Talking birds are popular as pets is well-known.
Many individuals are enticed to get a pet bird after witnessing one mimic human speech or perform a feat for them.
The ability to speak differs from species to species, but no bird can learn to communicate unless they can spend a lot of time engaging with their humans and listening to repeated sentences.
Here are ten of the greatest talking bird training methods to help you get started.
10 Birds That You Can Teach To Talk
1. African Grey
- Species: Psittacus erithacus (Congo African Grey), P. erithacus subspecies timneh (Timneh African Grey)
- Size: 0-13 inches
- Vocabulary: 50-200 words
The African grey is indigenous to equatorial Africa (spanning from Ivory Coast in the west and Kenya in the east).
This bird is considered by many to be one of the world’s best-talking birds.
When speaking in a charming voice, they can quickly accumulate an impressively large vocabulary (up to and including more than a thousand words) and combine words to describe new objects.
Unlike many other parrot species, which are brightly colored, this one is mostly gray with white margins on the head and body and a red tail.
2. Amazon Parrot
- Species: Amazona auropalliata (Yellow-naped), Amazona ocrocephala (Yellow Crowned Amazon), Amazona oratrix (Double Yellow Headed), Amazona aestiva (Blue Fronted Amazons), Amazona amazonica (Orange-winged Amazon)
- Size: 13-15 inches
- Vocabulary: 100-150 words
The Amazon parrot family includes 30 unique species found throughout South and Central America, all with green or red plumage.
Amazon parrots, particularly the Yellow-Naped species, are renowned for their outstanding speaking talents, and they can speak more clearly and weave together more words in phrases than African Greys.
In addition to their loud and piercing call, these birds are huge, sturdy and energetic.
They can also pick up a lot of new skills quickly, including singing and doing feats.
But, on the other hand, many owners complain that their pets grow sentimental about their guardians and become hostile toward strangers.
Related: Here is an article I wrote on birds that use birdhouses
3. Quaker Parakeet
- Species: Myopsitta monachus
- Size: 8-11 inches
- Vocabulary: 40-100 words
Their common name is the monk parakeet. This diminutive South American bird is native to Argentina and the surrounding nations.
They’re smart and social birds that talk nonstop and mimic a wide range of sounds from their surroundings when in the mood.
Because they are so amusing and engaged without the high care requirements of larger birds, they are sometimes described as having the personality of a Cockatoo in the body of a Parakeet.
4. Ring-Necked Parakeet
- Species: Psittacula krameri
- Size: 10-16 inches
- Vocabulary: 200-250 words
One of the most intelligent parrots is the Ring-necked Parrot (RNP).
They’re tough and bright, but they’re relatively quiet and calm compared to other talking parrots.
Compared to cockatoos and amazons, RNP is less active. Ringneck parakeets are rather common, which means they’re more affordable.
RNP parrots are renowned for their extensive vocabulary.
5. Eclectus Parrot
- Species: Eclectus roratus
- Size: 12-14 inches
- Vocabulary: 100-150 words
On the New Guinea islands, Eclectus parrots are well-known for their vocabulary clarity.
Parrots of the Eclectus species can quite well mimic and copy most of the words they hear in their environment.
Some parrots are so intelligent that they can learn and sing a whole song on their own.
In addition to mimicking human speech, Eclectus parrots can imitate a variety of other exciting noises in their environment.
Eclectus parrots are so cunning that they may trick even their own owners. They practice their new vocabulary by using it in appropriate contexts.
In addition, Eclectus parrots, both sexes have beautiful and musical vocals.
6. Budgerigars
- Species: Melopsittacus undulatus
- Size: 5-7 inches
- Vocabulary: 100-500 words
This seed-eating Australian native, often known as the common parakeet, shell parakeet, or simply budgie, belongs to the parrot family.
An array of colors and patterns cover the budgerigar’s plumage; it has black markings on the back, nape, and wings.
This bird’s language proficiency places it near the top of the bird food chain.
When it comes to birds with extraordinary vocabulary, one named Puck held the record for knowing an astounding 1,728 different words before he died.
They’re popular as pets for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is their ability to learn a staggering number of words.
7. Macaws
- Species: Ara macao
- Size: 10-40 inches
- Vocabulary: 50-100 words
Hyacinth Macaws, the largest species of macaw, can grow up to 40 inches long. As a result, they can learn a large number of words, but it is tough to keep them motivated.
These birds can be difficult for new owners to handle because of their high intelligence, energy, and shrillness.
Despite the fact that their speech is not as clear as other parrots’, this species makes up for it by being incredibly loud. In addition, they’re able to sing and replicate sounds like no one else.
8. Cockatoo
- Species: Eolophus roseicapilla (Rose-breasted or Galah), Cacatau sulphurea (Yellow-crested), Cacatau tenuirostris (Long-billed corella)
- Size: 10-18 inches
- Vocabulary: 10-50 words
The cockatoo family contains 44 different species, all of which are capable of vocal imitation to some degree.
Large size, conspicuous crests, and bent bills help to identify them. They are also known as Great Blue Herons.
The hues of their feathers are usually white, gray, or black, sometimes emphasized by red or yellow.
Cockatoos are gregarious and intelligent parrots with a decent vocabulary if properly trained.
Some people will never be able to communicate verbally, while others will imitate a wide range of sounds when they do.
It all comes down to their upbringing and education. Also, some birds, like the Yellow-Crested, are better at picking up speech than others.
Cockatoos are anything but silent, despite their limited language compared to other parrot species.
This species of parrot is well-known for being one of the noisiest.
9. Derbyan Parakeet
- Species: Psittacula derbiana
- Size: 10-20 inches
- Vocabulary: 20-50 words
There are only a handful of species of parakeets in the world, and the Derbyan is one of the largest.
The Alexandrine parrot is about the same size as a ring-necked parakeet and about two times the latter’s size.
It has a mediocre ability to elicit an answer. Adult parrots show sexual dimorphism—females have a black beak, while males have a reddish-orange beak.
The bird is active, but it is also noisy and difficult to educate. The birds must be socialized and interacted with frequently.
10. Hill Myna
- Species: Gracula religiosa
- Size: 10-12 inches
- Vocabulary: 50-100 words
Most people have never heard of the hill myna, and even fewer have heard of their astonishing ability to imitate human sounds.
The black-colored songbirds of the starling family are indigenous to southern Asia (though also later introduced into Florida).
For communication, they use a wide range of shrieks and whistles in the wild.
Young birds replicate the warning calls of their elders, apparently learning them through eavesdropping on them.
Common hill myna can mimic speech and other sounds when kept in captivity. Its tone matches that of a human voice when doing so.
Some individuals believe they can speak as well as an African gray parrot.
Conclusion
There are a variety of birds in the world that are able to mimic human sounds. Some can actually sing a song.
These birds exhibit different traits and behaviors and can be found in different geographical locations globally.
