8 Best Talking Bird Species to Keep as Pets

By
Alyson Kalhagen
Alyson Kalhagen
Alyson Kalhagen is an avian expert and writer with more than 10 years of combined professional experience as a veterinary technician and manager of a chain of successful pet stores. Her specialty is in avian behavior and socialization. Alyson owns several birds and has been featured in Bird Talk Magazine.
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Updated on 11/29/22
Reviewed by
Natasha Diehl
Natasha Diehl
Reviewed by Natasha Diehl
Dr. Diehl is a passionate veterinarian pursuing specialty medicine with over 6 years' experience with exotic pets. She now works with a team of other experienced vets to provide the best advice and care for their clients' pets.
Learn more about The Spruce Pets' Veterinary Review Board
Talking Bird Species

The Spruce / Catherine Song

Talking birds are popular pets because they are able to mimic human speech or perform a trick which is what inspires many people to acquire a bird of their own. Some species have a greater capacity for speech than others, though no bird will learn to talk unless they can spend lots of quality time interacting with their humans and listening to repeated words and phrases. If you're hoping to train a feathered friend to mimic your voice, here are eight of the best talking birds.

Tip

  • Remember every bird is an individual, and some birds will never learn to talk, regardless of their species. Choose a bird because you want to give it a good home, not because you hope to show off its verbal abilities.
How to Teach Your Pet Bird to Talk
  • 01 of 08

    African Grey

    African grey parrot perching by plants

    Guo Ya Hui / Getty Images

    The highly intelligent African grey is often regarded as the best talking bird, with some amassing vocabularies of hundreds of words. There's even research suggesting these parrots can use words in context to have simple conversations, though that doesn't necessarily mean they understand what they're saying. In any case, this kind of verbalization takes years of patient training and practice.

    Species Overview

    Length: 9 to 14 inches

    Weight: 11 to 19 ounces

    Physical Characteristics: Mostly gray plumage with pale edging; black beak and bright red tail (Congo African grey); tan upper beak and maroon tail (Timneh African grey)

  • 02 of 08

    Budgerigar

    a green and a blue budgie talking

    Allegra Walino / Getty Images

    Not to be outdone by the bigger birds, the budgie (or parakeet) is an excellent talking bird. In fact, budgies have broken world records for the largest bird vocabulary. While their voices tend to be a bit gravelly, budgies are capable of learning many words and phrases. And because they are quite social birds, many enjoy practicing speech with their caretakers.

    Species Overview

    Length: 6 to 8 inches

    Weight: 1 ounce

    Physical Characteristics: Green abdomen; black and yellow back; yellow head; dark blue tail; mutations include blue, yellow, white, and gray

  • 03 of 08

    Amazon Parrot

    Amazon parrot

    Jaim Simoes Oliveira/Getty Images

    Many Amazon parrots can learn to speak with exceptional clarity, and they generally have very sweet voices. Their innate need to socialize is possibly what draws them to mimic humans. They're intelligent, spirited birds that love being the center of attention. They bond closely with their caretakers, requiring lots of social interaction and ample space to play.

    Species Overview

    Length: 15 to 17 inches

    Weight: 16 to 23 ounces

    Physical Characteristics: Green body; yellow head; red at the wing bend; tan beak; white rings around the eyes (double yellow-headed Amazon)

  • 04 of 08

    Indian Ringneck Parakeet

    Indian ringneck parrot

    Neha Gupta/Getty Images

    Indian ringneck parakeets seem to have a gift for learning longer phrases, along with short words. They also tend to speak with clarity. Centuries ago in India, religious leaders who said daily prayers in their gardens began to notice local ringnecks repeating the prayers. This led to the birds being regarded as sacred and ultimately caused people to keep them as pets.

    Species Overview

    Length: 14 to 17 inches

    Weight: 4 ounces

    Physical Characteristics: Green plumage; blue tail; yellow underwings; males have black and rose rings around their necks

    Continue to 5 of 8 below.
  • 05 of 08

    Quaker Parrot

    Quaker parrot in an aviary

    Sergio Mendoza Hochmann/Getty Images

    Quaker parrots, also known as monk parakeets, are illegal in some parts of the United States because feral flocks have become invasive, so check local laws if you want to adopt one. Quakers are very social and tend to pick up human speech quickly. Being such fast learners, they are popular among inexperienced bird owners who are new to training a bird to talk.

    Species Overview

    Length: 11 to 12 inches

    Weight: 3 to 5 ounces

    Physical Characteristics: Green head, wings, and body; gray breast, cheeks, and throat; blue flight feathers; mutations include blue, albino, cinnamon, lutino, and pied

  • 06 of 08

    Eclectus

    female eclectus parrot

    Kuksy Makotaye / Getty Images

    While they’re usually not excessively noisy, Eclectus parrots can develop an extensive vocabulary of human words. These birds are generally friendly and gentle, and they thrive on socialization with their caretakers. Some say a male Eclectus is typically easier to train while the female bird is more independent and consequently better able to handle stress.

    Species Overview

    Length: 17 to 20 inches

    Weight: 13 to 19 ounces

    Physical Characteristics: Primarily emerald green, red and blue underwings, and orange beak (male); primarily bright red, blue on chest and tail, and black beak (female)

  • 07 of 08

    Cockatoo

    Umbrella cockatoo
    Arthur Morris/Getty Images

    Although they typically aren’t superb talking birds, cockatoos can pick up some words and phrases. They are very social and affectionate—sometimes bordering on needy—and caregivers should expect to spend hours each day interacting with their birds. On the plus side, this bond makes cockatoos willing to practice tricks, including speech, with their humans.

    Species Overview

    Length: 18 inches 

    Weight: 16 to 26 ounces

    Physical Characteristics: Primarily white plumage; pale yellow on wings and tail; large white crest; black beak (umbrella cockatoo)

  • 08 of 08

    Macaw

    Blue and gold macaw

    Kouichi Tsunoda / Getty Images

    Like cockatoos, macaws aren’t as verbose as some other parrots, but they do have the ability to mimic speech. Some species, such as the blue-and-gold macaw, are known to learn words more easily than others. While their speech isn’t always clear, macaws tend to be noisy birds. So expect a bird that will talk your ear off—just not always in a language you understand.

    Species Overview

    Length: 30 to 36 inches 

    Weight: 28 to 46 ounces

    Physical Characteristics: Green forehead fading into teal on nape, back, tail, and wings; yellow chest and underside of wings; large black beak (blue-and-gold macaw)

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