The smartest parrot: choose an intellectual pet. Your bird is smarter than you think

There is an opinion that birds do not understand anything, because they are not particularly smart, and are only able to imitate sounds and imitate voices. However, an experiment by Ph.D. and psychologist Irena Pepperberg, conducted with an African gray parrot, proved that birds can reason at an elementary level, as well as use individual words and phrases in meaning.

The parrot, named Alex (according to the first letters of the name of the bird training program), the doctor bought in a regular pet store in 1977. The bird was not even a year old at the time.
For three decades, disputes and discussions of Zhako Alex as a subject of research did not subside. The parrot learned to identify 7 colors (and his own too), 5 different geometric shapes, knew more than 100 words. He answered the questions: “What is less? More?". I understood what was the same, what was different, what was different.

Alex even distinguished objects that were the same color, but different in the material from which they were made! During the experiment, the parrot learned a lot and could compete in development with dolphins and monkeys. Jaco, whose brain was no larger than a walnut, was on a par with a five-year-old child in development. He begged for food, a trip to the shower room, when he was not in the mood, he asked to go back to the cage with the words: “I want to go back!”.
There were cases that shocked even the researcher. For example, once during class, Alex asked for a nut. Dr. Pepperberg ignored the request, then the bird asked again and again. Without waiting for the nut, Alex said in English: “I want O-R-E-X!” It sounded like: “Am I expressing myself incomprehensibly? I'll spell it out!"
The breed of birds to which Alex belonged lives up to 50 years, but Jaco died on 09/11/2007. age 31. Shortly before that, he was examined by a veterinarian, who reported that the parrot was in excellent health. What is the reason for the sudden death of Alex? Perhaps in excessive stress on the bird's brain.
Alex became the smartest parrot and the most talking bird in the world.

To date, there is no unequivocal answer to the question of which parrots are the smartest in the world. This is due to the fact that in captivity they survive, and, accordingly, no more than one third of all existing species of a large order are subjected to detailed study. In addition, few scientists are interested in studying the intelligence of parrots, and there are only a few cases of successful practice of developing the mental abilities of birds in the world.

The ability to reproduce human speech has several types of parrots. So, cockatoos can remember up to two dozen words and a few sentences. Loris are distinguished by the ability to reproduce fifty words and four to five sentences. And some are able to repeat about 100 words, but very rarely speak in sentences. But the Jaco parrot breed is considered the most intelligent and capable of learning.

smartest parrot species

Parrots are distinguished not only by the ability to repeat up to 1000 human words. This breed can also quite consciously support a conversation with a person. There are cases when Jaco memorized about three hundred sentences, and quite appropriately used them in speech. In addition, these birds are very successful in imitating various sounds, including the voices of birds and animals.

The most famous and intelligent parrot in the world is a Jaco parrot named Alex. Besides him, not a single parrot has yet been able to learn to count to eight. And Alex is quite good at it. But Alex's accomplishments didn't end there. He quite successfully determined the colors and shapes of objects, knew how to combine the presented figures into groups, distinguished the materials from which the objects were made. Over the years of his training, this parrot managed to reach the level of development of a five-year-old child, which won universal respect.

Bright coloring, the ability to copy human speech and the interesting habits of parrots have long made these birds favorites of man. Together with representatives of the monitor lizard family, parrots are the most intelligent birds on Earth. They are sociable, do not tolerate loneliness, and feel comfortable in the company of a person. At the moment, there are about 300 species of parrots. The most interesting of them will be discussed in this article.

What are these birds - parrots?
Of the 40 orders and 100 billion bird species that live on Earth, one has always stood out, whose representatives can be recognized instantly. And in fact, there is not a single person who does not recognize a parrot at first sight. So, what features make it possible to classify a bird as a parrot order?

