Which type of parrot is best for you? The smartest parrot: choosing an intellectual pet

Do you know what breed is the smartest parrot in the world? Surely this question will puzzle many pet lovers. After all, each of them wants their bird to be the pride of its owner.

So that he not only has an outstanding appearance and the talent to imitate human speech, but also be able to show intelligence. However, the intellectual level of parrots of various species cannot be judged in the context of any one generally accepted opinion.

And the point here is not only that each of the pets has its own unique qualities. The problem is that the breed of the same parrot may not be to the liking of different breeders.

Therefore, based on the subjective opinion of experienced pet breeders, it is worth highlighting several species of birds, which can later be safely called the most intelligent and attractive for home keeping.

If you ask experienced breeders which parrots are the smartest in the world, then most of them will probably agree that in first place is a type of bird such as Gray or.

Surely it is because of this that there is quite a large demand for this very bird in the world. And this despite the fact that in appearance the Gray is not as attractive as its motley counterparts.

The monochromatic gray color of the bird could hardly compete with the incredibly beautiful plumage of such bird species as - and even. However, if we approach this issue from the other side. It is the Gray Gray that ranks first among smart pets.

As laboratory studies have shown, this species of bird is capable of not only remembering the words it parodies, but also using them for their intended purpose.

Thus, the gray parrot is able to distinguish between concepts such as more or less, yes or no, and much more, which makes it a true intellectual of the animal world.

As for the confirmation of these words, they are easy to obtain after you familiarize yourself with the works of such an outstanding scientist as Irene Pepperberg. It was she who managed to prove that Grays are the smartest parrots that anyone can have.

And in this she was helped by a bird named Alex, who lived with Irene for many years and proved that he has extraordinary intellectual abilities.

Amazon

In second place on our list can be placed. They are also smart and easily make contact with the person who tamed them.

They may not be able to compete with grays in the fight for the title of the smartest bird, but nevertheless, their appearance is definitely worth paying attention to.

It is believed that Amazons are the fastest learning birds. They literally pick up the words you say on the fly and skillfully parody them. On the other hand, this parrot needs an eye and an eye. He becomes very attached to the person who tamed him and cannot live a day without him.

Not only the smartest, but also the most cheerful bird is considered to be such a bird as the cockatoo. His incredible sense of rhythm and love of dancing may play a role in choosing this particular bird as his partner.

As for mental abilities, they are approximately the same as those of the Amazons. In addition, they, just like them, are very attached to people and dependent on them. For owners of these birds, this can result in their cockatoo constantly screaming, attracting attention to itself.

However, if you love your pet enough and spend a lot of time with him, you will probably be surprised at how gentle this parrot can be.

If you want to purchase not only a very smart, but also the most attractive appearance bird, then take a closer look at this type of pet, like the macaw parrot. Its bright plumage immediately attracts attention, forcing one to be distracted from other matters.

As for the intelligence of this handsome man, it is obvious. And despite the fact that the vocabulary of this bird is often not as extensive as that of the same grays, all the words it has learned are used by the macaw exclusively in essence and at the right moments in time.

Sometimes it may even seem to you that the bird really understands the events taking place around it and from time to time inserts its comments.

Budgerigar

Perhaps you have never thought about calling the familiar wavy an intellectual. In fact, these are quite smart pets, capable of memorizing not only individual words, but even quatrains.

However, if you really want your tamed wavy to talk, then you should spend as much time with it as possible. In this case, young birds living alone will have a greater chance of success.

At such moments, they become too attached to a person. And accordingly, they try to imitate him in every possible way.

As for caring for wavy trees, it is not as burdensome as in the case of more large species birds To keep them, it will be enough to purchase a small cage and stock up on grain mixtures appropriate for small birds.

Most likely, it is precisely because of this successful combination of the parrot’s mental abilities and the ease of keeping it that novice breeders choose this species.

Other types of smart birds

We cannot ignore the intellectual abilities of some other bird species not included in the list above. These include such parrots as Kalita and Kea.

And if this is a domestic species of pets, the training of which falls entirely on the shoulders of humans, then this is a species of wild birds. But despite the fact that they are forced to learn exclusively on their own, birds of this species exhibit extraordinary intelligence.

Moreover, it is believed that kea can even be taught to imitate human speech. However, to do this you will need to gain the parrot's trust.

At the end of this article, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that each of the listed bird species has quite developed intellect in order to act as not only pet, but also even the interlocutor. Which from time to time will dilute your conversation with him with well-aimed but relevant words and even whole phrases.

Before you decide what type of parrot you want, you should consider what you need in a parrot. It is extremely important to choose the type that suits your specific conditions and goals.

