What are the best parrot talkers?

Question

Don't go on to me about how I shouldn't just consider talking it should be the suitability of the bird because I want a bid and I know I could have any bird because I've got a large cage and plenty of flying space. Also if a bird can talk it must be intelligent and I would prefer an intelligent animal.

Answer 1

Gee,

Nobody on here knows of a Yellow Nape Amazon, Or the Double Yellow head Amazon. They are right up there with the Grey. Some say that they are equal except the Amazon is a far better singer then the Grey. I have a number of Zons as well as Greys and it would be hard for me to pick one breed over the other as far as talking....

Answer 2

African Greys are commonly the best talkers with huge vocabs and the ability to speak cognitavely.  Although it can take up to 18 months before they utter their first words.  

    

    Yes they can be very hard to care for.  The biggest thing you have to be perpared to do is spend plently of time with them (like have them live in the living room not some back room and hold them for hours a day).  The second is changes in your life.  

  

    If you are intersted in a Grey go to the pet store and spend the $10-$15 on a good book to make sure you are ready for the changes they require.  Small investment compared to the $1500 for the bird plus toys and what not.  Good luck me and my wife have two and enjoy them greatly (by the way both first time bird owners).

Answer 3

African Greys talk the best and immitate voices the best.  Of the Amazons the Yellow Nape is the Best.  Yellow Napes are famous for their ability to immitate Opera.

Answer 4

african grey parrot

Answer 5

As all have said, and you already know the African Grey is the best talker.  

But, if you're looking for a first time bird that is intelligent, easy to care for and capable of talking then a cockatiel might be right for you.  Make sure you get a male, talk to it a lot and most will start to pick up words in a month or so.  

Mine says over 15 phrases, the longest one being 6 words long and he knows what they mean.  Most cockatiels won't learn that many but it can be done, they just need to be talked to a lot and given lots of attention.

Some cockatiels will never talk, females rarely do and some males just don't have the desire to, but the same can be said for African Greys or ANY other species of parrot.

Answer 6

Quakers are really good talkers and they are a nice bird. They aren't a big bird. They are called the poor man's African Grey because they are such good talkers. But they don't cost near as much as an African Grey.

I would read as much on birds as you can before you get one. Also check out local pet shops and maybe find a breeder in your area you can visit. Get to know the birds before you pick the one you think is right for you.

Personally I have an African Grey and love her! She is a wonderful talker and a fun pet. Very smart but needs a lot of attention. But that is the case with all birds. My African does like her alone time in her cage and really isn't that much more work than any of my other birds. Her p**p is just bigger.

I have had a Quaker and they are sweet I love them! They are really good talkers too.

You might also want to check out a bird forum such as this one http://www.myjungle.net/forum that way you can talk to other bird owners, and bird breeders.

You can also go here http://myjungle.net and check out the bird breeder directory and see if there are any bird breeders listed near you.

Good luck

I am a mama of 10 sweet birds.

Answer 7

African grey parrots are the best talkers and there easy 2 look after as long as you get it from a baby

Answer 8

My Pa in Law has an African Grey and it never shuts up.

Vocab of maybe 50-70 words (he says) including the telephone, the cat and the alarm clock!

Answer 9

I have a Congo African Grey named Willow.  And I must say he's pretty darn SMART.  Knows hundreds & hundreds of words and phrases, songs, animal sounds.  He never shuts up....But for me that's a wonderful thing.  I always wanted a bird that talked, and talked good.  I've had many birds my whole life long, I'm 52 now, and Willow is just what I wanted.  Now, there is no way to know for sure that any bird will definitely talk.  Grey's are not hard to take care of, as long as you have the time and patience with it.  But that goes for any pet.  Grey's can have a problem with plucking their feathers.  Once they, or any bird starts plucking it's hard to stop them.  

Now, another good choice for a good talker is the Amazon parrots.  They are 2nd in line after the Grey's.  I also have an Amazon, a Blue Front, and she does not utter a word.  And she's housed in the same room as my Grey.  Go figure...  So ya never know who will talk.  She'll do some whistling but that's it.  I still love her...  You can't beat smarts when it comes to a Grey.  Your best bet for any bird is to get a very young, hand reared and hand fed baby.  It's much easier to bond quickly with a young bird.

I wish you the best in your search for that talker.  Hope I helped in some way...

Willow was 9 mos old when he started to talk, and has been learning new words and phrases ever since.  He is 8 yrs old now...

Answer 10

Sooo many people say african grey because that is what people think of when you say parrot- or a macaw. No bird is guaranteed to talk but their are alot of species that have exceptional talking ablities that rival a grey- some are even better. My male eclectus can talk circles around every grey I've ever met, and he sounds just like a person.

Quakers are extremely good talkers

parakeets- one holds the world record for the largest vocabulary

macaws - blue and gold, military, yellow-collared

amazons

indian and derbyan ringneck parakeets

blue crowned and yellow sided conures

eclectus

Mynah birds have incredible talking ability they are actually rated higher than greys

Answer 11

A (male Congo) African Gray.with no doubt!!

