How friendly they are is mostly a result of how they are raised and - even more so - how they are treated. They tend not to be very snuggly, but most of the ones I've met did clearly enjoy hanging out on their owners' shoulders. Some are OK with strangers, most are not (which is true for most parrots).

I'm not very familiar with the noise you should expect from an amazon - I know they CAN be very loud (true for all parrots) but the ones I've met have mostly been very quiet. I don't know if that's typical, but I suspect not.

As for expenses, you should probably budget around $200/year for vet work for any parrot (I just had my new pionus checked out, so that number is fresh in my mind!). Then figure in the cost of a cage (the bigger the better). You can spend as much as you want on toys, or you can be creative and crafty and build stuff out of wood, rope, leather, etc, for pretty cheap.

Nate Waddoups
Redmond WA USA

My experience with Amazons is limited to my aunt's orange wing who she's had for at least 20 years. Floyd (who is actually a female) is not friendly to other people, but not really aggressive either. She'll get on my shoulder and sometimes let me scratch her neck for a second, but that's about it. She's friendly to my aunt. I think orange wings are supposed to be one of the best-tempered Amazons.
She is very very loud, but her calls are rather complex and have a sort of musical quality. When you hear her screaming from outside, or even on a different floor of the house, the screaming is not unpleasant to listen to. But you don't want to be in the same room.
Amazons are very prone to gaining weight. Floyd's very fat since for years my aunt fed her mostly seed with a little people food (20 years ago, people didn't know better). Even with being on a diet of mostly veggies for the past 6 or 7 years, she's still a very plump bird - they don't lose weight easily.
Floyd doesn't talk at all. In general, the better talking species of Amazons tend to also be the most aggressive species.


Karen
Chico (conure) and Pippin (budgie)
WI

Thanks for all that guys, that has really helped me out. I know It is almost impossible to get a parrot that won't make any noise. But if I could at least Limit it a bit that would be good. I suppose that is one of my main concerns with a new parrot. You see my Tiel is very quiet so I don't know the true noise level of a parrot.

Look into pionus and eclectus... Far as I can tell, they're the quietest parrots other than cockatiels. They have loud screeches, but they tend to use them pretty rarely.

Nate Waddoups
Redmond WA USA

Other quieter smaller parrots are the Pyrrhura conures, Poicephalus parrots (Senegals, Meyers, ect), lineolated parakeets, and also some of the Australian parrots like bourkes parrots, princess parrots, or king parrots, which may be harder to find. African greys are also supposed to be relatively quiet birds but can pick up annoying noises easily.

Karen
Chico (conure) and Pippin (budgie)
WI

New to the forum, I've owned a blue-fronted amazon for the last 15 years. "D.J." is a great friend, but he bonded to me and dislikes other people (males). Females can have their way with this ladies man. He's really vocal in the morning and when I return from work in the evening.
As with all parrots, the amazon is very intelligent,and needs his toys changed daily in his cage.They are great talkers and imitators, but very shy. The blue-front rarely talks in front of people, they need to be in the other room. It took almost a year before he would talk to me face-to-face, but now that's not an issue.
The amazon needs to be "misted" every day, imitating the jungle experience and they love showers. This keeps them clean and the colors bright.. imitation of the jugle diet also is important. Most exotic fruits can be purshased at your local grocer and pellets and seeds/nuts used for treats. A high nut diet will cause an unhealthy weight gain and should be avoided. Pasta, eggs(scrambled), and potatoes occasionally will provide needed carbs and protien, so the use of expensive dietary supplements is unneccessary.
As you can see, the parrot is a high maintenance addition to your family, and a bird in the medium to large range should be considered carefully.

I dont know how someone did it but the amazon I have just gotten will lower his voice when you tell him "shhhhhh whisper" if squawking, talking to himself our yelling across the house for someone he immediatley repeats whatever he has just sad about 2 degrees lower, then again about another 2 degrees lower and keeps it there for a pretty long time

I want to get a blue front, but the breeder told me that since I have 2 kids and one on the way an Orange Wing is better. Does anyone have an orange wing that talks? It would really suck to make this investment in an Amazon and it never uttters a word