If there is no one in the apartment all day, then you should not buy a bird from the “Talking Parrots” group. Locking such an intelligent creature in a cage, imagining it to itself for a long time, is unreasonable. Behavior problems in parrots - for example, when he pulls out his feathers or constantly screams - often arise precisely because of boredom and loneliness. In such cases, it is best to choose medium or small parrots, which are usually kept in pairs.

Fallen feathers, droppings, scattered food and debris from tree branches are all inevitable companions in the life of a parrot owner. If you highly value peace of mind or carefully monitor order in your apartment, then a parrot is not the most suitable bird for you in your home zoo. However, if the parrot is given enough attention and freedom, it will become a wonderful family companion. As with other pets, your parrot's personality will vary depending on his personality. past life and from the attention that you will give him during mutual communication.

If you take good care of your parrot, he will undoubtedly reward you a hundredfold for your love and care. Most parrots are very friendly creatures. At the same time, they can behave funny and very comically, leading people to amazement and admiration for their tricks. Many of them enjoy learning different games, which they are able to learn in a cage. In addition, some species of parrots (especially large parrots) have the gift of amazingly accurately imitating human speech, songs or whistling, and in general any sounds that arise at home or on the street. However, before you buy a parrot, answer yourself honestly: are you able to provide it with proper care? Parrots are sociable creatures, so they need the company of similar birds or humans. Not getting this at home, they become very noisy and begin to pluck themselves out of boredom. If you decide that a parrot is your dream and that it is quite suitable for your lifestyle - well, then all that remains is to go to the bird market or pet store and choose a feathered friend.
Below is a list of species that are commercially available and the most popular among parrot lovers.

Gray parrots can be full-fledged members of the family - especially if they begin to be trained and taught to speak while still chicks. But chicks removed from the nest before departure require a lot of attention, proper feeding, and require a consistent training program. These parrots are very sensitive to how people treat them, and this sensitivity can provoke them into abnormal behavior, such as screaming loudly. Sometimes even rearranging the furniture in a room can cause these birds stressful state, as a result of which the parrot will begin to pluck feathers on its body. Therefore, when making any changes in their lives, you need to be careful, do it gradually and not abruptly.

Gray parrots are usually kept alone in a cage. Keeping in pairs is not recommended when training parrots or teaching them to “talk.” These parrots rarely breed in captivity, since selecting birds by gender is somewhat difficult.
Gray parrots live in Africa, inhabit tropical rainforests, and nest in hollows. There are two varieties of this parrot on sale: the red-tailed gray parrot and the brown-tailed parrot. The Gray with a bright red tail is considered by Russian fanciers to be more capable of learning words of human speech than the Brown-tailed Gray. The lifespan of gray parrots in a cage is approximately 60-70 years. Young Grays have a greyish-brown beak, darker plumage and dark eyes. Later, when the parrot reaches sexual maturity, the eyes become yellowish.

Feeding gray parrots is not difficult. The main food for them is a grain mixture; in addition, they need to be given boiled and waxy corn, vegetables, fruits, sprouted grains of cereals and herbs.

Amazon parrots live a long time in cages, but are calmer than other species from the Talking Parrots group. They are relatively unpretentious to room conditions and food, quickly get used to a new environment and become attached to a person. Due to their friendly, calm nature, they well deserve to be considered as part of the owner's family.

Of the Amazon parrots, the most capable of training and learning to “talk” are the yellow-headed amaebn, the white-headed Amazon and the blue-fronted Amazon. The lifespan of Amazons is about 40-50 years. As they age, like all large parrots, they become more noisy.
Amazon parrots should be fed a grain mixture. They tend to be obese, so their diet should include more fruits; the grain mixture should not contain more than 10% sunflower seeds or nuts. If not properly cared for, the plumage of Amazons may have a slightly musty odor, so the parrot should be sprayed with water from a spray bottle more often.

Blue-fronted Amazon In terms of its learning abilities, it is slightly higher than the white-headed Amazon. This parrot is relatively rare in our zoological stores and on the market; more often it can be found for sale in the markets of coastal cities. They rarely breed in captivity.

Other species of Amazon parrots also have average abilities to learn to “talk.”

Black-billed cockatoos rightfully belong to the funniest, most active and interesting birds in the home zoo. The speed of movements, comical squats and bows, the energetic deployment and lowering of the beautiful crest make these parrots extremely popular among the widest circles of lovers. While not possessing great “talking” abilities, all types of black-billed cockatoos are easily tamed, easily learning to pronounce up to ten separate words and phrases, whistle verses from songs and reproduce a wide variety of sounds. They quickly find a way to open the most tricky locks in the cage doors, unscrew the nuts, love to push some small object around in the cage, do squats and other movements with you.

