Which Parrots Are Most Likely to Talk?
Among the 333 species of parrots (family Psittacidae), the African gray parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is the most likely to talk. Its remarkable accuracy in replicating human speech sets it apart as a species renowned for its speaking skills.
Parrots, including the African gray, are highly social animals, and their talking ability extends from their social nature. In the wild, these birds use vocalizations to communicate with their flock, establish territory, and engage in social bonding. When kept as pets, African gray parrots often perceive humans as part of their flock and use their vocal skills to interact with them. Studies, such as those involving an especially garrulous African gray parrot named Alex, have shown that these parrots can associate sounds with meanings and comprehend the context in which certain sounds are used, thus demonstrating a level of psittacine understanding that is more than mere mimicry.
African gray parrots are not the only loquacious members of the parrot family, or even of the extensive class of birds. Amazon parrots (genus Amazona) are capable of proficient mimicry, and to some degree so are macaws. Parakeets are also within the parrot family, and some, such as budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) and rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri), exhibit skilled speaking capacities. In addition, hill mynahs (Gracula religiosa), a mynah bird of the passeriform order that is found in southern Asia, are famous for their vigorous vocal faculties.