Generally, when people think of a pet bird, they imagine a beautiful creature singing a sweet song or chatting to them happily from their cage. This notion of talking birds is something that has always been incredibly popular and is often depicted in media across a variety of situations. Whether a bird is acting as comic relief or delivering ominous messages, people love the idea of having a bird that can actually talk. Since this is the case, we thought it might be nice to bring together a quick list of birds that you can raise that will learn how to talk. Each one might have a different amount of words that it can learn, but it is still fun to teach birds a little bit of our language!
What is the most talkative pet bird?
1. African Grey
The African Grey is a beautiful and unique breed of parrot that counters its cousins’ vibrant feathers with a completely greyscale look that makes it completely unique. As is common with larger parrots, this bird is incredibly intelligent and is ready to take on the task of learning language if it gets them the right kind of attention.
What is most interesting about these darker parrots is the fact that they have a keen understanding of language that seemingly surpasses simple mimicking. These large birds are known to live up to 60 years and can be over two feet tall.
2. Scarlet Macaw
These beautiful birds are known for their ability to parrot back words and are often depicted in films doing exactly that. The scarlet macaw, which is seen as the villain’s companion in Aladdin, is able to learn more words than a lot of other birds around. This bird requires plenty of stimulation and room to move around. They are known for living almost as long as human and can be over two feet tall.
3. Blue and Gold Macaw
This other variation of macaw is known for its unique linguistic skills. Like the scarlet macaw this bird is more than capable of mimicking you and will happily do so. This particular breed is known for picking up words very quickly and will happily share them with you. They can live up to 50 years in captivity and can be up to three feet tall.
4. Cockatoo
The cockatoo is a natural people pleaser that will happily work with you to learn new words. When they see how happy you feel when they get a word correct, they will be thrilled to continue the exercise and have a lot of fun doing so. Depending on what kind of cockatoo you get, their linguistic capabilities and lifespan can range dramatically with some birds living as little as 10 years and others living over 40 years.
5. Eclectus
This bird comes in two completely different color schemes depending on gender, but all versions of it are known to be incredibly capable conversationalists. Not only can these birds learn words from the human language, they are also capable of speaking in a clear and distinct manner that resonates on a human level. They can live up to 30 years and are known for being around two feet tall.
6. Parakeet
Parakeets, also known as budgies, are small birds that are incredibly smart and social. This makes them an ideal candidate for learning a little bit of linguistic ability from their favorite person. These birds might only be a six or so inches tall, but they can live up to 30 years and are known for happily chirping words when they realize it is a way to get attention.
7. Blue-Fronted Amazon Parrot
This bird has a variety of unique traits that make it a wonderful pet for the right owner. They are known for having surprisingly clear voices and are always happy to mimic the people around them. In fact, these birds do a great job of catching some of the language nuances that other birds are known to miss out on. This amazing breed of bird can live up to 100 years, sometimes outliving their owners! They are generally over two feet tall, making them quite a sight with their vibrant green and blue feathers!
8. Rose Ringed Parakeet
The Rose Ringed Parakeet is an underappreciated and intelligent bird that has some very impressive language skills. Unlike other birds that can merely repeat a word or two, the Rose Ringed Parakeet is actually capable of learning entire sentences and the manner in which they are spoken. These bright green birds can live up to 30 years and are medium in size.
9. Parrotlet
The Parrotlet is a tiny parrot derivative that is known for being absolutely adorable in just about everything that it does, including learning language. Though it might lack some of the intimidation and majesty of larger parrots, this little creature is happy to learn a few key words and reciprocate them back in a fun and interactive way. This small bird is known for being less than six inches tall, but it can live a shocking twenty years with the right owner as long as it stays in good health.
How to teach your bird to talk?
This video gives a few tips for teaching your bird how to talk. The bird in the video is an African Grey Parrot which takes our #1 spot! Enjoy.
Teaching a bird to talk is a fun experience that can make owning a pet bird that much more fun. You will love showing off your pet’s linguistic capabilities and teaching them fun things to say. Remember, these birds can pick up words from you without you even teaching them that word specifically, so always be weary of what you say in front of your feathery pal. The last thing that you want is for them to share one of your precious secrets with the wrong audience or say something inappropriate to your grandmother!
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About Us
We are avid bird-watchers who recently retired, allowing us more time to travel the world. Fortunately, we have managed to visit numerous countries around Europe, Asia, and America. Watching and photographing birds has been a passion for many years and we are making the most of the extra time on our hands!