First of all, a special beak - a massive, short, slightly similar to the beak of a predator. Parrots are very skillful with it. It serves both for capturing and crushing food, and for climbing tree branches. In addition, this is a very dangerous weapon, as it is unusually strong. A large parrot, without straining, is able to bite through a couple of millimeters thick steel wire, injure a person, and even kill a small animal. But at the same time, with their beaks, parrots show tenderness to each other, demonstrate disposition towards the owner, sorting through his hair with his beak.

The second sign is the tongue, short and fleshy. In many species, it has a recess on the kochik, which allows you to conveniently deal with grains and seeds. In brush-tongued parrots, the tongue ends with a special claw on the bottom, and on top it has a brush of hard bristles for collecting nectar and juice of tropical fruits.

Third, the legs. The paws of parrots are very strong, but rather short. There are only four fingers. The first and fourth are directed back, respectively, the second and third are directed forward. The nails are short, strongly curved, rather sharp. Each foot is characterized by great independence of movement. In addition, the paws help to hold the extracted fruit or nut, and with them the bird brings food to the beak. The flexibility and plasticity of the fingers are surprising. A parrot can take a large walnut and a small grain of oats with its paw. Many species of parrots move awkwardly on the ground, strongly clubfoot. The only exception is the ground parrot, which runs quickly and dexterously.

And finally, luxuriously rich plumage colors. In the entire avifauna of the globe, there is hardly a detachment rivaling in the richness of plumage color, with the exception of, perhaps, galliformes (pheasants, peacocks and other birds).

Noble parrots belong to the subfamily of true parrots "Psittacinae". The species is characterized by a sharp difference in color between males and females, which at one time misled researchers: the birds were considered two different species - green loris and red loris. This error was kept in the literature for quite a long time, until, during the collection of collection material during research in New Guinea, it was found that all the green birds caught were males, and the red ones were females. Later, in the nests found in nature, differently colored chicks were found, which made it possible to finally solve this riddle. Noble parrots are characterized by a strong, stocky body with a short square tail and rather long, rounded wings. The beak is large, with a very smooth and shiny upper beak, which gave reason to distinguish it, along with some other species, into a special group of wax-billed parrots. Feathers are amazingly colored, thin, delicate, with a slight sheen. The noble parrot forms 9 subspecies, differing among themselves in color details (mainly in females) and in size, which is caused by the habitation of separate, often small, bird populations on numerous isolated islands. Signs of different subspecies are often insignificant and distinguishable only for specialists, therefore, when pairing, it is better for amateurs to focus on the geographical origin of birds from one region.

The main color of the male is grass green, with a slight yellowish tint on the head. The sides of the body are red. The primary flight feathers are blue, the secondary ones are blue with a green outer edge. The fold of the wing and the upper small coverts of the wings are blue. The underside of the wing is red. The tail is green with blue on the extreme feathers, on the underside it is matte black. The undertail coverts are yellow-green. Mandible yellow to coral red with a lighter tip, mandible black. Legs are dark grey. Eye color varies from black-brown to brownish-red. Body length in different subspecies is from 35 to 45 cm, wing length is from 24 to 27 cm, body weight is from 360 to 400 g.

The plumage of the female is predominantly red, with a carmine tint on the head and neck, darker and brownish on the back and wings. The chest, belly, transverse stripe below the back of the head, and in some subspecies, the ring around the eyes is violet-blue. The fold of the wing is violet-blue, the primaries and their coverts are blue with green outer edges. The middle and ends of the secondaries are blue, their outer edge is reddish, the inner one is black. The underside of the wing is blue. The tail is brownish red, and in some subspecies yellowish orange, lighter at the end. The undertail is red with yellow edges of feathers or yellow. The eyes are light yellow to whitish. The beak is black. Legs are dark grey. Juveniles are colored in the same way as adults, already in the nesting plumage, but their beak is grayish-brownish, dark yellow at the end. Natural deviations in color are also known: a yellow noble parrot was seen on the island of Halmahera.