Cockatoos are more hardy and unpretentious than Amazon parrots. They are less afraid of the cold and in the mild climate of Western Europe or the south of the CIS they can winter in large garden enclosures with an insulated shed. Almost all black-billed cockatoos are desperate screamers and very capricious. Screamers are especially common among birds spoiled by affection and attention. If you constantly hold them in your arms and allow them to walk and fly around the room a lot and freely, then they are reluctant to go into the cage. In the absence of a person, a bored parrot reminds of itself with constant, sharp cries or the word “Butt”, which it will repeat very loudly throughout the entire apartment until you come to it. They should be fed a grain mixture with the addition of fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits with seeds. Some cockatoos do not use fruit pulp as food.
Of this group, the yellow-cheeked cockatoo, Moluccan cockatoo, yellow-crested cockatoo, and, less commonly, the white-crested cockatoo are most often found in home zoos. In terms of their learning abilities, they are approximately the same.

The powerful beak of the arar is capable of destroying the strongest metal cages made of thin wire, so the cage must be welded from steel rods with a diameter of at least 3.5 mm. Arara will destroy furniture, curtain rods, baseboards and other items made of strong wood on the very first day as soon as it escapes from the cage in your absence. Due to such abilities, the door must be equipped with a strong lock - it is best to hang a lock on it for this purpose. Some individuals of these parrots, especially during the mating season, can be dangerous to children. Arars are very smart birds, they respond well to training and take great pleasure in learning various tricks from their owner. Arar should be fed large seeds, nuts and fruits.

Types of parrots that are mainly suitable only for training. If you want a parrot that does not have a special talent for “talking”, but is capable of training and peculiar behavior, then the species mentioned below will be suitable indoor friends for you.

If factors such as lack of space or screaming are important to you, then the less noisy, but one of the most popular among parrots, the rosy-cheeked lovebird may be a suitable option. This species is the most vocal of all lovebirds, but still it is less noisy than any of the “Talking Parrots” group. Lovebirds breed well in cages and, when raised in captivity, become charming and playful indoor birds, and some of them, according to the author of one of the books, Annette de Sole, are even able to learn to pronounce a few words. However, rosy-cheeked lovebirds are very aggressive (especially females) towards other parrots, so keeping them in a cage with other birds is not recommended.

Budgie- a very popular parrot compared to other types of parrots, more suitable for a home zoo in a family with small children or where finances are somewhat limited.

Budgerigars can be kept alone, in pairs or in a small flock. It all depends on the purpose of their acquisition. To teach “conversation” it is better to keep one parrot. They rarely cause problems such as noise. Budgerigars respond well to human attention and friendship, quickly become tame and can learn some tricks. In addition, they breed well in a cage, which makes it possible to begin training them and teaching them to “talk” while they are still in the nest and have just begun to fledge. During the domestication of the budgerigar, numerous varieties were developed through selection, differing in color or plumage pattern. These birds are available for sale everywhere and are also inexpensive. Choose a suitable individual or pair for yourself to raise friendly and interesting birds. Budgerigars can learn to speak a few words, as well as whistle, perform some tricks, or sing like a canary.

Other types of parrots. The species of parrots mentioned above are just a small part of the species-rich order of parrots. Of course, other species of these birds can be trained and taught to “talk.” However, not all of them are suitable for keeping at home for a variety of reasons. For example, all types of loris are not suitable for keeping in home zoos due to their feeding method. They spray their liquid droppings all over the cage and for this reason are considered too unclean to be kept indoors. In addition, they need mainly liquid food: honey, fruit juices, etc. Nandai and other wedge-tailed parrots are also not suitable for apartments due to their harsh voice. There are species that do better in an enclosure and do not do well in a cage.

Ecology

Many lonely people would like to always have someone nearby to chat with. They would like to hear someone's joyful voice welcoming them home after work: "Hi! How was your day?" If you would like to have a pet that will also learn to greet you, why not get a talking animal? For example, a talking parrot.

Not all birds are suitable to be a talking pet. Some of them can speak very quietly, others will not give you peace, screaming at the top of their lungs. If you choose a bird for yourself, you must consider the environmental conditions in which it will live and which will suit it, for example, whether you have an apartment or a house on the ground, whether you live in a noisy urban area or outside the city. Many neighbors are not eager to hear a faithful imitation of horror movie sounds coming from your apartment every day. In any case, you should be mindful of your own comfort and consider how much noise you are willing to endure during the day while at home with your pet.

Having talking birds as pets is always a lot of fun. Some bird species are better at imitating our speech and sounds than others. Some species have better memories and are able to keep in their small bird's head hundreds and even thousands of words. The smartest birds, for example, Jaco parrots, are able to select individual words that they hear in speech and produce them in certain situations or in a certain context, maintaining a “meaningful conversation.”

There are also birds that can surprise you with their excellent memory and language skills. These animals are often shown in the circus and various other shows.

