What Is The Cheapest Talking Parrot? (Find Out!)

As far as pets go, few others can compare to the companionship that a parrot offers.

Beyond being an incredibly loving and intelligent friend, no other pet can actually communicate with us as parrots do.

If you are considering buying a parrot, it would make sense that you want to have one that can do what no other pet can; talk.

There is a common myth that all parrots can talk, and this simply isn’t true.

Most parrots have the ability to talk, and in fact many parrots do speak, but some will never talk.

The answer to this question, “What is the cheapest talking parrot?” is a budgie or parakeet as it may be known.  There are many other types of parrot that are quite cheap too, but a budgie is the cheapest.

This article will look into the prices for talking parrots, but it is important to remember that many factors can influence the cost of an individual bird and the numbers here are an average range.

Things that influence the price of a talking parrot are age, health, and the rarity of the bird.

These will all affect the cost of a parrot.

In some cases, the prices can be very reasonable, to incredibly expensive.

A private seller will have a higher price but will ensure that you know about the health of the parrot you are buying.

With all of this in mind, let’s dive into it!

Generic Budgie/Parakeet $15 – $100
Australian King Parrot $100 – $500
Blossom Headed Parakeet $600 – $900
African Ring Neck Parakeet $200
Derbyan Parakeet $1500
Cockatiel $50 – $150
Parrotlet $150 – $600
Indian Ringneck $175 – $250
Cockatoo $2000
Monk Parakeet $450 – $700
African Grey $800 – $3600
Yellow Crowned Amazon $1000
Blue Fronted Amazon $1500 – $2500
Macaw $700 – $1000
Yellow Naped Amazon $1200 – $2500
Eclectus $1500
Double Yellow Head Amazon $1500 – $3000

The Budgerigar

Budgerigar

 The Budgie is the cheapest talking parrot to own worldwide.

These small parrots are the perfect choice for those of us who want a talking parrot but have a limited budget.

This little bird is actually capable of a lot of speech and can learn a large number of phrases and songs to speak to you.

With Budgies, they have voices that tend to be low and not always defined, so though they speak, they can be harder to understand.

As well the males tend to be trained to speak better than the females.

Most Budgies sell for about $15.00 to $100.00.

Budgies are also called parakeets.

There are many different types of parakeets, all of which come at different prices and most have the ability of speech.

 

The Australian King Parrot

Australian King Parrot

The Australian King Parrot will take a lot of dedication to train and teach to talk, but with work it can learn.

Prices vary from $100 to $500.

 

The Blossom-Headed Parakeet

Blossom-Headed Parakeet

The Blossom Headed Parakeet is an extremely rare bird, and because of this they are not often kept as pets, but they are very good at talking.

Because of their rarity, these birds can cost from $600 to $900.

 

The African Ringneck Parakeet

The African Ringneck Parakeet will require training at an early age to learn to talk, but with your patience they will learn.

They often cost around $200.

 

The Derbyan Parakeet

 

The Derbyan Parakeet

The Derbyan Parakeet is known for its excellent speech skills, often compared to that of amazon parrots, but they don’t have large vocabularies.

They often sell for the high price of around $1,500.

 

Cockatiel

Cockatiel

The Cockatiel is another great option for those of us who don’t have a huge budget we can spend on the purchase of a parrot.

Like a Budgie, cockatiels are also capable of talking.

However, their vocabulary is generally not as extensive as other parrots, and their ability to speak in full sentences is very limited.

They are often taught to say a few words or phrases, such as “Hello,” “Pretty bird,” or “I’m a good bird,” etc.

But cockatiels are very social birds, and to stay tame they will need regular interaction, which will also help their ability to speak.

Cockatiels sell for about $50 to $150.

 

Parrotlet

Parrotlet
Parrotlet

Parrotlet’s are the smallest of all captive-bred parrots, and the name actually means “little parrot.”

Parrotlet’s often are measured at less than five inches from crest to tail as adults and weigh only 30 grams or less.

As with most parrots, the Parrotlet males are known for being more proficient at talking than females, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn!

With time, patience and your dedication, you might hear your bird repeat a few words or phrases.

Parrotlet prices range from $150 to $400 depending on plumage colors.