Then Blue & Gold Macaw - Scarlet macaw

Grays are although more intelligent( & most) & can be handled more easily.Macaws & Cocktoos are so naughty & of course more sensitive

Answer 12

African Greys immitate sounds the best.

They are also in my opinion very easy to care for, as they make it quite clear what they want, but they are very intelligent and because of this get bored very easily.  So you have to have a lot of money for lots of toys, and lots of time.

All animals have some intelligence but not all display it through talking.

Have a look at the Alex project on wiki, it was a study to see how intelligent African Greys are

Answer 13

Hands down the African Grey - especially the Congo or CAG

They have the intelligence of up to a five year old child.  That is incredible reasoning abilities for a bird or any other non human creature!   Their emotional levels are only that of a two year old though.... so they can be pretty demanding! lol!

They don't just learn to mimic words, they can and do learn the meanings of the words as far as how it applies to them.  My CAG easily says over 300 words, phrases and sounds and he's only 8 years old.  I can't say how many of those words he knows the meaning of but there are many.

He knows when ice cream comes out of the kitchen he'll get a bite.    He calls "come here, come 'on, come here!  Yummy!" and then does a little head banging toward his dish indicating he wants some dropped in for him.  

That's just one example of the many cognitive behaviours he does.  

They aren't hard to care for, but they do take a commitment of time and care.  AG's need companionship and handling and a lot of love.   Be sure to educate yourself about them so that you will have the best life long experience of their companionship.

Answer 14

African Greys are known for their ability to talk, but the record for largest vocabulary was a budgie named Puck.  He was listed in the Guiness Book of World Records with 1,728 words.

http://birdwithmostwords.com/

Answer 15

I never recommend a parrot for the first bird. Cockatiels make a great learner bird. A Grey cost a lot of money and are difficult to keep happy.

If it is talking that you want then you want a Amazon. They are not the least bit shy. The

AG is a shy creature by nature. When your friends come over and the Grey just sits there think about this post. I raise three different types of Amazons and Congo Greys. I prefer to hand feed the Greys as they are much easier to raise. The Amazons can become a trial if the get the itch. They don't want to be fed when they wean out while the Greys just keep going. I would prefer to raise Africans over the Amazons. If I was wanting a gregarious bird that would put on a show when friends or onlookers were around then you want a Amazon. I have three pair of Yellow Napes. Their babies are usually talking by the time they are 7-8 weeks old. I am not talking about gurgling some sounds, they are saying words and mimicking the telephone. The last babies I raised made a better telephone ring than the telephone.  Without trying to be a  smart Aleck, I will say that the parrot will be as smart as you are. It learns what it hears. Some Greys are so smart that they don't learn to talk. I have never seen a hand fed baby Amazon that wouldn't talk. I have seen Greys that wouldn't talk.

That being said, African Greys can not be topped when it comes to mimicking sounds from around the house. Amazons don't mimic sounds as well as a Grey does. My best talkers are the Yellow Nape, then the Double Yellow head and then the African with the Blue front Amazon coming in fourth. There will be many who will disagree with me. This is just as they say, "one man's opinion". A African Grey would be a great pet for someone who is alone and doesn't have much company. A Amazon is a performer. They love an audience and will perform readily for one. I believe in clipping a parrot's wings. They can hurt themselves by flying into windows, doors, walls and mirrors. They can get all the exercise that they need on a play tree with toys. Wing clipping only matters for about five seconds. That is how long it takes it to jump up and fly to a tree or roof or where ever. I have heard of birds flying as much as 30-45 miles away from where they escaped. If you need more information feel free to contact me and I will help you if you need it. I hate to see people spend $1,000 - $1,500 on a bird and not be happy with it. I have people call me a week to three or four weeks after buying a parrot and want to bring it back and get their money. Once a parrot has been gone that long I don't take them back. They can bring disease back with them. They can pick up disease, cuss words and bad habits that make them suitable for breeding purposes only.

If you would go purchase a good parrot book you can read and learn about parrots. I always recommend purchasing the book and reading on it for three or four weeks. Read it twice or three times if necessary. It is easier to put the book on a shelf and dust it once in a while than it is to take care of a parrot that has bad habits and a foul mouth. Some birds don't talk. I have never seen a Amazon that has been worked with and time spent to teach it that couldn't talk. I have seen Greys that don't/won't talk or make many sounds.  I have two of them.  They are great breeders. They will raise three clutches of babies a year. Their only fault is neither one of them ever learned to speak a word. Their babies do learn to talk. Their owners got bored with them because they would only whistle. They are smart birds because I have taught them to whistle several songs since I have owned them.

Remember, the baby parrot that you purchase can only  be as smart as you are. If you are a vivacious person by nature then you parrot will probably be also. They are just born with the capability to talk. They have to be taught.

The thing with a African is they can be up near 18 months before they ever speak. I have seen some that are advertised as talking at 4 months but usually it is just them trying to learn words. They are not using the words or they are not clear. Amazons can learn to talk as early as 6 or 7 weeks old and if they are worked with they will learn very fast.