We offer you a list of birds that can easily be taught to speak at home. It is these birds that have special abilities that set them apart from other species. Among the Amazon parrots, there are some species that have the talent of “speaking human language.” Some species really know how to remember and reproduce the words of our speech, but they do it very illegibly, or they can repeat words very rarely, and generally they produce sounds that are not the most pleasant to our ears. These birds were not included in our list.

It should be remembered that some representatives may never, under any circumstances, learn to speak, no matter how hard you try to teach them. As among people with different personalities, among birds there can be very timid and shy ones. Some birds may be smarter and more intelligent than others. Therefore, you should not get a bird just to surprise your friends, but only if you really love animals.

1) Budgerigar

The most popular bird today, the budgerigar, is known not only for its attractive appearance, but also for its ability to remember and pronounce words and phrases, as well as the various sounds it hears. Their voices can often sound too low and their spoken phrases difficult to understand, but some representatives of this species are excellent at learning different words and sounds. Males are easier to train than females.

2) Parrot Kalita

These bright green beautiful parrots are native to South America. They are known for having amazing mental abilities, and they are also very social, able to remember a large set of words. Some owners of these birds complain that parrots can scream too loudly.

3) Parrot Blue-fronted Amazon

If you are looking for a good pet, this parrot is perfect. Blue-fronted Amazons may outlive you, as their life expectancy with good care is 100 years or more. It is better to teach young birds to talk right away, otherwise they will produce shrill and unpleasant sounds. They are good at imitating the speech they hear and distinguish their owner from other people.

4) Indian ringed parrot

These parrots are quite smart and remember a large number of words, can pronounce phrases or even entire sentences very clearly. They are not always able to copy the tonality of a human voice, but they can convey the mood of the phrase they hear.

5) Noble green-red parrot

Known for the fact that males and females of this species have completely different colors(males are green and females are bright red), these parrots are able to pronounce articulate sounds and copy the tone and mood of the speaker. If you start training birds from a very early age, they will show excellent results.

6) Suriname Amazon Parrot

This colorful bright green parrot with a yellow forehead is found in the Amazon, northeastern South America and Panama.10) Gray Parrot

The gray parrot, or as it is also called, is considered the most intelligent talking bird and one of the most intelligent representatives of the animal world. Some experts argue that Jaco has the intellectual abilities of a child who is just learning to speak.

Parrots are chosen as pets for their cheerful, mischievous, restless nature, ability to learn speech and tricks. When purchasing a parrot, you get not just a bright exotic bird, but a full-fledged family member who can socialize and communicate with you. However, the intellectual abilities different types Parrots vary, so if you want to get a really smart pet, you will be interested to know which of these birds is considered the smartest.

The smartest parrots

Next, we consider 6 species of birds from the Psittacidae family, which really have extraordinary intellectual abilities and a talent for learning. They will be able not only to remember several dozen words, but also to analyze them, skillfully applying them in everyday life. By understanding what a particular breed is capable of, it will be easier for you to make the right choice.

Important! Representatives of large breeds have the most outstanding communication skills and intelligence, so when choosing, you need to focus on them.

Jaco

The African gray parrot, or gray parrot, rightfully takes first place in the ranking. Jaco is recognized as the most talented and intelligent among parrots for his ability not only to remember and reproduce human speech, but also to associate words with the objects that they represent.
They can even understand the concept of shape, serial number, color. It is believed that the most gifted representatives of the species can remember up to one and a half thousand words. Under natural conditions, Grays constantly copy the sounds around them - various screams, whistles, squeals and clicks that other species of animals make.

Did you know?A gray parrot named Alex (1976–2007) was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the smartest parrot. He learned about 150 words, 7 colors, 5 types of shapes. The researchers say the parrot understood what it was saying, and 80% of its responses in the study were logical.

In captivity, the bird will also obey instinct and repeat everything it hears: intercom sounds, bells mobile phone, the hum of the washing machine, the creaking of doors. The pet will also imitate the emotions of its owners: joy, irritability, etc.

Get ready for the bird to constantly create a background sound of varying volumes; it will often try to shout over the TV and interfere with your telephone conversation. Sometimes Gray Gray owners joke that it is more difficult to keep this bird silent than to talk. A well-trained Gray may even become a teacher for another species of parrot.
You need to train your pet for a few minutes every day. Words to remember must correspond to the situation and be pronounced with emotion. The advantage of this bird is that even in the absence of special conversational training, the bird will still sooner or later begin to communicate with you.

Grays can be described as independent, willful, self-confident birds and even a little self-centered, as well as very social and jealous. They become strongly attached to family members and require a lot of attention, endless patience and strength from the owner.

It is very important to buy a bird in early age(up to 4 months) or an adult trained pet. If you are unlucky enough to buy a bird that was caught as an adult and imported illegally, it can be extremely difficult to approach it - it can become detached, withdrawn and even aggressive. Therefore, you need to buy these birds from nurseries.

