Moon's Graden

I am considering acquiring a medium size parrot as a first
bird.  Some requirements are
a possibility of "speaking", an affectionate personality , low
noise levels, and moderate
ease of care ( as i will be a novice). One bird species in
consideration is the blue headed
pionus.
Does the species fit the above description? Do they do better
as singles or pairs?
What is an average price for a single (and a pair) in the new
england area? How
available are they or other pionus species in New England(MA)?
Thanks for any help.

I have a 7 month old Blue-headed Pionus.  He's a wonderful pet.  Very gentle,
very friendly.  Although he will nibble at me for exploration, he hasn't bitten
even once.  He's also incredibly quiet - hardly makes a sound.  He chirps
quitely on occasion, but the only time he really squawks is for about a half-
minute when I leave the house.  So far, he hasn't said a word, but he does
make kissing noises in imitation of me.  From what I understand, he's pretty
typical of the species.  Although any hookbill can speak, Pionuses are not
known as particularly good talkers.  The good part of that is that they are
known for being quiet, and therefore good for apartment-dwellers.

From what I've read, all 5 of the commonly kept Pionus species (Blue head,
Maximilian's, Bronze wing, Dusky and White capped) share this personality,
although the white-capped can tend to be a bit aggressive.  The Blue head is
among the most common.  A hand-fed baby is in the $4-600 range