The smartest parrot in the world: description, name and features. Parrots
Ecology
Many lonely people would like to always have someone nearby to chat with. 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 to be a talking pet. Some of them can speak very quietly, others will not give you peace, screaming at the top of their lungs. If you choose a bird for yourself, you must consider the environmental conditions in which it will live and which will suit it, for example, whether you have an apartment or a house on the ground, whether you live in a noisy urban area or outside the city. Many neighbors are not eager to hear a faithful imitation of horror movie sounds coming from your apartment every day. In any case, you should be mindful of your own comfort 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 a lot of fun. Some bird species are better at imitating our speech and sounds than others. Some species have better memories and are able to hold hundreds or even thousands of words in their little bird heads. The most smart birds For example, Jaco parrots are able to select individual words that they hear in speech and produce them in certain situations or in a certain context, 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 easily be taught to speak at home. It is these birds that have special abilities that set them apart from other species. Among the Amazon parrots, there are some species that have the talent of “speaking human language.” Some species really know how to remember and reproduce the words of our speech, but they do it very illegibly, or they can repeat words very rarely, and generally they produce sounds that are not the most 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 hard you try to teach them. As among people with different characters, among the birds there can be very timid and shy ones. Some birds may be smarter and more intelligent than others. Therefore, you should not get 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 its ability to remember and pronounce words and phrases, as well as the various sounds it hears. Their voices can often sound too low and their spoken phrases difficult to understand, but 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 remember a wide range 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 their lifespan is good care 100 or more years. It is better to teach young birds to talk right away, otherwise they will produce shrill and unpleasant sounds. They are good at imitating the speech they hear and distinguish their owner from other people.
4) Indian ringed parrot
These parrots are quite smart and remember a large number of words, can pronounce phrases or even entire sentences very clearly. They are not always able to copy the tonality of a human voice, but they can convey the mood of the phrase they hear.
5) Noble green-red parrot
Known for the fact that the males and females of this species have completely different colors (males are green and females are bright red), these parrots are able to pronounce articulate sounds and copy the tone and mood of the speaker. If you start training birds from a very early age, they will show excellent results.
6) Suriname Amazon Parrot
This colorful bright green parrot with a yellow forehead is found in the Amazon basin, in the northeast South America and in Panama.10) Jaco parrot
The gray parrot, or as it is also called, 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.
Parrots are chosen as pets for their cheerful, mischievous, restless nature, ability to learn speech and tricks. By purchasing a parrot, you get not just a bright exotic bird, but a full-fledged family member who can socialize and communicate with you. However, the intellectual abilities different types Parrots vary, so if you want to get a really smart pet, you will be interested to know which of these birds is considered the smartest.
The smartest parrots
Next, we consider 6 species of birds from the Psittacidae family, which really have extraordinary intellectual abilities and a talent for learning. They will be able not only to remember several dozen words, but also to analyze them, skillfully applying them in everyday life. By understanding what a particular breed is capable of, it will be easier for you to make the right choice.
Important! Representatives of large breeds have the most outstanding communication skills and intelligence, so when choosing, you need to focus on them.
Jaco
The African gray parrot, or gray parrot, rightfully takes first place in the ranking. Jaco is recognized as the most talented and intelligent among parrots for his ability not only to remember and reproduce human speech, but also to associate words with the objects that they represent. 
They can even understand the concept of shape, serial number, color. It is believed that the most gifted representatives of the species can remember up to one and a half thousand words. IN natural conditions Grays constantly copy the sounds around them - various screams, whistles, squeals and clicks that other species of animals make.
Did you know?A gray parrot named Alex (1976–2007) was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the smartest parrot. He learned about 150 words, 7 colors, 5 types of shapes. The researchers say the parrot understood what it was saying, and 80% of its responses in the study were logical.
In captivity, the bird will also obey instinct and repeat everything it hears: intercom sounds, bells mobile phone, hum washing machine, creaking doors. The pet will also imitate the emotions of its owners: joy, irritability, etc.
Get ready for the fact that the bird will constantly create a background sound of varying volumes; it will often try to shout over the TV and interfere with your telephone conversation. Sometimes Gray Gray owners joke that it is more difficult to keep this bird silent than to talk. A well-trained Gray may even become a teacher for another species of parrot. 
