Talking birds
There are many species of birds that can mimic human speech. Among those, parrots are the most widespread in popular culture, although other birds like crows, mynas, or starlings can, too, mimic the human voice. Some of those can only repeat a few words while others have extensive vocabularies of over a thousand words.
The oldest recorded talking bird was probably a parakeet living 2,500 years ago, described by the Greek historian Ctesias. While the birds’ ability to repeat human words is indisputable, there is a debate about whether they understand the language at all and if so — to what extent.
Well-known talking birds species
The sun parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis), also known in aviculture as the sun conure, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. Sadly, the species is endangered due to loss of habitat and hunting for trade.
Sun parakeets are social birds, forming large flocks, communicating both verbally and non-verbally, and flying large distances together. Even though they are regarded as talking birds, their speech and ability to learn tricks in captivity are quite moderate.
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The cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus), also known as the quarrion, is a small parrot originating from Australia. Those cute birds with a characteristic tip on their heads are highly appreciated as household pets all around the world. They should be treated with great care.
Some consider cockatiels to be difficult to train in the arcana of human speech, but in fact, their soft voice requires better skills from the trainer to understand what they mimic.
The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot usually nicknamed the budgie and known in American English as the parakeet. They are often kept as pets — even more so than cockatiels. Males are among the top five parrot species as regards the ability to talk. Their mimicry is impressive: a male parakeet owned by Camille Jordan appeared in the 1995 Guinness World Records book as the bird with the largest vocabulary, consisting of 1,728 words!