The distribution area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe noble parrot covers the island of New Guinea and numerous surrounding islands: Waigeo, Nome, Mios, Salavati, etc., the Chinese Islands, the Moluccas (in particular, the island of Halmahera, after which the parrot itself is sometimes called), the Louisiade and Palau archipelagos, Solomon Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, York Peninsula in Australia. The noble parrot lives in dense virgin forests with palm trees, casuarinas, fig trees (the fruits of the latter are the favorite food of many species of parrots) and dense undergrowth. They usually meet him singly or in pairs: they are rarely seen in flocks. However, collective overnight stays in hollows in groups of up to 6-8 individuals were observed. It feeds on fruits, nuts, berries, various seeds, tree buds, flowers, nectar. In some places it causes serious damage, attacking corn fields and oil palm plantations. In nature, flying parrots often make a high-pitched "crack-crack" call, repeated 3-4 times. When feeding on trees, birds: talk with pleasant flute sounds "chuwi-chuvi". It was noted that when mating, the female emits a voiced "chi-tsong", "chi-yong", while feeding the female during the courtship period, the male emitted a soft "tok-tok" (in another interpretation, "gong-gong"). The male called the female from the hollow with the sounds "kra-kra". The breeding season does not coincide in time on different islands within the range; in New Guinea, the noble parrot has been nesting since August; on the York Peninsula in Australia - from October to January. Nests are arranged in hollows of tall trees in forest fields and along forest edges. The found and investigated nests were located at a height of 14-22 m, the entrance holes of the great snipe had a diameter of 25-30 cm, the depth of the hollows was 30-60 cm. The hollow is lined with wood dust. The clutch usually contains two eggs and only the female incubates it. The male does not take part in incubation, but stays close to the nest and periodically feeds the female. Hollow visits very rarely and immediately leaves it.

During the acclimatization period, birds are best kept at room temperature. Birds in general are very sensitive to cold, especially to drafts, and therefore it is better to keep them in a heated room all year round. It can only be kept in an outdoor enclosure during the warmest weeks of summer. The room should be more or less large, as the female can be quite aggressive. In one room, you can keep a couple, two males, but in no case two females. During this period, the birds are very reluctant to descend to the bottom of the enclosure, so the feeders should be located next to the perch. Food should be as varied as possible. At the beginning of acclimatization, soft food should be given; various fruits (grapes, cherries, apples, pears, etc.), sunflower seeds, soaked biscuits, boiled rice. Willingly take corn of milky-wax ripeness, carrots, lettuce, chopped egg. To solid feed should be accustomed gradually. In the future, the food can be diversified with boiled beans and lentils, green peas, sunflowers, peanuts, a small amount of hemp seeds, canary seeds, oatmeal, wheat and oats in dry and sprouted form, various nuts. From feed of animal origin, you can give egg food (a mixture of grated hard boiled eggs with grated carrots, breadcrumbs and a few drops of vegetable oil), a piece of chicken meat and boiled lean beef. The noble parrot is a typical forest dweller and does not tolerate overheating in the sun. Drinks quite a lot of water, especially if he eats a lot of sunflowers and other dry seeds. Willingly swims, but does not recognize bathing suits at the bottom of the enclosure, preferring water from a sprayer, wet leaves. Pairing presents a certain difficulty and sometimes goes on for quite a long time. When selecting partners, you should pay attention to the fact that both birds are in the same condition. The beaks of young birds turn into adult colors after 12 months in females and after 9-12 months in males. Shortly after emergence, the chicks must be separated from their parents, as at this time the birds begin to re-lay and become aggressive towards the young.

Noble parrots are calm, rather silent, mutually tolerant and quickly getting used to the owner of the bird. Onomatopoeic abilities are small: birds can only learn a few words or sounds. With proper maintenance and feeding, these parrots are able to live in captivity for decades, delighting the owner with their beauty and calm disposition.