You need to train your pet for a few minutes every day. Words to remember must correspond to the situation and be pronounced with emotion. The advantage of this bird is that even in the absence of special conversational training, the bird will still sooner or later begin to communicate with you.
Grays can be described as independent, willful, self-confident birds and even a little self-centered, as well as very social and jealous. They become strongly attached to family members and require a lot of attention, endless patience and strength from the owner.
It is very important to buy a bird at an early age (up to 4 months) or an adult, well-bred pet. If you are unlucky enough to buy a bird that was caught as an adult and imported illegally, it can be extremely difficult to approach it - it can become detached, withdrawn and even aggressive. Therefore, you need to buy these birds from nurseries. 
Cockatoo
Indefatigable merry fellows with an endless supply of energy, optimism, cheerfulness and artistry - this is how you can characterize the second parrot from our rating, the cockatoo. In addition to high intelligence, parrots have an excellent sense of rhythm, which is why they love to sing and dance.
They can learn a couple of dozen phrases and words, begin to speak very quickly, and are extremely sociable by nature. But this trait also has back side- birds require human attention so much that they can be very intrusive. 
Speech training should be carried out daily, in short lessons of 10 minutes in the morning and evening. A couple of times a week (on weekends) you can work with the parrot for longer, up to half an hour. The bird has a strong innate curiosity and loves to explore. the world, in most cases tactile (beak, claws).
To prevent your cockatoo from getting bored, you need to provide it with a sufficient number of toys, puzzles, and a mirror - during your absence the bird will talk to its reflection. However, leaving a parrot alone for a long time is highly not recommended, since even a day without communication with the flock (with its owner) will be extremely stressful for the pet.
Important!It has been proven that trainingbetter goes with women and children, because high voices are perceived better by parrots than shorter ones.
Macaw
These parrots are the largest representatives of the family, have extraordinary beauty and equally outstanding intellectual abilities. 
The success of training will directly depend on the age of the bird and your attitude towards it: if you take a young pet, treat it with patience and care, and pay a lot of attention, it will begin to communicate quite easily and quickly.
But if cruelty or indifference is shown, the pet may respond with counter-aggression, and in some cases even become dangerous. The macaw's communication abilities are somewhat lower than those of the two previous species, but experts often compare its intelligence to that of cats and small dogs.
There are gifted representatives of the breed who can remember 50–100 words and several sentences, as well as learn funny tricks. Therefore, it is very important to observe the parrot before purchasing and study its character, habits and willingness to make contact.
Having once accepted its owner, the parrot shows the strongest affection for him, but shows distrust and hostility towards other family members. 
With regular training and an attentive, affectionate attitude, macaws can be taught very interesting things:
- eat with a spoon
- play dead
- play hide and seek and ball,
- rope climbing,
- roll a miniature cart,
- and even roller skate, created specifically for the feathered one!
Amazon
These parrots rank fourth in the ranking in terms of intelligence, but their onomatopoeic abilities are truly outstanding. In addition to imitating animal sounds, musical instruments, human words and songs, they can also be taught simple tricks.
Amazons are relatively well tamed, easily make contact, and show off their talents without hesitation, even in front of a large public. Amazons can remember up to a hundred words. 
Training should be carried out 3-4 times daily, at the same time (preferably before feeding), the duration of one lesson is within 40 minutes. During the lesson, the room should be kept as quiet as possible. After completion, the parrot needs to be praised, given a treat and its head scratched.
It is believed that male Amazons are more capable of onomatopoeia, although females can also be very capable learners. When training, prepare for the fact that the bird will have difficulty remembering the first words, but when the first ten words have already been learned, further training will become much easier and more effective.
Important! Amazons are especially active in their conversational skills in the early morning and evening. When buying a pet, you need to be prepared to wake up to the sounds barking dog, violins or sirens, which birds love to imitate.
Monk
The monk parrot (Quaker or Kalita) takes an honorable fifth place in the ranking of the most intelligent birds. Like his other relatives, he is curious, energetic, and smart. 
With constant training, patience, effort and positive reinforcement, he can learn to reproduce human speech, as well as perform tricks.
