This chart applies to male birds of each species.
(Note: Some pet bird owners disagree with the below assessment – speaking in general terms, individual capabilities do vary. Some birds coming from a family that is classified as “poor talkers” may indeed turn out to be very talented.
Note: The Long-billed Corellas are said to be the most talented talkers of all Australian cockatoos – possibly even of all native parrot species.
Different Opinions about Talking Ability:
Sun Conure:
Indian Ringneck:
Ric from Australia “strongly” disagrees that Indian Ringnecks are poor talkers. He states that he has in his care a hand reared, five week old baby Ringneck who is already vocalising. He says ‘hello’ quite clearly (confirmed by a number of independent witnesses). His sister’s adult ringneck is so convincing that when he talks he is mistaken for a human. He has been known to repeat entire conversations! – Source: Ric (Australia)
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos:
Katie from Texarkana, Texas wrote: “I have a 34 yr old male Fitzroy GSC cockatoo that is a fair talker. He doesn’t talk as well as the blue front amazon, but he does have a vocabulary. He mimics more than anything: the dog, the car, my laugh, the phone. We also had a Capuchin money years ago that loved the scream. Sydney really loved that since he was a screamer anyway! The monkey has since passed but Syd still pays tribute to him quite often. It is just a little different from his regular cockatoo sound off. “