They can cost as much as $600 depending on demand and rarity of color.

 

Indian Ringneck

Indian Ringneck
Indian Ringneck

The Indian Ringneck is an accomplished talker, known to speak clearly in full sentences and with a large vocabulary.

The Indian Ringneck is a very clever little bird.

In fact, Indian Ringnecks can develop a large vocabulary, and speak to you in clear sentences.

Rather than mimicking the pitch of a human voice, as many other parrots do, the Indian Ringneck often speaks in their own bird voices.

Indian Ringneck prices can range anywhere from $175- $250 to as much as $1,200 for a rarer species or color.  

With this species the females often cost 20 to 30 percent less than the males.

 

Cockatoo

Cockatoo
Cockatoo

The Cockatoo is a large parrot that does have the ability to talk, but often must be coaxed to do so and will take patience and training.

They tend to have soft sweet voices compared with other parrots.

The average price you can expect to spend on a Cockatoo is $2,000 but that number can range from $1,000- $23,000 depending on the expense of the subspecies.

 

Monk Parakeet

The Monk Parakeet is also known as the Quaker Parakeet.

Incredibly colorful, this little bird is actually known for being very clever and social and can develop very large vocabularies.

Monk Parakeets will cost around $450- $700.

 

African Grey

African Grey

 

It may shock you to find out that the Einstein of parrots is not the most expensive parrot to buy.

The African Grey is commonly considered to be the smartest of all talking parrots.

They are even thought to be one of the most intelligent birds in the animal kingdom.

In extensive testing, it has been proven that African Grey’s ability to speak can actually match the level of a human toddler.

African Grey’s cost between $800.00 to $3,600.00.

The reason for this larger price is that the process of getting legal ownership of these parrots is expensive.

As well, sadly the Grey’s are becoming rare due to poaching and the loss of their natural habitat.

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Yellow-Crowned Amazon

The Yellow-Crowned Amazon is considered to be nearly as good as the Yellow-Naped parrot and have less of a tendency to nip which makes them easier pets.

They are known to have moments where they will talk very clearly and very loudly!

The Yellow-Crowned Amazon will cost $1,000 or more.

 

Blue-Fronted Amazon

The Blue-Fronted Amazon has a remarkable ability to mimic human voices and has its own strong speaking voices.

This is not the most incredible thing about these birds, Blue-Fronted Amazon can live for up to 100 years, or more.

The Blue Fronted Amazon costs between the range of $1,500.00 and $2,500.00.

 

Macaw

The Macaw is known for their bright colours and even brighter personalities that they often express with impressive mimicking of human language.

They have been known to learn up to 100 different words.

The Macaw can cost a variety in price based on the breed but on average the range is $700- $1,000, but this can increase to $15,000 for a Blue and Gold Macaw.

 

Yellow-Naped Amazon

The Yellow-Naped Amazon is the best known of the Amazon parrots for its incredible speaking abilities.

The Yellow-Naped Amazon are highly intelligent and love to sing.

They are also notorious for an uncanny ability to mimic human speech and cadence and will mimic you with a skill that will make you think you just spoke.

The Yellow Naped Amazon can be bought for $1,200.00 to $2,500.00

 

Eclectus

Eclectus
Eclectus

The Electus parrot is known for its ability to verbalize distinctly and mimic the tone and mood of language as well as being very color distinct between sexes as the male is green and the female bright red.

The Electus’s speaking abilities are entirely dependent on training from an early age and will take some dedication from you to teach them.

The average Eclectus can be bought for $1,500.00. However, the very rare Blue Solomon Island will cost up to $20,000.00.

 

Double Yellow Headed Amazon

Double Yellow Headed Amazon
Double Yellow Headed Amazon

The most expensive of the talking parrots is the Double Yellow Headed Amazon which has an excellent ability to mimic human voices and language and have a love for singing.

The Double Yellow Headed Amazon will cost $1,500.00 to $3,000.00.

 

Talking and mimicry is not guaranteed for any parrot, though it is more likely with certain species like the African Grey.

Talking is also more likely to be seen in the males any parrot species.

However, there is something that you can do to encourage their speech, which is the more one-on-one time you spend with your bird, especially when they are young, the more likely it is that they will pick up human words.

 


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