It's no question that parrots aren't the only birds that talk. Anyone who knows of myna birds would probably be well aware of this. There are quite a few other species out there, that are also capable of speech, though no one would imagine it. Here are some I found surprising. I'll put them in order, from least surprised, to most surprised. I'd love some opinions, and see if you guys knew any of these could talk. Also, if you know of any other non-parrots that have an unbelievable capability of speech mimicking, feel free to share.
The first is the Myna bird (also spelled as mynah, or miner).
At first, this surprised me, because I didn't know what a myna was, at first. A lot of species are known for talking, though some are much clearer than others, and are very good at mimicking their owner's voice. While many species are known for this, it seems one of the best speakers, would be the common hill Myna.
This next one honestly didn't surprise me much after I learned about Mynas, because they're both in the same family. Starlings are also capable of speech.
This one seems very obsessed on what it's owner is doing.
These next two did catch me off guard, simply because I didn't think they had the vocal capabilities. However, because of the great intelligence of these birdsm, I would've figured, they would find one way or another to mimic their owners.
The raven
And the crow
It does seem though, that ravens have better clarity in their voices. Of course, in the wild, you're not going to hear one go "hello", or "watcha doing?", unless if they were raised in captivity and released (even then, it's not reccomended to talk to these birds, or do anything to imprint yourselves on them, if you're going to release them), but if a crow or raven was raised and kept as a pet, it's definitely possible (and legal, save for some areas).
This last one by no doubt, surprised me the most. I saw the title of the video, and decided to go ahead and kill a few seconds, thinking that it would just speak in bird gibberish and a series of chirps. What I didn't expect, was this bird to actually say "Thank you! Thank you very much!", let alone in a clear, understandable tone.
The red-headed finch, little known for it's talking ability, though possible in captivity.
I would've never thought, a finch of all birds, to be able to say something so clearly, and in such a cute voice, too.
What do you think of my selection of videos? Do any of the species mention surprise you with their talking capability? Do you know of any other species that are capable of speech, though not really known for it? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
