Talking parrots you can take home

The Talking potential of your parrot is greatly dependent on what type of species it is. However, proper training and good health status of these parrots almost guarantee that they will talk.

If you are a fan of talking parrots, below are six parrots you could purchase.

• African Grey

Known by the scientific name Psittacus erithacus (Congo African Grey) or P. Erithacus subspecies timneh (Timneh African Grey), The African Grey parrot has a vocabulary of 50-200 words and a lifespan of 40-45 years.

Many researchers have proved that the African grey is the most superior avian species in terms of intelligence and talking ability. Some researchers even argue that African grey can speak 500 and even up to 1000 words with extensive training.

The two known types of African Grey parrots Congo and Timneh are the best talkers of the parrot world. The Congo is larger and extremely popular while Timneh is an underrated smaller African grey and thus less expensive.

• Quaker Parakeet

Known by the scientific name Myopsitta monachus and called Monk parakeet, the Quaker Parakeet has a vocabulary of 40-100 words and a lifespan of 20-30 years.

Quaker parakeets are small to middle-sized, intelligent, funny, and very feisty birds that can be good friends with people depending on their interaction or mood. 

They are great talkers that can rant endlessly when in the mood. They like to be held and stroked and also make a great shoulder bird.

• Budgies

Popularly known Budgerigars and mistakenly called Parakeets, Budgies have a vocabulary of 120-500 words and can live for up to 10 years.  A budgerigar that is well-taken care of can lives up to 18 years.

They are the proud species that holds the Guinness world record for the largest vocabulary for a bird ever. Examples of these record-breakers were the budgerigar named Puck that could speak 1728 words before he died in 1994 and the living budgerigar named Oskar who can speak 148 words.

They are small, lively, interactive, enjoyable birds. Even though budgies can learn a large number of words and song phrases, the shortcoming of it is that their speaking voice  is too low and difficult to understand

• Large Macaws

Known by the scientific name Ara ararauna, the large macaw has a vocabulary of 30-50 words and a lifespan of up to 50 years.

Macaws are lively and spectacular birds that are intelligent, friendly, energetic, extremely loud, playful, and occasionally destructive species. 

They are also hard to train but once trained they make the perfect family pet. They have a moderate talking ability and a clear loud voice.

• Amazons

Classified under the species Amazona auropalliata (Yellow-naped), Amazona microcephaly (Yellow Crowned Amazon), Amazona oratrix (Double Yellow Headed), Amazona aestiva, (Blue Fronted Amazons) and Amazona amazonica (Orange-winged Amazon), Amazons have a vocabulary of 100-120 words. They live for 70 years.

Amazons are active, bossy and hardy birds. Many species of Amazons are moderately good talkers and whistlers while some are especially good at speaking phrases. Amazons are among the best talking parrots in the world as their speech is clearer than that of the African Grey parrots.

They tend to become one-person birds and aggressive towards others as they like to bite everything and everyone they see. 

 With special efforts to make them people-friendly, Amazons are capable of becoming tamed birds.

• Ring-Necked Parakeet

Known by the scientific named Psittacula krameri, The ring-necked or Indian ring-necked Parakeet has a vocabulary of 100-130 words and a lifespan of 30 years

They are hardy, intelligent, but generally quiet, and tame compared to most other talking parrots. They are also active even though not they cannot be compared to amazons or cockatoos. The Ringneck parakeets are quite common so they are less expensive.