What is the best small talking pet bird?

Answer 1

I think the best kind of small talking bird is a Parrot. They come in cool colors and can speak very well. Budgies could be talking birds. Cockatoo's would be the least expensive. but would sing tunes rather than speak words. Macaws would be the best at talking but are very expensive.

Answer 2

The cheapest would be a Cockatiel. It has limited mimicry abilities, but live a good lifespan and are very social.

While there have been cases of Cockatiels developing a reasonably large vocabulary (particularly the males) they aren't really known for being especially good talkers. If you want the absolute best talking bird commonly available as a pet then you want to get an African Grey parrot, which are extremely renowned for their intelligence and talking ability, quickly learning large numbers of words and speaking them in a very clear voice that is sometimes nearly indistinguishable from a humans. However, these parrots tend to be expensive and are among the more difficult birds to care for.

If you want a bird with exceptional talking abilities at a reasonable price then your best option would most likely be a Quaker Parrot, also known as a Monk Parakeet. These small, green birds are also extremely intelligent and are known for their active, playful personalities. They can also build up vocabularies to rival the African Greys, although they are not able to reproduce human sounds nearly as clearly. They are also fairly easy to find and generally only cost about $100-$200 and are generally recommended for first-time bird owners (although they still require a great deal of care and attention; owning a bird is a decision that should never be entered into lightly.) One possible drawback to these birds is that they're illegal in some parts of the world, as their relatively robust physiology has allowed them to establish feral populations in several parts of the United States and Europe. Make sure you check your local laws before purchasing one of these animals.