Parrots (Ordo Psittaciformes), order of birds. Contains 1 family. 316 species, mainly in the tropics. Length from 9.5 cm to 1 m. Females are smaller than males. The plumage is bright, there is no sexual dimorphism (except for the red-sided parrot from New Guinea). Feather ornaments in the form of crests are not uncommon. The toes are able to take a position of three against one or two against two. Thanks to this, parrots manipulate their fingers almost like hands. All parrots have a massive beak. Many have a good memory and the ability to imitate. The cerebral hemispheres of parrots are larger than those of other birds, they are even called primates among birds. Their natural language is most developed among birds. They are monogamous, but outside the breeding season they live in packs. Large parrots have 2-3 eggs in clutch, small parrots have 5-8. Incubation lasts 2-4 weeks. The chicks are born naked and blind and change their down outfit 2 times before putting on the feather one. 27 species and 14 subspecies in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Many especially beautiful and funny parrots have died out due to their increased capture.
The oldest center of occurrence of these unlike other birds, apparently, is located in Australia, but parrots are widespread on all continents except Europe and, of course, Antarctica. Most species nest in tree cavities, some in rock crevices, and some burrow. Most parrots live in nature in large flocks or groups, pairs are connected only during the mating season.

Parrots have been kept in captivity since ancient times and are highly valued. The pioneers here were probably the ancient Indians, in whose idea every noble person had to teach at least one parrot to speak. Europeans first met parrots in India. The first were the soldiers of Alexander the Great. Birds quickly gained popularity in Greece, and later in Rome. With the onset of the Middle Ages, information about tame parrots in Europe disappears and reappears during the Crusades (11-13 centuries). The amazing ability of parrots to imitate human speech impressed the Western church, and parrots were declared to be closer to God than other animals. With the conquests of the era of geographical discoveries, new types of parrots from the New World appeared. These birds, to their misfortune, fell "into fashion", their stuffed animals were decorated with high hairstyles, lovebirds, as a symbol of fidelity, were certainly given to lovers, etc. Many species disappeared forever. In Russia, in our time, there is a real boom in passion for parrots. They are brought to sleep, stuffed with them in the most incredible and unsuitable shelters for birds. Many birds are dying. Therefore, before you buy a bird, you should find out where it comes from, do not support smuggling.
Many species of parrots have been domesticated for a long time, and their maintenance does not present any particular difficulties. The cage is selected for the parrot in size, aviaries are often arranged where different species can be kept together. Moving to a new cage, birds experience stress, often stop eating. It is necessary to let parrots fly around the house: this inquisitive bird needs not only to stretch its wings, but also to look around. All kinds of perches, rings and swings are provided in the cages. It is useful for such cockatoos to exercise their paws with all kinds of projectiles. If breeding is planned, then nesting houses in the form of hollows are placed for couples. Young shoots of willow, linden, apple, maple should be in a cage all year and replaced as they eat. In addition to fresh water in the drinker, it is necessary to give honey water 1-2 times a week (1 part of honey to 1 part of boiled water; a multivitamin tablet is also added here). Alternating with honey water, give water with the juice of black and red currants, cranberries. For mineral dressings, crushed eggshells boiled for 5 minutes, chalk, shell rock, charcoal, calcium gluconate and glycerophosphate tablets, and even old plaster are used. In the warm season, a piece of meadow or forest sod is placed in the cage, sometimes pieces of forest rotten. Parrots love to swim, but the water should not be cold.

The natural variety of food for parrots cannot be fully reproduced at home. Birds that have fallen into captivity as adults, it is especially difficult to get used to a change in food. Having bought such a bird, you should offer it food again and again, achieving maximum diversity. In large parrots, individuality is clearly manifested in addictions, and what another bird eats, yours may not accept.

