If you were to go up to any person and ask them one thing they know about parrots, they more than likely would bring up their ability to communicate. After all, a parrot’s ability to talk is one of the most fascinating things in the entire world, as it’s remarkable to our speech displayer from another creature.
Keep in mind, a parrot isn’t talking because they know what they’re saying; it’s because they enjoy mimicking sounds. In fact, it’s prevalent for parrots to only mimic the way we speak, but for them to imitate popular voices in sounds. There isn’t a sound a parrot can’t do, as there are videos of parrots singing, making noises, and imitating celebrity voices.
As a result, many people become interested in the matter as it’s always a fun experience to have a parrot hanging out with you that speaks in a similar capacity as we can. With this in mind, we’re going to discuss the best talking parrots, allowing you to make a note of the best talking parrots in the world. Let’s take a look!
Macaws
There are 19 species of macaws, including extinct and critically endangered species. If you know anything about macaws then you know how massive they are, as they’re some of the biggest parrots in the world. On average, they tend to be 2 to 4 pounds for their weight while having a height of 2 to 3.5 feet; how crazy is that?
As for their personality, they’re incredibly playful and active, making them some of the best parrots at communicating. If you can manage to adopt a young macaw and stick to teaching them talking for a long time, expect them to learn quite a bit. Origin-wise, macaws are commonly found in Central America and North America (only Mexico), South America, and formerly the Caribbean.
Cockatoos
Besides having such an exciting name, there are 21 different cockatoos species, making them one of the most diverse parrot species. They tend to have incredibly unique crests, with some of them having yellow-tipped crests that almost emulate a mohawk in a sense.
Personality-wise, cockatoos are extremely lively and affectionate. Their outgoing personality makes them great for learning approximately 20 to 30 words, so don’t expect to remember longer passages like some parrots. Still, this doesn’t take away from their talking ability, as it’s remarkable either way.
African Grey Parrot
If you were to ask any parrot expert what they feel is the best parrot at communication, usually an African grey will fall on that list. After all, African greys are primarily adopted for their talking ability as they can mimic more sounds than most parrots and can talk in context at times.
As for their personality, African greys are brilliant and needy parrots. Expect to spend a lot of time with your African grey as they can be needy in a number of ways. Some days they might want to be left alone, while on others they’ll want your attention. It’s truly amazing to see all of the different ways an African grey acts.
Amazon Parrots
Although broader than African greys, Amazon parrots are a wide range of parrots from the Amazon that are quite large while being some of the most talkative parrots in the world. Their vibrantly outgoing personality makes them extremely talkative while loving their way of mimicking sounds as they hear them.
Amazon parrots tend to be at least a foot in length while being around 10 to 12 ounces, making them fall just on the larger end of the spectrum. Depending on the Amazon parrot you’re interested in, they’re incredible parrots to adopt as they’ll give everything around them a new sense of life and joy.
Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrot
Although we discussed the broader spectrum of Amazon parrots, one cannot ignore the brilliance that is yellow-naped Amazon parrots. These 14-inch tall parrots are some of the most expensive parrots in the world, as it’s challenging to find one that isn’t in the price range of $2,000 to $3,000.
Personality-wise, they’re very talkative and gravitate toward the idea of bonding, as they develop close relationships with any person they’re around for a long time. If you’re a family or individual looking for an incredibly lovely parrot that wants to be loved, definitely look into a yellow-naped Amazon parrot.
Eclectus Parrot
Besides having such a unique name, Eclectus parrots are amongst the highest rated parrots for their talking ability. These brightly colored parrots are undoubtedly some of the best parrots to consider adopting as they’re incredibly friendly, intelligent, and gentle creatures that’ll make a great addition to anyone’s life.
Size-wise, Eclectus parrots are reasonably large, being around 12 to 14.5 inches in length while being around 16 ounces for their weight. The only two parrots that can arguably speak better than an Eclectus parrot are Amazon parrots and African greys. It’s quite remarkable how quickly an Eclectus parrot can learn.
Rose Ringed Parakeet
Although not in the top three of talking parrots, the rose-ringed parakeet can learn up to 250 words of vocabulary, making them an extraordinary parrot in this subject. Their sweet personality and overall tameness may shock you with how good they are at talking, but don’t let it fool you.
These immaculate parrots are only 4.5 ounces while being 16 inches in length, making them one of the lightest parrots that happen to be that long. These parrots are also family birds, meaning they tend to live best with a group of people instead of having a sole bonding experience with one person.
Quaker Parrot
As for a parrot that has exceptional abilities when it comes to mimicking sound, quaker parrots certainly fall near the top of that list. These parrots are truly magnificent at speaking and sounding precisely what they’re imitating. They’re typically around 11 to 12 inches in length, with a weight of approximately 3.5 ounces.
Personality-wise, quaker parrots are some of the funniest parrots a person can adopt as they’re often regarded as the class-clowns of the parrot world. They love to get into things, hear laughter, and play. If you’re looking for a parrot, you can spend a lot of time with, definitely consider a quaker parrot as they’ll never bore you.
Senegal Parrot
Although Senegal parrots don’t fall under the spectrum of African greys or Amazon parrots, they can still speak reasonably well and are genuinely unique parrots. They’re colorful parrots that only weigh 4 to 4.5 ounces while being around 9 inches in length. Personality-wise, they are very social and affectionate parrots if appropriately raised, allowing them to learn speech at ease.
Blue-crowned Conure
Although conures are generally known for their capabilities related to speech, a blue-crowned conure is often regarded as one of the best of the species. They’re relatively large conures being 14.5 inches in length, but they only weigh 3 to 5.5 ounces. As for their personality, they are knowledgeable, causing them to be excellent at learning tricks and speech.
Can all parrots talk?
At this point, you successfully read into a large sum of parrots that can talk. How cool is that? Rather than conclude now, let’s quickly discuss if all parrots can talk and what that means. After all, just about every person wants to know if the parrot they’re raising can speak as it’s an enjoyable activity.
So, can all parrots talk? Technically yes, all parrots have the actual ability to speak, but not all of them do. Some have a much more difficult time speaking compared to others, while other parrots can do it at ease. Either way, it takes a lot of time for you to properly train them as they tend to not learn it alone.
As for parrots that can’t talk, a lot of it has to do with their personality and health. If a parrot is extremely timid or shy, they most likely aren’t going to strike up a conversation anytime soon. Similarly, if a parrot is sick or not feeling well, they’re most likely not going to speak in a similar capacity either.
Why do parrots talk?
For the last point related to parrots and their speaking abilities, you might be wondering why they do it in the first place. After all, it’s not like humans have a natural knack for imitating the sound of other animals. It’s odd for us to understand, but it’s a fun reality no matter how you look at it.
Nevertheless, parrots talk for the sole reason that they’re vocal learners, meaning they can hear a sound and imitate it very well. People tend to confuse this with them actually communicating with us, which is false. Parrots tend to not know what they’re saying and simply can repeat things they hear.
Now, some parrots do associate with some sayings with the meaning behind the expression, but this tends to be extremely simple and elementary. For example, they might say the word food when they want to eat or see something that’s edible. But again, that’s only for the most knowledgeable parrots in this subject.