Monks adapt well to conditions of captivity and quickly become attached to their owner. They can easily learn a dozen words and phrases. However, before purchasing this species, you should definitely listen to its voice: for many, the calls of the monk parrot are very sharp, hoarse and loud, almost unbearable, but for others they are comparable to the gentle chirping of a bird.
The advantage of this species is the completely non-conflict, friendly and peaceful nature of these birds. They easily get used to all family members, quickly learn names, and get along well with other pets.
Kea
Separately, it is worth mentioning kea parrots, which, although not domestic, have very high intellectual abilities. This bird can easily be called unceremonious, overly curious and even arrogant. 
In the homeland of kea parrots, in New Zealand, they have earned a very bad reputation due to their excessive curiosity, the need to actively explore the world around them (including the contents of cars, houses, garbage cans and landfills), and also because of the enormous damage caused by parrots to livestock and agriculture. farm.
That's why birds for a long time They were shot, and as a result their numbers decreased catastrophically. In 1970, the extermination of kea was banned, and now the birds are listed in the International Red Book.
Did you know?Kea parrots are excellent predators. In exceptional cases, experienced and strong birds can attack sheep, as they love to feast on sheep fat. The bird bites into the back of the sheep's body, and if the animal takes flight, the parrot chases it until it is completely exhausted. After the death of a sheep, the whole flock flocks to feast on the fresh carcass.
But tourists get great pleasure from watching the inventive birds, which is why they are even nicknamed “mountain clowns” (this species lives at an altitude of 1500 m). 
Budgerigar: smart or not
Many people are interested in the intellectual abilities of the budgie, a very popular feathered pet. The intelligence and abilities will vary among specific individuals, but in general all representatives of a given species have a good memory.
Unlike its larger counterparts, the budgie behaves less aggressively, it is much calmer, friendly and affectionate. His speaking abilities and onomatopoeia are very well developed.
It was the bird of this breed named Puck that entered the Guinness Book of Records as the parrot with the largest vocabulary of 1,728 words, which corresponds to the full vocabulary of a 5-year-old child and far exceeds the average number of words used by a person in everyday speech.
It is also worth noting that budgies are among the five most talkative species of parrots. However, your pet is unlikely to communicate with you meaningfully - several dozen learned words and phrases will be pronounced, most likely, without logical justification. 
Speaking lessons are more successful with young males - teaching females to speak will be much more difficult, as well as adult non-speaking individuals. Thus, parrots are not just beautiful chirping birds, but smart, intellectually developed birds, whose intelligence is at times comparable even to the abilities of chimpanzees.
All this makes them full-fledged family members who will need quality communication and spending time together.
There is an opinion that birds do not understand anything, since they are not particularly smart, and are only able to imitate sounds and imitate voices. However, an experiment by doctor of science and psychologist Irena Pepperberg, conducted with an African gray parrot, proved that birds can reason in entry level, as well as use individual words and phrases according to their meaning.
The doctor bought the parrot, named Alex (in accordance with the first letters of the name of the bird's training program), from a regular pet store in 1977. The bird was not even a year old at that time.
For three decades, debates and discussions about Gray Alex as a subject of research have not subsided. The parrot learned to identify 7 colors (and his own too), 5 different ones 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 in 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 par in development with a child of five years old. He begged for food, to go to the shower room, and 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, one day 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 unclearly? I’ll spell it out!”
The breed of birds to which Alex belonged lives up to 50 years, but Gray died on September 11, 2007. aged 31 years. Shortly before this, he was examined by a veterinarian, who reported that the parrot was in excellent health. What is the reason for Alex's sudden death? Perhaps due to excessive stress on the bird's brain.
Alex became the smartest parrot and the most talking bird in the world.
Everyone knows that there are talking parrots. However, it is also known that they only memorize some words or phrases without understanding their meaning.
Now scientists have doubts - is this true? African gray parrot Alex, who lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not only speaks, but also understands what he says.
Parrot intelligence
Parrots, as it turns out, have enough high intelligence. If the aforementioned parrot Alex says to his owner “Come here,” then that’s what he means—for the owner to come over.