Cockatoo

Indefatigable merry fellows with an endless supply of energy, optimism, cheerfulness and artistry - this is how you can characterize the second parrot from our rating, the cockatoo. Besides high intelligence, parrots have an excellent sense of rhythm, which is why they love to sing and dance.

They can learn a couple of dozen phrases and words, begin to speak very quickly, and are extremely sociable by nature. But this trait also has a downside - birds require human attention so much that they can be very intrusive.
Speech training should be carried out daily, in short lessons of 10 minutes in the morning and evening. A couple of times a week (on weekends) you can work with the parrot for longer, up to half an hour. The bird has a strong innate curiosity and loves to explore the world around it, in most cases tactilely (with its beak, claws).

To prevent your cockatoo from getting bored, you need to provide it with a sufficient number of toys, puzzles, and a mirror - during your absence the bird will talk to its reflection. However, leaving a parrot alone for a long time is highly not recommended, since even a day without communication with the flock (with its owner) will be extremely stressful for the pet.

Important!It has been proven that trainingbetter goes with women and children, since high voices are perceived better by parrots than lower voices.

Macaw

These parrots are the most major representatives family, have extraordinary beauty and equally outstanding intellectual abilities.
The success of training will directly depend on the age of the bird and your attitude towards it: if you take a young pet, treat it with patience and care, and pay a lot of attention, it will begin to communicate quite easily and quickly.

But if cruelty or indifference is shown, the pet may respond with counter-aggression, and in some cases even become dangerous. The macaw's communication abilities are somewhat lower than those of the two previous species, but experts often compare its intelligence to that of cats and small dogs.

There are gifted representatives of the breed who can remember 50–100 words and several sentences, as well as learn funny tricks. Therefore, it is very important to observe the parrot before purchasing and study its character, habits and willingness to make contact.

Having once accepted its owner, the parrot shows the strongest affection for him, but shows distrust and hostility towards other family members.
With regular training and an attentive, affectionate attitude, macaws can be taught very interesting things:

• eat with a spoon
• play dead
• play hide and seek and ball,
• rope climbing,
• roll a miniature cart,
• and even roller skate, created specifically for the feathered one!

Amazon

These parrots rank fourth in the ranking in terms of intelligence, but their onomatopoeic abilities are truly outstanding. In addition to imitating animal sounds, musical instruments, human words and songs, they can also be taught simple tricks.

Amazons are relatively well tamed, easily make contact, and show off their talents without hesitation, even in front of a large public. Amazons can remember up to a hundred words.
Training should be carried out 3-4 times daily, at the same time (preferably before feeding), the duration of one lesson is within 40 minutes. During the lesson, the room should be kept as quiet as possible. After completion, the parrot needs to be praised, given a treat and its head scratched.

It is believed that male Amazons are more capable of onomatopoeia, although females can also be very capable learners. When training, prepare for the fact that the bird will have difficulty remembering the first words, but when the first ten words have already been learned, further training will become much easier and more effective.

Important! Amazons are especially active in their conversational skills in the early morning and evening. When buying a pet, you need to be prepared to wake up to the sounds of a barking dog, violin or siren, which birds love to imitate.

Monk

The monk parrot (Quaker or Kalita) takes an honorable fifth place in the ranking of the most intelligent birds. Like his other relatives, he is curious, energetic, and smart.
With constant training, patience, effort and positive reinforcement, he can learn to reproduce human speech, as well as perform tricks.

Monks adapt well to conditions of captivity and quickly become attached to their owner. They can easily learn a dozen words and phrases. However, before purchasing this species, you should definitely listen to its voice: for many, the calls of the monk parrot are very sharp, hoarse and loud, almost unbearable, but for others they are comparable to the gentle chirping of a bird.

The advantage of this species is the completely non-conflict, friendly and peaceful nature of these birds. They easily get used to all family members, quickly learn names, and get along well with other pets.

Kea

Separately, it is worth mentioning kea parrots, which, although not domestic, have very high intellectual abilities. This bird can easily be called unceremonious, overly curious and even arrogant.
In the homeland of kea parrots, in New Zealand, they have earned a very bad reputation due to their excessive curiosity, the need to actively explore the world around them (including the contents of cars, houses, garbage cans and landfills), and also because of the enormous damage caused by parrots to livestock and agriculture. farm.

That's why birds for a long time They were shot, and as a result their numbers decreased catastrophically. In 1970, the extermination of kea was banned, and now the birds are listed in the International Red Book.

Did you know?Kea parrots are excellent predators. In exceptional cases, experienced and strong birds can attack sheep, as they love to feast on sheep fat. The bird bites into the back of the sheep's body, and if the animal takes flight, the parrot chases it until it is completely exhausted. After the death of a sheep, the whole flock flocks to feast on the fresh carcass.