Grain feed is the basis of nutrition. It must be in abundance. This is a mixture of different varieties of millet, oats, wheat, hemp (a little, because they get fat from it), canary seed, sunflower, corn. Nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pine nuts) are added to the mixture. If there is no complete mixture, then individual components can also be given, part of the grain must be unpeeled, sprouted in spring and winter. When the ears of grain in the fields reach the stage of milky-wax ripeness, they are put to the parrots. Corn needs to be boiled (but not from a can, but only on the cob!). Parrots love fresh cottage cheese, they are happy to eat a white bun, especially soaked in milk or tea. The egg is finely chopped, mixed with grated carrots and white breadcrumbs (1: 1) and given about a day later (large and medium parrots can be given just a chopped egg). Parrots should not be offered meat, sausage, ham, butter, etc. In nature, parrots eat a lot of fruits and drink their sweet juice. In our conditions, sweet varieties of apples and pears and imported tropical fruits, carefully washed, are suitable for them. Of the berries, ripe strawberries and strawberries, raspberries, black currants, fresh and dried mountain ash (chokeberry can also be given in small quantities), figs (can be soaked in milk) are suitable. Give slices of melon, watermelon. Parrots love pieces of carrots, pumpkins, raw potatoes. For many parrots, flowers are needed as food (marigolds, dandelions, wild roses, marigolds, etc.; this helps to preserve the color of the plumage). As greens put lettuce, dandelion, cabbage. Sweets beloved by parrots should be given very limitedly, using them as a reward for learning.
Many small parrots breed well in captivity, even when caged. The main difficulty for most species is not feeding and creating special conditions, but the selection of pairs, since some species are very picky and will never start a family with an unattractive partner. Reproduction of large parrots is associated with significant difficulties.
Vital to all parrots, and especially large ones, the life-giving rays of the sun. In winter, the birds are irradiated with a quartz lamp, setting the lamp so that light reflected from the walls and ceiling falls on the cage.

For parrots, especially medium and large ones living alone, communication with a person is vital. Having fallen in love with a person, the parrot seeks to “clean his feathers”, loves to be stroked and scratched, resembling many cats in this respect. The main condition for teaching a parrot human speech is that it must be without a pair. Young birds naturally learn faster than adults. Among parrots there are smart and stupid, incapable individuals. If you want to teach a parrot, you need to pronounce the words many times, clearly. However, a parrot can remember what was said once. Many birds obviously do not just repeat words, but also understand their meaning, call their owners, warn of danger (for example, that a cat has come). Although parrots often get along well with cats, dogs, rodents, you should not risk it. Many parrots are surprisingly vindictive. Often, having fallen in love with one of the family members, the parrot cannot stand other household members, or even is jealous of his wife, children (large parrots sin with this). Correcting the character flaws of this bird is not easy.
The recorded maximum lifespan in captivity is 60 years. Existing legends about 200- and even 300-year-old cockatoos and grays are just fiction.
What are the types of parrots? Parrots are divided into small (wavy parrots, lovebirds, cockatiel nymphs, grass parrots, rosellas), medium (necklace parrots, lorises, wedge-tailed parrots), large (macaws, grays, cockatoos, Amazonian parrots or Amazons).

Amazon parrots are considered one of the best imitators of human speech and belong to the Talking Parrots group. They quickly get used to a new environment and are very affectionate to a person, but they are less mobile than a jaco, more calm, prefer human company. Amazons are famous for their good appetite, easy friendly nature with a minimum of psychological problems and can live up to 80 years. Their intelligence is a little lower than, say, that of a Jaco, but their ability to imitate speech is excellent. The bird talker is smart and quick-witted. It's about Jaco. Amazons are in second place by a small margin. Please note that by law, live goods cannot be returned or exchanged. And therefore, when choosing a feathered friend, you need, as they say, to look both ways. The first indicator of a parrot's health is its plumage. Polished, sleek, feather to feather plumage is a sure sign of excellent health. If a bird is sick or stressed, it often begins to pluck its feathers. It will be quite difficult to wean the feathered from this habit later. Of the large parrots among bird lovers, the Amazonian parrots are most often found, of which about 26 species are known. Their homeland is the tropical part of America. Most Amazon parrots are found in the forests of the Amazon basin. They endure adversity easily. Like gray parrots, they are excellent indoor birds. They quickly get used to a new environment, are unpretentious to food, strongly attached to a person, meek, sweet and capable of learning. These are very capable birds, and it is not uncommon for individuals to speak more than 80 words and phrases.

