I have birds, fish, and a dog at present. Have had cats, chickens and other revenue fowl, a peacock, ducks, ponies, horses, a sheep (the wife's, not mine!), and a skunk over the years. That last critter was quite fascinating!
Two of my birds talk, and that's the endearing factor there. The African Grey has about a 200-word vocabulary and a sizeable cacophony of "household" sounds (phone ringing, microwave beeping, dog growling, smoke alarm going off, etc.) And he cusses like a sailor when "appropriate" (wonder where he got that ?!?) He'll probably outlive me as he's just a teenager now. Birds can be very affectionate if handled frequently. Mine aren't because I don't spend enough time with them. Birds are messy and create a lot of dust. But I can't think of a critter that doesn't have a downside.
Those of us who keep animals do so for a variety of personal reasons. To each his/her own...