Irene Pepperberg from the University of Arizona, who studies this intelligent bird, is absolutely sure that Alex does not just rattle off some mechanically memorized “sound complexes”, but understands their meaning. “These birds have emotional and social communication, which a human child is able to use at the age of two or three,” she says. “As for intelligence, in some cases it corresponds to the age of a child of five or six years old.”
Alex is able to distinguish about 50 objects by their characteristics, he differentiates seven colors of the rainbow, can count to six, and so on. “If you ask Alex about the color, shape of an object or the material from which it is made, you will be convinced that this bird knows from which set of features the answer should be selected. In other words, if a parrot is asked what color an object is, it certainly won’t say “four.”
When Alex wants to go back to safe place, he will let you know about it in specific words: "I want to come back".
Irene Pepperberg claims that she once asked a bird, “Do you want to go home?”, and the parrot rearranged the phrase itself: “I want to go back.” What does this mean? Can a parrot think?
The researcher holds two keys in her hands - one large purple, and the other is small Green colour. She asks the parrot a question: “Can you tell me what the difference is?” And the bird answers: “In color.” “Which color is smaller?” And the parrot says: “Green.” But does a bird really think in the same way as a person does? No one can say this for sure.
And again the line between man and animal becomes blurred. The only remaining difference is that in some ways man has actually surpassed all other animals. But just think what a bird with a brain no larger than Walnut! So it’s in vain that we repeat like parrots: “Butt is a fool”! It turns out he's not such a fool after all.
»If the presence of not just a chirping bird is important to you, but its ability for socialization and relationships with humans, a parrot will be the most the right choice. Each breed of these birds is talented in its own way and you definitely can’t call them stupid. They can be taught to talk, sing, dance and imitate a wide variety of sounds.
A certain type of parrot has varying degrees of communication skills and building relationships with humans. It’s up to you to understand what you expect from a bird and choose the most suitable breed for this.
Parrots are one of the most popular pet birds. We love them for their inquisitive, cheerful and restless disposition, their ability to learn quickly and become real family members.
The stunning bright color of their plumage, the variety of sizes of birds and their prices make parrots not only desirable, but also possible inhabitants of your home.
Don't forget that any pet needs care. A certain amount of time will be spent not only on playing and learning with him, but also on maintaining high level quality of life of the bird. Among parrots, there are breeds of wonderful talkers or magnificent tricksters, imitators of human speech and surrounding sounds.
Let's look at the species of birds that have earned the reputation of being the smartest and most talented birds.
The first on the list of the smartest parrots is, of course, the African gray parrot, which is more often known to us as.
Despite the calmer gray color of the plumage, the bird, after the first minutes of acquaintance with it, attracts all attention.
Grays are the most capable parrots and, in intellectual development, showed the highest results. The gray parrot is listed in the Guinness Book of Records and awarded the title of the smartest parrot in the world!
This award was given to the gray parrot Alex (1976-2007), who participated in the experiment of Dr. Irene Pepperberg. Thanks to this scientific work, scientists were able to refute the opinion that birds are not smart enough and can only unconsciously, but successfully imitate speech and sounds.
Alex proved that parrots know how to apply logic and draw conclusions based on assigned tasks, and they have the ability to perform simple mathematical calculations. They understand the meaning of the words they have learned at a basic level and can consciously apply them when communicating with people.
Alex distinguished between the concepts of “more” and “less”, “different”, “for”, “under”, “the same”, “yes/no”, recognized 7 colors and 6 shapes. The bird only knew 150 words, but the important thing was that Alex understood what he was talking about. The researcher taught the parrot several letters and it even read syllables. After lengthy experiments, the parrot once said: “I want to leave,” and when he saw that Irene was upset, he asked for forgiveness, for a treat in the form of a nut, and said: “I want a banana.”
The parrot distinguished monochromatic objects made from different materials, knew the numbers and understood the significance of defining zero. The bird's perception of optical illusions was similar to that of humans. If it weren't for Alex's death at age 31, which is quite early for , (who live on average about 50 years), he might have been able to reveal some of the secrets of the bird's worldview in first person.
