8 Best Talking Birds to Keep as Pets Discover the top chatty bird species and their unique talking talents. 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 06/03/25 Reviewed by 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 Credit: The Spruce / Catherine Song Key Takeaways African Greys are renowned for their extensive vocabularies and ability to use words in context after years of training.Amazon parrots are praised for their sweet voices and strong social bonds, requiring lots of interaction with their caretakers.Budgerigars, despite their small size, hold records for large vocabularies and are very social, making them keen learners of human speech. Talking birds are popular pets because they can mimic human speech and even perform tricks. Some species are better at talking than others, but a bird must spend quality time with humans and hear repeated words and phrases to learn to talk. If you're looking to train a bird to mimic your voice, consider these eight talking bird breeds. 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 Credit: 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 inchesWeight: 11 to 19 ouncesPhysical 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 Amazon Parrot Credit: 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 inchesWeight: 16 to 23 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Green body; yellow head; red at the wing bend; tan beak; white rings around the eyes (double yellow-headed Amazon) 03 of 08 Budgerigar Credit: 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 inchesWeight: 1 ouncePhysical Characteristics: Green abdomen; black and yellow back; yellow head; dark blue tail; mutations include blue, yellow, white, and gray Your Comprehensive Guide to Keeping Budgie Birds as Pets 04 of 08 Cockatoo Credit: 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 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Primarily white plumage; pale yellow on wings and tail; large white crest; black beak (umbrella cockatoo) Continue to 5 of 8 below 05 of 08 Eclectus Credit: 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 inchesWeight: 13 to 19 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Primarily emerald green, red and blue underwings, and orange beak (male); primarily bright red, blue on chest and tail, and black beak (female) 06 of 08 Indian Ringneck Parakeet Credit: Neha Gupta/Getty Images Indian ringneck parakeets seem to have a gift for learning longer phrases, outperforming some other breeds of talking birds. 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 inchesWeight: 4 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Green plumage; blue tail; yellow underwings; males have black and rose rings around their necks 07 of 08 Macaw Credit: Kouichi Tsunoda / Getty Images Like cockatoos, macaws aren’t as verbose as some other talking birds, 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 ouncesPhysical 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) 08 of 08 Quaker Parrot Credit: 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 inchesWeight: 3 to 5 ouncesPhysical Characteristics: Green head, wings, and body; gray breast, cheeks, and throat; blue flight feathers; mutations include blue, albino, cinnamon, lutino, and pied Explore more: Parrots & Pet Birds Pet Bird Species