But tourists get great pleasure from watching the inventive birds, which is why they are even nicknamed “mountain clowns” (this species lives at an altitude of 1500 m).

Budgerigar: smart or not

Many people are interested in the intellectual abilities of the budgie, a very popular feathered pet. The intelligence and abilities will vary among specific individuals, but in general all representatives of a given species have a good memory.

Unlike its larger counterparts, the budgie behaves less aggressively, it is much calmer, friendly and affectionate. His speaking abilities and onomatopoeia are very well developed.

It was the bird of this breed named Puck that entered the Guinness Book of Records as the parrot with the largest vocabulary of 1,728 words, which corresponds to the full vocabulary of a 5-year-old child and far exceeds the average number of words used by a person in everyday speech.

It is also worth noting that budgies are among the five most talkative species of parrots. However, your pet is unlikely to communicate with you meaningfully - several dozen learned words and phrases will be pronounced, most likely, without logical justification.
Speaking lessons are more successful with young males - teaching females to speak will be much more difficult, as well as adult non-speaking individuals. Thus, parrots are not just beautiful chirping birds, but smart, intellectually developed birds, whose intelligence is at times comparable even to the abilities of chimpanzees.

All this makes them full-fledged family members who will need quality communication and spending time together.

Knowing about the ability of parrots to imitate sounds, including human speech, many, when choosing a pet, want to have just such a pet. Indeed, in this case, except pet, you can also get a funny and smart interlocutor. Most people have the ability to imitate sounds, but this may manifest itself in them to a greater or lesser degree. to a lesser extent. We have selected 10 for you best breeds.

We will start our review with the breed gray jaco(lat. Psittacus erithacus). Its representatives have two main colors in their plumage: gray (body) and red (tail). The beak is black, the eyes are yellow.

Adult sizes: length - 30-35 cm, wingspan - 65 cm.

The homeland of birds is West Africa.

There are two types of birds:

Did you know? Representatives of the Guinness Book of Records tried to find out which parrot speaks the best, and came to the conclusion that the gray bird is the smartest. The parrot, Alex, who died in 2007, had a vocabulary of 400 words, could repeat entire sentences and imitate different languages..

Scientists have conducted studies that have proven that birds of this breed not only reproduce words, but also associate them with the objects they represent, have a concept of shape and color, and can count ordinal numbers. This confirms that African Gray parrots are intelligent and the smartest.
Birds should be trained from eight to nine months of age. In addition to duplicating human speech, they love to learn and make sounds household appliances. They can also imitate their owners’ behavior: irritation, joy, etc.

Caring for Grays is easy. However, you should be prepared that he is very noisy, has a complex character, and is touchy. Strives to be a leader. It's better to take such a pet small, with adult it is almost impossible to come to an agreement.

The life expectancy of a Gray Gray is about 50 years.

An already trained young parrot will cost approximately a thousand dollars. You can buy even more foolish ones for half the price.

Reviewing parrots and finding out which one speaks better, we continue with a description Amazon(Latin: Amazona). They like to keep them at home because, unlike their other brothers, they learn quickly and easily. These birds are sometimes called "the personification of mind and masters of words."

These are quite large birds - their length is 25–45 cm. They are usually green in color, sometimes with slight red, yellow, and blue splashes. Their distinctive feature is their strong beak.
The homeland of these birds is Central and South America, the Antilles, forests on the banks of the Amazon. The Amazon genus includes 32 species. The apartments most often contain white- and yellow-headed animals, as well as yellow-winged ones.

Birds can learn from 50 to 60 words, but they are not able to reproduce the intonation and manner of behavior, as the Grays do. They love to sing and imitate the sounds of musical instruments. They learn simple tricks, such as bringing a small ball in their beak or collecting scattered matches in one place.
Their advantage is that they easily adapt to new conditions. They get used to a person quickly, become attached and remain devoted until the end of their lives. These birds love to scream and communicate a lot.

They wake up early, so you should be prepared to either adapt to the parrot's rhythm of life, or give it a long night by covering the cage with a dark cloth. Birds love to get their way, sometimes behaving persistently and arrogantly. Subject to frequent and sudden mood swings. The lifespan of Amazons is 40–45 years.

The cost of one trained individual is around a thousand dollars. An untrained parrot usually costs half as much.

Did you know? In Australia, there are special schools where parrots are taught to talk. They are quite popular, since not all owners have the time, knowledge and patience to do it themselves.

Another intellectual among parrots- this is ara (lat. Ara). In addition, he is also handsome - he has bright plumage of all kinds of colors and shades. Macaws reach sizes up to 50 cm. They have the strongest beak among all parrots. They have it very bent.

The macaw is native to Central and South America. Their genus includes 36 species. Unfortunately, seven of them no longer exist.
Macaws can only learn as many words as Grays or Amazons, usually about 20. However, they always insert them for the purpose, which gives the person the impression that he is really having a conversation with the bird. In addition to words, macaws perfectly copy various sounds, for example, those belonging to natural phenomena- rain, murmur of water, or to the animal world - barking, howling, mooing, etc.

Macaws are unpretentious in their care. They are calm in character and reasonable. Usually they don't shout unless there is a need. Their voice and scream are very annoying to some people, so before purchasing such a bird, you need to listen to how it screams. The average life expectancy of a macaw is 60 years.

The cost of adult individuals ranges from 1.5 to 3 thousand dollars.

Important! Feeding parrots chocolate, avocados, salt and alcohol is prohibited. It is considered poisonous to birds.

Large parrot breeds cockatoo(lat. Cacatuidae) are also excellent imitators. They grow from 30 to 60 cm. They have a massive, curved and very strong beak, which can split wooden things, including cage bars and furniture. They can even handle thin wire rods.

The cockatoo has two distinctive features:

• a large mandible that covers the mandible like a bucket;
• the presence of a crest.

The crest is different in color from the rest of the plumage. When a parrot is excited, its crest is fluffed. The plumage can be of various colors, except blue and green.

Homeland of the cockatoo - New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippine Islands, Australia. There are 21 species of these birds, including most popular:

The cockatoo does not have a good memory; it can learn about 10 words and a couple of phrases. His breeder can also teach the bird tricks. But he learns a variety of sounds independently and with pleasure.

Cockatoo is a great companion for a person, easily becomes attached to him, devoted. He gets bored if no attention is paid to him or if he is left alone at home for a long time. Long trips of a beloved owner can become real stress for a bird. There have been cases when parrots in such situations refused to eat and drink, plucked their feathers, and then died. Therefore, for those whose work involves business trips, it is better not to get such a bird.
It is also important to know that cockatoos bite painfully, even to the point of breaking the finger of the person who offended him. The bird can be touchy and vindictive. For the same reason, you should not accept her into a family where you plan to or already have Small child. Cockatoos are usually not friends with children.

It would be useful to know that these birds are noisy and can be quite aggressive if they don’t like something. However, they can be taught the word “no”. With proper care, attention and affection, the pet will pay in kind. The lifespan of a cockatoo is 30–40 years.

The cost of adult individuals of these talking parrots is 1–2.5 thousand dollars.

Did you know? Parrots have been kept as pet birds for three thousand years. The first to domesticate them were the ancient Egyptians.

(lat. Loriinae) are capable parrots - they can learn up to 70 words. In this case, the person may not even take part in the training. But their main characteristic is: “screamers and slobs.” When eating liquid food, they scatter it around the cage and very often scream shrilly in a squeaky voice. Litter will have to be removed daily.
In addition, these birds are selective in food and require a room temperature of around 20°C.

Loris grow from 18 to 40 cm. They have beautiful variegated plumage with a predominance of green and red colors. Their beak is small and weak, red in color.
In the wild, lorises live in the forests of Indonesia, Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. There are 62 species of loris.

Loris are usually very friendly birds. They love and get along with small children. Aggression is unfamiliar to them. Lorises live up to 20 years.

The cost of such a parrot is about $500.

Bright exotic eclectus(lat. Eclectus roratus) has large sizes - 29–37 cm in height. This is a capable parrot, easily trained, however terse. His advantage is that he is flexible in everyday life, has an even character, and is never aggressive. It is also often called the noble parrot.

Males, as a rule, have green-blue plumage, females - red. The beak of both sexes is large and shiny. In males it is yellow or red. In females it is black. Their wings are long and their tail is square. In general, the body is well developed and strong.
Unlike other breeds of parrots, these birds are not monogamous.

The habitat is quite wide - eclectus can be found on many islands: the Moluccas, Salamon, Tanimbar, as well as in Australia and New Guinea.

The parrot easily gets used to home conditions. He becomes so attached to a person that he can even pay more attention to him than to his partner. He is affectionate, loves attention and communication. He has an extraordinary mind and intelligence. Girls are more difficult to make contact with, and they are also not as easy to tame as males. The love of a female will need to be earned. These parrots rarely scream.
In addition to a few words, eclectus can also learn cleanliness, for example, returning food that has fallen from a plate or putting small toys in a box.

The lifespan of eclectus is 30-40 years.

The cost for adults is $500.

Did you know? Parrots do not have vocal cords. They imitate speech using their tongue and beak..

(lat. Agapornis) are small birds reaching a height of 10–17 cm. They have a large head. Their body is mostly colored green color, however, its individual parts may have other colors: blue, pink, yellow, red, etc. These birds have a strong and very curved beak. Despite their small size, the owners of such a beak can easily injure a person.
Lovebirds are quite agile - they run quickly and actively climb trees or other vertical surfaces.