The last words Irene heard from her pet: “Be good. “I love you” - Alex said this phrase every evening before the mistress left. easily copy the timbre of the voice, its intonation. Scientists believe that these parrots can reach the intelligence of a 5-year-old child, and emotional condition 2-3 year old.
Gray parrots have their own complex sides of character; along with high intelligence, they can be touchy and stubborn. You should not treat “jakoshas” like chickens (no offense to the latter) and underestimate the bird’s needs for fair and friendly treatment.
Amazon
The most capable types of Amazons:
- red-fronted, white-fronted, blue-cheeked, festival - imitate human speech and sounds very well;
- blue-faced people are the best imitators, they can imitate all kinds of sounds of animals, nature, everyday sounds, crying, laughing, barking and perfectly copy human speech;
- Yellownecks, in addition to excellent abilities to imitate speech and sounds, can pronounce entire sentences.
All these species have a great or little ability to speak, recognize the owner in a group of people, and are excellent imitators. These birds can sing and convey melodies very accurately. It is also not difficult for them to parody an animal, sounds of nature, technology or a musical instrument.
Amazons are considered one of the easiest to train among large parrots.
The domestication and adaptation of birds goes smoothly; they quickly become close and attached to humans. These are not conflict parrots; they are very easy to approach. Due to their sociability, birds are in dire need of constant contact with humans; these birds urgently need attention from the owner.
Cockatoo
Cockatoos build a very affectionate relationship with their owner. They literally become dependent on his attention. They are very sensitive to separation and neglect, and can get sick if they do not receive enough warmth from the owner. You will immediately notice that the parrot is trying to attract your attention: the bird can scream for a very long time and loudly until you approach it. Cockatoos are focused on their owner and require increased attention.
Must have sufficient quantity free time to devote to this eccentric bird.
Macaw
They buy a young male for conversation. Budgerigars have amazing lexicon, but the pronunciation is with a clear bird accent.
More Difficult words and they modify phrases, they can “mock” any word, changing syllables or adding the ending of another word. Wavys can also be taught light children's quatrains, which they memorize, are told either sequentially or shuffling the lines, which cannot but amuse.
Parrot monk (kalita)
Despite the fact that these parrots can scream very loudly, they are excellent at learning phrases and words, and enjoy communicating with their owner.
Birds are very active, playful and sociable. They can pronounce words clearly and loudly and distinguish people's names, calling to them those with whom they would like to play.
Kea
It is impossible not to mention the intellectual abilities of these parrots. Despite the fact that this species is not "domestic", the thinking of parrots is worthy special attention. Watching these birds in their homeland in New Zealand, people were amazed by the behavior of these birds, and after studying their intelligence, kea were recognized as one of the smartest birds on the planet.
They are able to solve problems and puzzles in an organized manner, distribute responsibilities, plan their actions and carry them out consistently to achieve results.
The intelligence of a chess player with the reckless courage of a robber makes for complex and very intelligent birds.
You cannot ignore such beautiful and smart birds as: eclectus, rosella, nymphs, Senegal parrots, necklace parrots and loris parrots. They are smart and interesting creatures who like to communicate with people.
They can also be taught both tricks and conversation. Of course it's the feathered variety bright colors will not construct sentences and will not be able to reason on the topic, but no one doubts that these are smart and intelligent birds.
The gray parrot is recognized as the smartest parrot in the world, but other species also have amazing abilities. Each bird is endowed with different talents. Any parrot owner can prove this. Not all birds talk, but some are very hardy, others are inventive, and still others are simply wonderful companions for humans.
Your friendship with him and patient training with your pet will help to reveal the intellectual abilities of the parrot. Every bird is talented in some way, but its abilities are simply not always appreciated by humans. We simply do not notice or belittle some of their skills, so do not forget that any parrot can surprise you, just listen to it a little and watch.
Video about the talented Gray Alex:
Jaco Einstein:
Macaws and cockatoos perform in public:
Parrot performance:
A cappello of a yellow-necked Amazon in the shower:
Budgerigar talking:
Kalita communication:
Necklace parrot talking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqfqB5cAMTc&nohtml5=False https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw3RW_u-3FU&nohtml5=False
Talkative Eclectus:
Eclectus puzzle game:
How kea cope with difficult tasks: