Bronze Winged Pionus      Aside from my own birds, I feel the Bronze Winged Pionus (Pionus chalcopterus) is the most beautiful. These birds are 11 inches long, and their plumage appears to be a subtle violet-blue. However, their wings are dusted with bronze, and a shading of pink, purple-blue, and bronze-green covers the body. Their beak is horn colored, and their legs are light brown to pink. Like most pionus, the immature birds have much less color.      Bronze Wings are not quite as wide spread in the pet trade, but these birds are well worth the hunt. You can purchase a Bronze Wing from $300-$850.      Pionus have lots of personality. There is simply no other way to describe the way that these medium sized birds grab onto your heart and never let go. Sure, some like pionus due to their relatively quiet nature. The fact that these birds take most everything in stride, also doesn't hurt their appeal. Their medium size means that cage requirements are not excessive, and while these birds do delight in making messes, they usually don't throw food as far as the larger birds.      Since pionus are gentle birds, they lend themselves to lots of "cuddle" time outside of their cages. These birds will never be "love sponges" and may even appear standoffish at first. However, they enjoy sitting on a perch, watching their owners go about their daily activities, or sharing time for head scratches and speech training.      Pionus parrots also share a unique stress response. When frightened, these birds will wheeze. It sounds as if the bird is having an asthma attack. Although it may be distressing to hear, the wheezing sound will end once the offending object or person backs away.      Pionus are also beautiful birds. All pionus share red tail coverts (underneath their tail), giving them the name "red vented parrots." In addition, all pionus need to be either blood or surgically sexed, as it is impossible to tell the sexes apart.      There are eight different species of Pionus parrots. Of these, five are commonly available in the pet trade. Although the general body shape and size of these parrots remains the same, their coloration differs from species to species, sometimes quite drastically.