Ecology

Many lonely people would like to always have someone nearby to talk to. They would like to hear someone's joyful voice welcoming them home after work: "Hi! How was your day?" If you would like to have a pet that will also learn to greet you, why not get a talking animal? For example, a talking parrot.

Not all birds are suitable for being a talking pet. Some of them can speak very quietly, others will not let you rest, shouting at the top of their lungs. When choosing a bird, you must consider the environmental conditions in which it will live and which will suit it, for example, your apartment or house on the ground, whether you live in a bustling urban area or outside the city. Many neighbors don't want to hear the authentic imitation of horror movie sounds coming from your apartment every day. In any case, you should keep your own comfort in mind and consider how much noise you are willing to endure during the day while at home with your pet.

Having talking birds as pets is always very interesting. Some types of birds are better at copying our speech and sounds than others. Some species have a better memory and are able to keep hundreds and even thousands of words in their small bird head. The most intelligent birds, such as Jaco parrots, are able to select individual words that they hear in speech and give them out in certain situations or in certain contexts, maintaining a "meaningful conversation."

There are also birds that can surprise you with their excellent memory and language skills. These animals are often shown in the circus and various other shows.

We offer you a list of birds that can be easily taught to speak at home. It is these birds that have special abilities that distinguish them from other species. Among the Amazon parrots, there are some species that have the talent to "speak human language." Some species really know how to memorize and reproduce the words of our speech, but they do it very illegibly, or they can repeat words very rarely, but mostly they make sounds that are not very pleasant to our ears. These birds were not included in our list.

It should be remembered that some representatives may never, under any circumstances, learn to speak, no matter how you try to teach them. As among people with different characters, very timid and shy ones can be found among birds. Some birds may be smarter and smarter than others. Therefore, you should not start a bird just to surprise your friends, but only if you really love animals.

1) Budgerigar

The most popular bird today - the budgerigar - is known not only for its attractive appearance, but also for the ability to memorize and pronounce words and phrases, as well as various sounds that it hears. Often their voices can sound too low, and the spoken phrases are difficult to make out, however, some representatives of this species are excellent at learning different words and sounds. Males are easier to train than females.

2) Parrot Kalita

These bright green beautiful parrots are native to South America. They are known for having amazing mental abilities, and they are also very social, able to memorize a large set of words. Some owners of these birds complain that parrots can scream too loudly.

3) Parrot Blue-fronted Amazon

If you are looking for a good pet, this parrot is perfect. Blue-fronted Amazons may outlive you, as they can live 100 years or more with good care. It is better to teach young birds to talk right away, otherwise they will make shrill and unpleasant sounds. They are good at imitating the speech they hear and distinguish their master from other people.

4) Indian ringed parrot

These parrots are quite smart and remember a large number of words, they can pronounce phrases or even whole sentences very clearly. They do not always succeed in copying the tone of the human voice, but they can convey the mood of the phrase they hear.

5) Noble green-red parrot

Notorious for the fact that males and females of this species have completely different colors (males are green and females are bright red), these parrots can make articulate sounds and copy the tone and mood of the speaker. If birds are trained from an early age, they will show excellent results.

6) Parrot Surinam Amazon

This colorful bright green parrot with a yellow forehead is found in the Amazon Basin, northeastern South America and Panama.10) Jaco Parrot

Jaco or, as it is also called, the gray parrot is considered the most intelligent talking bird and one of the most intelligent representatives of the animal world. Some experts argue that Jaco has the intellectual abilities of a child who is just learning to speak.

What breeds of parrots are considered the most intelligent
in terms of onomatopoeia and speech learning?

Jaco

Despite their not the most attractive gray color, these birds are distinguished by high mental abilities. Their homeland is West Africa, parrots live mainly in forests. Zhakos grow up to 35-42 cm. Zhakos quickly learn colloquial speech, well-trained pets have the intellect of a three-year-old child, they imitate male and female voices, the sounds of nature, the roar of animals, whistle melodies. American scientists have proven that Jaco parrots not only memorize words and phrases, but are also able to conduct a dialogue. The sex of the Jaco does not really matter; both males and females are well trained.

Amazons

This species includes 25 species that live in South and Central America. They are considered one of the best imitators of speech, they have a higher ability to imitate than the Jaco, however, in terms of intelligence, they are somewhat inferior to him. They are affectionate to humans, have a more friendly character, tolerate captivity well. On average, they can learn 80-100 words and also speak in short sentences. Amazon parrots can also perform simple circus tricks, reproduce the tones of musical instruments, whistle melodies, imitate animals and sounds of nature. These are one of the few parrots that do not hesitate to speak in the presence of a person, they love attention to their person. The best option for keeping in captivity are white-headed, yellow-winged, blue- and red-fronted, Brazilian and Venezuelan Amazons.

Cockatoo

Cheerful and cheerful parrots, whose natural habitat is Indonesia, the Philippine Islands, Australia, New Guinea. The size of the birds is impressive: from 30 to 70 cm, there are also many color variations. They have a real artistic talent: they love to fluff up the tuft, dance, and the powerful beak becomes a real tool with which the parrots gnaw through the bars, open the locks. As for speech abilities, cockatoos are somewhat inferior to their two counterparts described above, but in imitation they have no equal. Pink cockatoos and Inca cockatoos lend themselves best to training. Cockatoos remember dozens of words and simple phrases, but they reproduce the most bizarre sounds and melodies.

ara

It is considered one of the largest and at the same time gifted parrots, although he does not remember so many words - about 20, but he pronounces them meaningfully and always to the point. However, there are individuals who quite successfully operate 100 words and sentences. This order includes 15 varieties, their life expectancy is 80-100 years. If the owner treats the pet well, he will repay him with love, if the macaw is offended, he becomes aggressive. The voice of the macaw is piercing, cutting the ear, so not everyone will choose it as a poultry. The most popular are blue-yellow, green-winged, hyacinth and red macaws - they perfectly imitate sounds (dog barking, door creaking, etc.) and voices, whistling melodies.

Budgerigar

An interesting feature of this species is that mostly males talk, while females prefer to remain silent. Budgerigars cannot pronounce words clearly and loudly, they still resemble chirping, but their vocabulary is impressive - up to 150 words. Parrots remember the intonations of the human voice well, are able to imitate them, whistle melodies, imitate the singing of birds. Sometimes female wavy enrich their vocabulary with a few dozen words, but still males are preferable for learning.

Corella

Bright and sociable parrots with a funny crest and gray-white plumage. If you compare cockatiels with budgerigars, then the latter talk more, but cockatiels pronounce words more clearly. Representatives of this species have the ability to speak, they can learn to repeat words and sentences, imitate sounds, whistle melodies. The voice of the Corell is quite piercing and sharp, these parrots distort human speech, they pronounce the words with a characteristic chirp. Such pets cannot conduct a dialogue, they give out their entire supply, regardless of the situation.

Rosella

A fairly popular variety of parrots, they easily adapt to new conditions, undemanding to the content. Their conversational abilities are weak, pets remember no more than 10 words, most often limited to 2-5 words. Rosellas have beautiful singing, they are able to imitate the voices of other birds, the sounds of nature, most often they remember their name or the name of the owner and pronounce it. Rosellas are quite aggressive towards other birds, so it is better to keep them only with fellow tribesmen. The most popular are pale-headed, alkali-cheeked, variegated, black-headed, yellow-bellied rosellas.

By the way, the most intelligent parrot, listed in the Guinness Book of Records, belonged to the species of Jaco. His name was Alex and he lived for 31 years. Jaco knew more than 400 words in different languages, knew how to correctly build sentences, had the ability to sing and musical memory. Alex was trained by Irene Pepperberg from Arizona. Alex distinguished geometric figures, colors, the number of objects, he could read in syllables. His level of intelligence corresponded to the development of a five-year-old baby.

So, dear owners of feathered smarties and smarties, show patience and attention and your pets will surprise you more than once!