Parrots are well-known bird species for their mimicry abilities. They can imitate any sound they hear. So, what are the best talking parrot species? Because in some species, their imitation ability is so perfect that they can imitate the voices of three different people in the house in three different ways. They can imitate a melody with the sound of the instrument they hear from which instrument.
Known for their strong beaks and speech, these animals are one of the creatures that fascinate with their intelligence and beautiful appearance. It would be fair to point out that there are a lot of talking parrot species. However, you can find the most talking parrot species in this article.
Cockatoo Parrot
Cockatoos (males) are extremely intelligent and fabulous talkers. It is the parrot species with the most imitation ability. They imitate the sounds they hear almost exactly. They can imitate a cat’s meow just like a cat, a dog’s barking like a dog, or even a baby’s cry just like a baby’s. Imagine Donald Duck from Disney talking like adults—that is how cockatoos will talk the human language. They are intelligent and adorable but can be loud and messy sometimes. Cockatoos, which even imitate the sounds of instruments they hear, are also the longest living parrot species.
- Species:
Eolophus roseicapilla (Rose-breasted or Galah)
Cacatau sulphurea (Yellow-crested)
Cacatau tenuirostris (Long-billed corella)
- Lifespan: 40, 30, 50 respectively
- Vocabulary: 10-30 words
Amazon Parrots
This parrot species can live very long in a cage environment and is the most skilled parrot species in both speech and mimicry. Amazon parrots are very good imitators and can use many words. Speech of an Amazon is clearer than that of the African Grey parrots. It is the only parrot species that combines these two features. Their average length is 30 – 34 cm, and their average lifespan is 60-70 years. There are several different varieties. However, these differences differ from each other only in color and appearance. General features are the same.
- 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) - Vocabulary: 100-120 words
- Lifespan: 70 years
Red Lory
Lories are “chatty” birds, always actively making noise and thrashing their toys about the cage. You will definitely know that you have a lory in the house! Red Lories have been known to be great talkers, but they’re more likely to emit high-pitched squawks and shrill cries. Exactly how many words he could speak could not be determined. It is the easiest type of parrot to learn and can produce the most diverse sounds. Due to this feature, it is a parrot species that has the adjective talker at the beginning of its name. Lories have the ability to sing a song from beginning to end.
The red lory is primarily a deep, pomegranate-red, with blue markings on its wings and face. They range in size from 10 to 12 inches and have an orange beak. The most remarkable feature about a lory is its tongue, which looks like a little brush, and is used to remove the pollen and nectar from flowers, the lory’s favorite natural food.
- Lifespan: 30 years
African Grey
African Grey is the most common among pet parrots, they can be made to talk very easily. It takes a long time to get used to their owners. However, as soon as they get over the acclimation period, they start talking. Jaco parrots are also very intelligent, they can perceive and answer questions. They are talented and intelligent parrots that respond quickly to training. There are those who can be trained in toilet training and bringing the desired objects.
- Species: Psittacus erithacus (Congo African Grey)
P. erithacus subspecies timneh (Timneh African Grey) - Vocabulary: 50-200 words
- Other names: Cameroon, Ghana
- Lifespan: 40-50 years
Parakeet/Budgerigars
Parakeet, one of the smallest species of the parrot family, are incredibly talented for their size. With the right training, they can show many abilities other than speaking. Budgies have been seen that can speak up to 80 words. Although their speaking ability is so good, they are not very skilled in imitation. Although they tend to imitate the sounds they hear constantly, they imitate sounds that are not compatible with their own voices differently from the ones they hear. For example, when talking, they sound as if they are whispering in your ear, so it is necessary to listen carefully to their speech. Since budgerigars have their own unique songs and melodies, they do not imitate other sounds while in a flock. For this reason, the budgerigar to be given speech training should be fed alone.
- Other names: Budgies, mistakenly called as Parakeets
- Lifespan: 10 years
- Vocabulary: 120-500 words
Love Birds / (Paradise) Parrots
They are known as the love bird. The reason for this name is that they are very attached to their spouses. They never leave their spouse’s side and they take care of their spouses very closely. Because of these features, lovebirds fed in pairs are very difficult to train. However, they are very easy to train when fed alone. When they are alone, they feel the love they feel for their spouses for their owners. For this reason, these parrots expect a lot of attention. You have to be very involved to train them. After training, they can imitate many words with their unique sounds. Although their own songs are very loud and vulgar, their speech is more intelligible and clear.
LENGTH: 5 to 7 inches
WEIGHT: 2 ounces
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Short tail; somewhat stocky build; many color varieties, including green, blue, peach, yellow, and white; the face and body usually bear different colors
Cockatiel Parrot
Native to Australia, cockatiels are valued for their friendly personalities. When properly socialized, they tend to be docile birds that love people. It is among the most fed parrots as pets and can be produced very comfortably in a cage environment. They are very keen to imitate and can imitate the whistling melodies of their owners. Speech training is more difficult than other pet parrots. However, they can be made to talk to a persistent trainer because they are imitative.
LENGTH: 12 to 13 inches
WEIGHT: 3 ounces
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Gray body; yellow face and crest; orange cheeks; long tail; mutations include albino, lutino, pied, and cinnamon
Macaw Parrot
Macaws are known for their beautiful colors, bold personalities, and advanced capabilities for mimicking human speech. Macaws are able to learn many different words, and some even seem to be able to use them in context. Like some other types of large parrots, Macaws are quite skilled at learning short phrases; some even learn to sing snippets of songs. Although their imitation ability is weak, their speaking ability is high, but it is not known exactly how much they can speak.
LENGTH: 32 inches; half the total body length is in the tail feathers
WEIGHT: 35 ounces
SPECIES: Ara ararauna
LIFESPAN: up to 50 years
VOCABULARY: 30-50 words
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Feathers of scarlet, light blue, yellow; flight feathers of dark blue, dark red, gold, sometimes green; white skin around the eyes
