9 Best Types of Talking Pet Birds

If you want a pet bird that will talk, check out these species.

Reviewed by Natasha Diehl

Birds that talk have an incredible ability to repeat human speech, which makes them truly unique among other types of companion pets. You are likely to find, though, that a bird's talent for mimicry still pales in comparison to the fact that they are charming, engaging, and truly remarkable, which is why they have been so popular for generations.

Here are nine of the most popular talking bird species so that you can appreciate more about what each impressive pet has to offer.

Tip

In all species, avoid adopting a bird solely on the basis of wanting a talking bird; speaking is not a guarantee in any individual bird. Propensities can be genetic, but the rearing environment is a large predictor of interest in mimicry and vocal communications.

8 Best Talking Bird Species to Keep as Pets

African Grey Parrots

African grey parrots have seen a rise in popularity as pets, largely due to studies that have provided greater insight into the extreme intelligence of these birds. They are the most intelligent of the talking birds, and can learn around 1,000 words to develop an extended vocabulary. Most pick up words quite readily and speak with great clarity.

There are common reports of owners who have been fooled into thinking that they were talking to a human family member in the next room, only to find that it was their pet African grey mimicking the person's voice. These birds are fascinating, but they do require a significant amount of specialized care and at least five hours per day of socializing, so bringing one home is not a choice to be taken lightly.

Species Overview

Length: 13 inches

Weight: 15 to 18 ounces

Physical Characteristics: Varying shades of gray on the body; red tail feathers if Congo African grey--Timnehs lack this coloration

Life Span: 40 to 60 years

Budgies (Parakeets)

It comes as a surprise to many that the tiny budgies, also known as budgerigars or simply as parakeets, can actually talk as well if not better than some of the larger parrot species. Some budgies have even been known to develop vocabularies of hundreds of words. With their gruff voices, it can sometimes be hard to decipher what exactly budgies are saying, but those who care for them often find budgies to be quite the chatterboxes nonetheless. Plus, these adorable little birds are affordable to buy and keep.

Species Overview

Length: 7 inches

Weight: 1 ounce

Physical Characteristics: Light green body with black wing markings and yellow head; captive-bred colors of blue, gray, green, white, violet, and yellow/blue

Life Span: 10+ years

Amazon Parrots

Another bird group that is known for having exceptional speaking abilities is the beautiful and captivating genus of Amazon parrots. These birds are not only known for building large, impressive vocabularies, but they are also renowned for their exceptional voice clarity that rivals all other types of parrots. The yellow-naped Amazon, in particular, is known as the best talker of the Amazon parrots.

In addition to talking, Amazon parrots are great at learning tricks, making them very entertaining birds for those who want a pet that the whole family can interact with often.

Species Overview

Length: 13 to 15 inches

Weight: 7 to 25 ounces

Physical Characteristics: Green body feathers; over 15 subspecies of Amazon parrot with different head and wing colorings

Life Span: 25 to 60 years

Quaker Parrot

The adorable Quaker parrots, also known as monk parakeets, have long been prized for their talking talents and charming personalities. Quakers are able to build quite large vocabularies, and some Quaker owners swear that their birds are even able to use their words in context. Quaker parrots are a good choice for people seeking the fun of a larger parrot but in a more compact package.

Species Overview

Length: 11 inches

Weight: 4 to 5 ounces

Physical Characteristics: Bright green, white, yellow, gray, or blue body; gray breast, cheeks, and throat resembles colonial-era Quaker clothing; orange beaks

Life Span: 20 to 30 years

Indian Ringneck Parakeet

Hailing from India and Asia, the charming Indian Ringneck parakeet, also known as the rose-ringed parakeet, has been kept as a pet for centuries. At first, they were reserved for royalty only, specifically because of their incredible speaking abilities. Centuries ago, monks observed these birds in temple gardens where they recited daily prayers; they noticed that the wild birds repeated the prayers they were hearing. This led to the belief that these birds were holy or divine.

Species Overview

Length: 16 inches

Weight: 5 to 6 ounces

Physical Characteristics: Bright green, blue, yellow, violet, white body; red and black neck ring on male, no ring or a pale shadow on female

Life Span: 25 to 30 years

Cockatoo

Hailing from Australia, the cockatoo is another large parrot species that has displayed speech abilities in captivity. While it has been reported to be difficult to train cockatoos to talk, these birds merely have a softer, sweeter speaking voice than other parrots, depending on their excitement level at the time of speaking. When excited, they can be very loud when talking. Cockatoo trainers must use careful listening skills to both hear and understand the soft words from their birds. Cockatoos also require some socialization limits in their daily routine; otherwise, separation anxiety from over-bonding can create a health issue.

Species Overview

Length: 18 inches

Weight: 14 to 28 ounces

Physical Characteristics: Mostly white body; some yellow feathers underneath the wings; reddish eyes in females, brown to black eyes in males

Life Span: 30 to 70 years

Eclectus Parrot

You might think that the most interesting thing about Eclectus parrots is their beautiful coloring and stark differences between male and female plumage. And yet the Moluccan eclectus has strong speech capabilities; most readily mimic their owners. Having only a 30-year lifespan, these shorter-lived talking companions may be at lower risk of outliving their owners.

Species Overview

Length: 14 inches

Weight: 12 to 19 ounces

Physical Characteristics: Green male body with blue and red, yellow on the head; red female body with purple, blue, and some yellow

Life Span: 30 to 50 years

Severe Macaw

The largest of the mini macaws, the severe macaw's big personality makes them a favorite with bird lovers. These small macaws aren’t as verbose as some other parrots, but they do have the ability to mimic speech. Like all macaws, they are quite skilled at learning short phrases and singing snippets of songs even though their speech isn’t always clear.

Severe macaws tend to be loud birds for their size, but with adequate socialization, they can learn to use their inside voice, as they like to bond with happy owners.

Species Overview

Length: 15 to 20 inches

Weight: 16 ounces

Physical Characteristics: Shiny green body; chestnut-colored patches on the forehead and under the beak; a patch of iridescent blue on the crown of the head; red patches on the edges the wings; tail feathers blue with red undersides

Life Span: 30 years

Mynah

The Mynah, or Myna, is part of the starling family, and is native to Southeast Asia, India, Indonesia, and Africa. People keep the common mynah and the hill mynah as pets, and these birds are active, fun, social, and clever. Even though they aren’t the ideal species if you’re looking for a bird who will learn tricks or enjoy cuddling, this is a great choice if you want one that can learn around 100 words and can mimic your voice. In addition to talking, they make various other sounds, including screeching and whistling.

Species Overview

Length: 12 to 18 inches long

Weight: 3 to 5 ounces

Physical Characteristics: Hill mynah has black body, yellow legs and feet, and orange-reddish beak; common mynah has dark brown body, yellow feet, black throat and head, and yellow beak

Life Span: 12 to 25 years

Read the original article on The Spruce Pets.