Kinds of Talking Parrots

One reason many people decide to buy a parrot is simply that they want to hear it talk. Oh, they like the colors, and they like the big, beady eyes. They may be intrigued by the strong beak and the thick tongue, but they really want a talking parrot.

Various Kinds of Talking Parrots

Many breeds are included in the category of talking parrots. Some are “naturals’ at talking, and seem to learn quickly. Others require great quantities of patience and dedication if they are to become talking parrots.

No one can guarantee that a baby parrot will become a talking parrot simply because it is of a particular breed, but the following three often do become talking parrots:

* African Grey Parrot: These are said to be the most talented talking parrots. They learn quickly, and they can develop vast vocabularies of up to 2000 different sounds. Unlike many talking parrots, African Greys understand much of what they are saying. They are not content with the stereotypical demand for crackers. If they ask for a grape and you give them a piece of banana, be prepared to wear the banana.

Accustomed to repeating everything they hear, from an ambulance siren to your cat’s meow, these talking parrots can be rude, naughty, or polite, depending on the example set for them.

One talking parrot of the African Grey breed, named Einstein, lives in the Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee. Einstein has become very popular since appearing on Animal Planet’s Pet Star program in August 2004. Einstein was so good that he was later voted Animal Planet’s most popular Pet Star ever. He is now a famous talking parrot.

* Amazon Parrot: A second breed of talking parrot is the Amazon Parrot - especially the Yellow-naped Amazon. Amazon parrots should be talked to a lot during the first couple of years if they are to become good talking parrots. Those who do not learn young may never learn.

* Quaker Parrot: Quaker Parrots are less colorful than some, but this talking parrot can begin to mimic words as early as its sixth month. Those over 1 year of age that have become talking parrots often have a vocabulary of 50 or 60 words. They are not the easiest to understand of all the talking parrots, but what they lack in diction they make up in excitement.

Other Kinds of Talking Parrots

There are other kinds of talking parrots, too. Actually, most parrots can talk if they have the proper training. Parrots are sociable birds, and want to communicate with you, but teaching a young parrot to speak your language in addition to its own means spending a lot of time with the parrot.