10 Best Talking Pet Bird Species

Many people desire a companion they can interact with. A voice at the end of a long day’s activity will easily soothe an exhausted soul. With their playful and friendly personality, birds are some of the best pets you can have.

These creatures are curious and have a lot of fascinating features. These qualities can be easily compounded when you take into account talking birds. These birds offer you the best opportunity to enjoy the social side of your new companion.

However, many people are still not aware that some birds can talk better than others. If you are one of them, then you have come to the right place. This post will take a look into some of the best talking pet birds that you can keep as pets.

1. Grey Parrot

Grey parrots are highly intelligent. In fact, they are regarded as one of the smartest birds in the animal kingdom. But their strongest quality is their ability to talk. They can amaze hundreds of vocabulary within a short time.

Some research suggests that these parrots can use the right words to convey a message during a conversation. Some equate their speech to that of a human toddler.

But this does not imply that they fully understand what they are saying. After all, birds take years of practice and training to be able to produce the right sounds.

Like other parrots, they tend to attach themselves to one person. So, their relationship with their trainer or owner is crucial for their talking ability. Bonding with these birds, while teaching them, will greatly improve their talking ability.

Besides human voices, they can also pick other voices in their surroundings. Most people love these birds because they are clever enough to mimic a wide range of sounds such that they can easily fool a predator.

2. Amazon Parrots

Other talented talkers are the Amazon parrots family. Yellow-napped Amazon, Yellow-crowned Amazon, and Blue-Front Amazon are usually the best talkers within the family. They are popular because they can contextualize human sounds.

Actually, they can learn a wide range of vocabulary and mimic them with great clarity. Some of the birds in this family will start to talk when they are still young. In most cases, they pick up the words for their owners.

One unique thing about them is that they bond with one person at a time. So, the owner must take time to interact with these birds to improve their talking ability.

In some cases, they can also mimic sounds that they get from their surroundings. Their ability to talk is influenced by the frequency of interaction with their owners.

3. Macaw

Macaws are one of the largest species in the parrot family. They come in various shades and colors. One common thing about macaws is that most members can talk to some extent. Some species such as the blue-and-gold macaw are known to be quick to grab some words.

Macaws may not be as talkative as some parrots but they can mimic sounds with ease. Most of their sounds are not very clear since they tend to be noisier.

So, you should expect them to be a constant talker to your ear. The only challenge is that they communicate in a language that you may not understand.

4. Budgie

Budgies are one of the most admired options for social pets. Hailing from Australia, they are smart pet birds. These birds come with bright green color but they differ among genders.

This species is part of the order Psittaciformes. While they may not have the same capability as talking parrots, they are great imitators. The best thing is that they are willing to learn sounds.

Budgies are not only intelligent, but they can also master outstanding vocabulary. In fact, this species is known to have mastered 1728 words. So, it is not surprising that it is the holder of the Guinness record in 1995. It is also one of the most popular pets in the world.

They’re incredibly friendly and social. In fact, they require daily socialization to flourish. What it means is that they are more likely to learn a few words when you talk to them than many other birds.

They are known to imitate words used by their owners. On average, budgies can learn about 300 – 500 words. Unfortunately, no budgie has ever surprised the record set in 1995. You will only have a challenge teaching these birds if you keep two or more budgies together.

In this situation, they might not listen to you as often as they should because they give priority to spending time with other budgies.

5. Galah

The galahs are inhabitants of Australia and are stunningly beautiful. They are also quite intelligent and love human company, especially when they are taught new tricks. They have the ability to mimic a variety of vocabularies and sounds.

Since they are highly socialized birds, they require constant attention to develop their talking skills. With this mind, it means that the owner should be wholly dedicated to these birds if they want to understand their nature and encourage them to interact.

6. Blue Headed Pionus

Blue-Headed Pionus can be a deceiving bird as they appear laid-back on one hand, but they are also affectionate and easy-going.

While they may not be as talkative as other parrots on this list, Blue Headed Pionus can mimic quite a number of words.

They can repeat the speech of the owner, especially if they are engaged in one-on-one interactions. Sometimes, they may make some wheezing sounds, which can be mistaken for illness.

7. Monk Parakeet

This species is also known as the Quaker parrot. These parakeets are actually small parrots, and they inhabit most of South and North America as well as Europe.

Just like most talking birds, a monk parakeet needs a lot of attention and training to be able to repeat human sounds. The good thing is that when they get a good trainer, they will imitate and repeat the words.

What is interesting is that a learned monk parakeet will try to use some of the acquired vocabularies in the right situations.

So, the trainer must associate the right emotions or actions with sounds while training these birds. Other than this, these birds are quite sharp in mimicking other voices they hear from their environment.

8. Eclectus Parrot

This species is known for its clarity of speech and wealth of vocabulary. They can copy most of the voices they hear from the surrounding and mimic them in amazing tones.

This means that they can hear songs when they are playing. Some parrots can learn and repeat the whole song.

One of their unique qualities is the ability to hear and mimic both human voices and any sound within their surroundings with great clarity.

So, it is not surprising for these parrots to even fool their owners. The good thing is that they repeated the acquired sounds in the rights situations. So, you should expect Eclectus parrots to make charming companions.

9. Indian Ringneck

Indian Ringneck is one of the most admired talking birds. They are clever birds that can develop a sizable vocabulary. These birds can learn up to 500 words. Unfortunately, the ability to mimic sounds depends entirely on the frequency of socializing with the owner.

These birds are sometimes regarded as sacred due to their history. In ancient times, religious leaders in India who used to pray in their gardens started to hear nearby Ringnecks repeating heir prayers, thus treating them as sacred. This is also the same reason that people start keeping these birds in their homes.

When they are not interacting with their owner, Indian Ringnecks will copy other nearby human voices. Surprisingly, they can also pick up some words when they hear music.

10. Cockatoo

A cockatoo may not be as talkative as most parrots, they are highly adaptable and can learn a few words if you are patient to teach them. They can also imitate several sounds. On average, a cockatoo can speak about 50 words.

These birds are likely to give you a warm good morning as you step down the stairs, especially if you teach them as a habit. If you are looking for a pet bird that will talk autonomously, then this species makes a good candidate.

What makes them great birds is their ability to copy inflections and intonations in your speeches, so they are likely to babble once in a while. What might impress you the most is their cheeky nature. This feature will keep you laughing.

There are several species of Cockatoos. Some are better talkers than others. These include the yellow-crested cockatoo, rose-breasted cockatoo, and long-billed cockatoo. To learn speaking, you need to give them ample time.

They usually mimic sounds that they associate with their habits. So, a slight change in tone might affect their ability to learn. While they will not learn every word you make, they will try to mimic them the right way with constant practice.

Conclusion

Speaking birds offer a unique opportunity to enjoy the social side of these pets. They are best in communicating their feelings and reciprocating their affections.

So, if you weren’t sure of which bird to keep as your companion, then you are safe with any of the above pet birds.

The best thing is that most of them are also smart and intelligent, so you should expect to develop a close bond with you.