor use the long pole with the large blue end to remove the cobwebs from their overhangs on their house. I do not really mind the loud noise but I do not allow it just because they want to be loud. Same with my dogs, they only bark if we are playing with them or their is a reason. I actually lived in my current house for 6 months before the neighbors even knew we had dogs.
Handling: both the CAG and B/G like to be held and played with. And both really love giving kisses if they want something. You will however, need to child proof your house. Meaning that if you like something and you do not want them to destroy it, you will need to put it away or put it where they cannot get to it. Blinds are also a great chew toy if they can get to them.
Biting: I have not had a problem with either of the birds biting me. However, the CAG is very much more particular who is around him. And he loves going after my wife's toe's. The B/G likes to sit on you and chew on your cloths but she does not do it in a manner that will put holes in it. However, snaps and buttons, if you are not paying attention, she will get these off in seconds.
Also, I must add, that unless it is bedtime or someone is not home (Which is not often), my birds are not put in a cage; they are free. In our living room I have a large manzanita play tree, a large play gym, and a large cage for them to play on. The attached pic shows both of them and how much room they have to play on. Once we get our new house, hopefully with in the next month or so, I already have a place picked out for building a play area that will allow them to go outside, in to a fully caged area, at will if they want.
Which to I prefer more, the CAG or the B/G... honestly both have qualities that would make me prefer one over the other. However, I would not give either up right now. You would be happy with both. HOWEVER, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember that the average life span for both birds is over 50 years. Therefore, depending on your age, your bird may out live you. Also, in 20 years, are you still going to want a bird... because they are still going to be there. My wife and I are both in our mid 30's and we continually tell the kids that they had better get to like the birds because someday they may be the ones to care for them.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for answering my question!
