What comes to your mind when you think of a parrot? Most of us can imagine a beautiful, colourful, pleasant-looking bird that is gorgeous, distinct, and also a bird that can mimic humans. Parrots are among the birds that are not only eye-catchy but also captivating because of their speech abilities. But how many of you actually know of talking parrots? Yes, you heard us right. Some parrots can speak. These speaking parrots are beautiful and make us more interested to know about them. They are the best and most interesting kind, do you agree?
Today, we have compiled a list of these beautiful talking parrot birds in the world. They are globally popular for talking in real. If you don’t believe us, continue reading to know more about the talking parrots.
How do Parrots Talk?
What parrots can talk and how can they manage to speak? If you are curious just like us, let us briefly tell you about it. Parrots do communicate with humans. They have ability to ‘speak’ and produce sounds that humans can understand. They are almost capable of imitating and mimicking any kind of sound. How? If you are questioning the same, here is how! Parrots do not have vocal cords like humans. However, they have a syrinx, the part that can reproduce any sound that can be imagined. It is a cognitive mechanism of imitation by parrots. This imitation is quite crucial and interesting in parrots lifestyles as these birds use them to live and reproduce in any environment and seek to be friendly to them. They can grasp sounds just as they hear very sharply and can imitate them successfully.
Which are the Popular Parrots that Can Talk? A Guide!
Now that we answered can and do parrots talk, let us see which parrots and what birds can talk the most globally. We have compiled these distinct and beautiful parrots that speak across the globe. Let’s check them out and learn more about them.
1. African Grey Parrots:
If you haven’t ever heard of African Grey talking parrots, it is time to learn more about these interesting birds. They belong to Psittacus Erithacus species and have two varieties, Congo African Grey and Timneh African Grey. They are also popularly known as Cameroon and Ghana. These parrots generally have a lifespan of over 40 years, and most researchers have proved that they are among the most superior in kind when it comes to talking parrots. They have incredible intelligence that also translates into fantastic speaking ability. They have lovely communicating capacity too, and can speak up to 200 words or even more. They are among the best talkers in the world. Congo parrots are larger in kind and Timneh is relatively smaller. However, to bring the best of their talking abilities, these parrots need high human interactions to be stimulated in terms of intelligence.
2. Amazon Parrots:
Amazon Parrots are largely five kinds. They are yellow naped, yellow crowned, blue fronted, orange winged, and double yellow headed. The Amazons are also among the best-speaking parrots in the world, as they are active speakers and whistlers and pretty good at speaking phrases. They are very bossy and talkative. These parrots have much clearer speech than African Grey parrots. Although they are not instantly human-friendly, they can be tamed gradually. This is because they are generally one-person birds and appear aggressive and possessive when others approach them. These parrots have lifespan of over 70 years.
3. Quaker Parakeet:
Quaker Parrots or talking Quaker Parakeet belong to species Myopsitta monachus. They are also popularly called Monk Parrots. These are middle sized parrots that are neither too small nor too large. They are also popular not only for their intelligence but for their funny nature.They are excellent talkers, depending on their mood, and they can be quite friendly or unfriendly depending on their mood. The Quaker parrots also like physical interaction; they love it when people hold or stroke them. They are very entertaining; however, can be loud when they get super excited.
4. Ring Necked Parrots:
The ring necked parrots, also popularly known as Indian ring neck, belong to Psittacula krameri species. They are among most popular and best-talking parrots. They are very intelligent. However, suppose you compare these parrots to other speaking parrots. In that case, you can say that they are relatively a bit quiet, particularly compared to Amazon parrots. You can find Indian ring neck parrots talking very commonly, which are also less expensive. They live for about 30 years.
5. Eclectus Parrots:
You will agree with us when we say that Eclectus parrots are among the most beautiful parrots too, in addition to being the popular talking parrots. They are medium-sized parrots, neither too small nor large in size, and are moderate speakers. They are neither too noisy nor too quiet. They belong to species Eclectus roratus and have vocabulary of over 120 words. They are generally very less active and playful; however are equally intelligent.
6. Budgerigars:
Most of you may not have heard of talking parrots called Budgerigars. Also commonly called as Budgies, most people mistake them for Common Parakeets. The most common question is can budgies talk very well?! The most special characteristic of Budgies is that they hold a Guinness record for a bird that has the largest vocabulary. Did you know that these best talking birds has a vocabulary of around 500 words? A budgie named Puck also holds a record for speaking for about 2000 words until he died in the 1990s. These birds are very small but extremely active and interactive. They have excellent vocabulary skills, are highly intelligent, and are enjoyable. However, these birds can live only for ten to twenty years if well cared for, and their voice is very low, making it difficult to understand.
7. Macaws:
Macaws belong to the species of Ara ararauna. When we talk about speaking or talking parrots that are also equally pretty, colourful and attractive, we first think of Macaws. They are extremely gorgeous and instantly eye-catching and attractive. These spectacular birds are also loud and sociable. They have a very loud voice and good speaking ability. They are highly energetic, so it is very difficult to manage or pet them in closed or small spaces. Given their energy, these birds also may require training to focus and structure their energy.
8. Cockatoos:
Another interesting talking parrot we should learn about is Cockatoos. Also known as cockatiels, they belong to Eolophus Roseicapilla, Cacatau Sulphurea, and Cacatau Tenuirostris. These talking parrots are other excellent birds that are incredibly intelligent and talk fabulously. They are also super loud and noisy however, the clarity of their speech and words is average. Their loud and ranting behaviour in fact can also get irritating sometimes! A beginner cannot pet talking Cockatoos birds due to their cranky and loud behaviour and require some training.
9. Derbyan Parakeet:
Derbyan talking Parakeets belong to species Pstittacula Derbiana. These are among the rare speaking parrots in the world. They are quite large in size, almost double the ring-necked parakeet. The male parrots have a red-orange beak, whereas females have a black beak. These parrots are quite noisy and loud too, and are also difficult to train. They require lot of socialization and interaction to train them well.
10. Hawk Headed Parrots:
These are quite unique and interesting parrots to learn. The Hawk headed parrots look very distinct, with their heads looking like ‘hawks’ as the name suggests. They belong to the species Deroptyus accipitrinus and are also known as red fan parrots. These parrots are very playful and affectionate. They are active birds and have decent talking potential however, one cannot categorise them into high speaking abilities. They have a very soft voice, almost whisper, and hence are not very loud. These birds also can get aggressive.
How many of these talking parrots did you hear about before? We bet most of us learnt something unique and interesting today through this guide. Let us know your thoughts; we love to hear what you think.