Lovebirds are native to Africa and Madagascar. Their genus includes eight species. They have this name because it is believed that if birds live in pairs, then after the death of one partner, the second also soon dies, unable to withstand loneliness and melancholy.
It is important to know that if lovebirds are kept in pairs, they will not be able to talk. The fact is that they establish communication between themselves and do not need voice communication with a person. And even if the owner wants to train such a bird 10–15 words, then this will not be easy to do: lovebirds are difficult and difficult to train.

Only a well-tamed parrot and one that feels constant attention is able to speak. Training should begin when the bird is one month old, but not later. The bird does not tolerate boredom and long absence of its owner. The lifespan of lovebirds is 15-20 years.

The cost of adults is 20-30 dollars.

(lat. Platycercus) - also quite popular among parrot breeders. They have beautiful variegated plumage with almost all colors included. They are compact in size - they grow up to 35 cm. You can recognize a rosella by its pronounced cheeks; depending on the species, they are white, yellow or blue.

Rosella's habitat is Australia.
Rosella speakers are average - can learn up to 10 words and a couple of phrases. But they really love to sing. Moreover, the song they perform is usually melodic and pleasant to the ear.

Representatives of this breed can be classified as smart birds, friendly. If the owner finds such a bird mutual language, he will receive a wonderful companion who will attract his attention every now and then. However, a feature of birds is aggressiveness towards other brothers - it is better not to keep budgerigars in the same cage with them.
Anyone who is planning to get such a bird should know that it does not tolerate changes in living conditions and food, and is subject to stress - even sharp sounds can provoke it. Therefore, they do not accept raising their voices. You need to be gentle and affectionate with them, and then they will return the favor.

Since rosella requires constant attention and taming, they are not recommended for purchase by those who have not yet had experience with parrots. Rosellas do not live very long - about 20 years.

The cost of one individual starts from $100.

(lat. Nymphicus hollandicus) - medium bird about 30 cm high. It is easily recognized by the tuft on its head and long (14-16 cm), pointed tail. Typically, the plumage of males is somewhat brighter than that of females. On their body it predominates grey colour, the front of the head is yellow, the cheeks are orange. However, breeders have developed other colors that are increasingly gaining popularity.
The homeland is Australia.

Their speaking abilities are average - up to 10 words and phrases. They reproduce sounds well, including those of everyday objects around them. They need to be taught speech from a young age. Only tamed chicks can be trained.
Corella is an excellent companion, he loves when his owner takes him in his arms, is affectionate with him, and devotes a lot of time to training and playing with him. Grooming for this breed is minimal. The bird can express its dissatisfaction with a shrill cry. The owner of this feathered creature should also know that it is not difficult for him to open locks. Corellas live up to 20-25 years.

The cost of adult individuals ranges from 100-150 dollars.

Important! When buying a parrot, you need to understand that regular communication and learning tricks are mandatory for the normal existence of a pet. This must be done by mutual agreement and if there is Have a good mood from both participants in the process. If you are often not at home during the day, you can turn on the radio or tape recorder for your pet.

Wavy

We would like to finish the material about which parrots talk with a description of one of the most popular pets - wavy(lat. Melopsittacus undulatus). In addition, it can safely be included in the list of smart parrots.

They can distinguish colors and 150 images per second, and hear sounds in the range of 400–2000 hertz. They can be taught to count to three and speak about 100 words.

Although, unlike their large relatives, budgerigars do not speak very clearly. The owners can teach them to recite simple children's quatrains. They can tell them exactly, or they can change phrases. Boys learn words better than girls.
There is practically no need to care for budgies. They adapt well and quickly to a new environment. They have a good, good-natured character. They learn easily, love to fly and play. They are cheerful, constantly chirping sweetly, and love communication. The person is friendly.

Budgerigars grow up to 19 cm in height. Their plumage can be completely varied - about 200 colors have been bred. The main color is green with a yellow head and throat. The back of the head is covered with dark wavy lines.
Budgerigars have a powerful beak that can carry various objects.

The homeland of this breed is Australia.

The lifespan of these pets is 10–15 years.

The cost of a budgie starts at $20. So, now you know which parrot is the most talkative. And if you are still not afraid of noise and feathers in the house, and you are serious about purchasing a pet, then you should take care of decent living conditions for it. If you have not previously had experience communicating and caring for birds, then we advise you to opt for a cockatiel or budgies- keeping them is not difficult, they are excellent students and wonderful imitators.

In the case when you have already learned how to care for birds, you can consider the option of larger birds, for example, Gray, Macaw, Eclectus, Rosella. However, be prepared that the cost of these birds will also be much higher.