8 Best Talking Pet Parrots 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. Learn more about The Spruce Pets' Editorial Process Updated on 10/23/25 Credit: Catherine Greyling / EyeEm / Getty Images Key Takeaways African Grey Parrots are often considered the best communicators, capable of mimicking up to 1,000 words and associating words with meaning.Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrots are notable for their chattiness and singing abilities.The Indian Ringneck Parakeet can learn up to 250 words, using its bird voice to capture mood and sentiment. When we hear the word "parrot," an iconic image comes to mind: a large, colorful bird whose most distinguishing characteristic is its ability to mimic human speech. As much as you may want to find a bird with exceptional speech abilities, it is far more important to only adopt a bird whose traits are compatible with your personality and lifestyle. Read about these eight species to get an idea if one of these birds would be a fitting pet for your household. Tips With all bird species, the quality and quantity of their speaking abilities will vary between individual birds; some birds even choose not to talk at all. Adhering to a frequent training schedule and making sure to provide plenty of practice can go a long way toward helping a quieter bird find its voice. 8 Best Trainable Pet Bird Species 01 of 08 Macaw Credit: Rüdiger Katterwe/EyeEm/Getty Images 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. Species Overview Length: 32 inches; half the total body length is in the tail feathersWeight: 35 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Feathers of scarlet, light blue, yellow; flight feathers of dark blue, dark red, gold, sometimes green; white skin around the eyes 02 of 08 Cockatoo Credit: Arthur Morris/Getty Images Hailing from the "Land Down Under," the cockatoo is another large parrot species that have displayed speech abilities in captivity. While it has been reported to be difficult to train Cockatoos to talk, the bird may merely have a softer, sweeter speaking voice than other parrots. Species Overview Length: 18 inchesWeight: 14 to 28 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Mostly white body; some yellow feathers underneath the wings; reddish eyes in females, brown to black eyes in males 03 of 08 African Grey Parrot Credit: Guo Ya Hui/EyeEm/Getty Images Often regarded as the best communicators in the bird world, African grey parrots can mimic up to 1,000 words. Studies suggest they can also associate words with meanings, allowing them to communicate with their owners. Dr. Irene Pepperberg of The Alex Foundation has made significant advancements in understanding these birds' communication abilities. Species Overview Length: 13 inchesWeight: 14 to 18 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Varying shades of gray on the body; red tail feathers 04 of 08 Amazon Parrots Credit: Francis Apesteguy/Getty Images The colorful, eye-catching Amazon Parrots are a whole genus of larger birds called Amazona that can amass an impressive vocabulary. While much fuss has been made over the speaking skills of the African Greys, Amazon Parrots are the most widely regarded among experienced bird owners for having the clearest voices and most accurate pronunciation skills. Species Overview Length: 13 to 15 inchesWeight: 7 to 25 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Green body feathers; over 15 subspecies of Amazon Parrot with different head colorings Continue to 5 of 8 below 05 of 08 Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrot Credit: Rosita So Image / Getty Images The Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrot is the talking favorite among the genus of Amazon Parrots. Many even become accomplished singers. If you want a bird that's a true chatterbox, the Yellow-Naped Amazon may be for you. Species Overview Length: 12 to 15 inchesWeight: 21 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Bright green color with a blaze of yellow along the back of the neck 06 of 08 Eclectus Parrot Credit: Kuksy Makota/EyeEm/Getty Images You might think that the most interesting thing about Eclectus parrots is their beautiful coloring and the stark differences between males and females. And yet Eclectus Parrots have strong speech capabilities; most readily mimic their owners. Having a 30-year lifespan, these shorter-lived parrots are talking companions that may be at lower risk of outliving their owner. Species Overview Length: 14 inchesWeight: 12 to 19 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Green male body with blue and red, yellow on the head; red female body with purple, blue and some yellow 07 of 08 Rose Ringed (Indian Ringneck) Parakeet Credit: Berndt Fischer / Getty Images While the Indian Ringneck Parakeet is not an expert at being able to mimic the human voice, this bird uses its own bird voice to capture mood and sentiment. Individuals have been known to learn up to 250 words. Species Overview Length: 16 inchesWeight: 4 to 6 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Bright green body; red and black neck ring on male, no ring or a pale shadow on female 08 of 08 Monk Parakeet (Quaker Parrot) Quaker Parakeet. Credit: Allan Baxter/Getty Images The monk parakeet is actually a small parrot, known as the Quaker parrot. It is well known for its ability to build a large vocabulary or words and phrases. The more you verbally explain what you are doing around the cage, the more this bird will pick up on the words for things and how to mimics those words. Species Overview Length: 11 inchesWeight: 3 to 4 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Breeding for pale green, white, or blue, and yellow; orange beaks Birds to Avoid If you're looking for a chatty bird, avoid species such as cockatiels and doves, known for being quieter. However, remember every bird is unique. While some species are generally quieter or chattier, assess the specific bird before deciding, as it might surprise you with its vocal skills. Explore more: Parrots & Pet Birds Pet Bird Species Sources The Spruce Pets uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Pepperberg, Irene M. The Comparative Psychology of Intelligence: Some Thirty Years Later. Frontiers in psychology vol. 11 973. 19 May. 2020, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00973