The 10 Quietest Parrots

Parrots are generally noisy creatures that can easily imitate natural sounds, including human noises. Even the ones that can’t replicate human voices tend to be quite loud, which can be challenging for apartment dwellers.

And with the hundreds of parrot species available, finding a quiet parrot can be quite challenging. Therefore, to help you narrow it down, we have created the following list of the quietest parrots available. So let’s dive right in.

Key Takeaways

• Quiet birds are ideal for people living in small apartments and perfect for working from home. Plus, it can be perfect for buildings with rules against noisy animals.
• Even with proper training, some noisy parrots can become quiet, but ensure they are well-fed and stress-free.
• When unwell, a quiet parrot can become quite noisy, so you should ensure your pet is healthy, and if it starts making noises, you should find out the cause of the problem.
• Senegal parrots are the best medium-sized parrots that are perfect for apartments.
• Parrotlet makes fantastic creatures that thrive in pairs, but if left alone, they can lose their companionability.
• Parakeets are generally noisy, but a few species produce less noise. Some of these parrots include lineolate parakeets and Bourke’s parakeets.

What Are the Quietest Parrots Available?

When it comes to keeping birds as pets, noise can be a considerable concern for some people. After all, there are many reasons why loud species like cockatoos or macaws can be an issue for some surroundings. 

A noisy parrot can even disturb your neighbors. Plus, many apartment buildings have banned such birds. So why do parrot lovers search for the quietest parrot available:

• Living conditions: The type of housing and the space available will determine the parrot species you pick. For instance, if you’re living in an apartment, you must follow the communal guidelines and rules set by the owners. Therefore, a noisy parrot can be an issue in such settings and can easily disturb your neighbors.
• Personal issues: generally, some folks react badly to sharp noises in their surroundings; some species produce a sharp noise that can easily damage your ears. Therefore, you should respect other people in your household and neighbors. After all, you don’t want to be evicted or have to take a family member to the hospital.
• Work arrangements: if you have family members working night shifts and need to rest during the day, then a noisy parrot can be a nuisance. They can make it impossible for you to sleep during the day and relax after a night shift. Loud parrots can also be inconvenient for people working from home, especially if you do video conferences and phone calls from your home. Therefore, you should consider your work arrangement when choosing the best pet to adopt.

So if you love parrots and your settings won’t allow a noisy one, then you should consider the following quiet parrots:

Cockatiels

Despite its size and extreme popularity, the cockatiel is a quiet parrot loved worldwide. Cockatiels are medium-sized, prized pets that make great companions and, funny enough, are very easy to breed. They’re only second to budgies in terms of popularity.

Initially, it wasn’t clear if cockatiels are small cockatoos or crested parakeets, but molecular studies proved otherwise, making it the only Nymphicus species available. 

Folks who prefer quiet parrots love this parrot; you can even train your bird to behave in a certain way. It means you can teach it a few words to help you calm it down when it gets excited.

If you give your parrot everything it needs, you’ll never have to worry about your pet complaining and making too much noise. For instance, it needs a huge cage; luckily, these species are not quite demanding. But the best thing about the cockatiels is they’re highly social, so you have to socialize with them regularly for them to thrive and be extremely happy.

On top of that, you can train a cockatiel to speak a few words and even whistle. Luckily the females are quieter, so you should consider this factor when looking for a cockatiel to adopt. The females usually limit themselves to only making flock calls. But the males use their voices to express themselves. Fortunately, they don’t make noise all day long like the budgies.

Senegal Parrot

Native to Senegal, West Africa, the Senegal parrot is one of the world’s largest parrot species, bigger than the Cockatiels. Regarding keeping parrots as pets, the Senegal parrots are pretty popular and have been known for making exceptional pets. After all, its vocalization ability makes it one of the best options available.

Despite being popular pets, did you know they’re considered farm pests in Senegal? In Senegal, they’re known for invading farms for millet and maize; in fact, the locals look for ways to scare them away.

Currently, there are two subspecies of Senegal parrots which includes:

• P.s. Versteri, with a deep orange vest.
• P.s. Senegalus, with a yellow vest. 

These birds live in the savanna and open woodland in several parts of West Africa.

But if you get Senegal parrots, you shouldn’t expect them to be quiet. After all, it’s capable of producing quite a respectable decibel level. Therefore, you should expect it to use its voice occasionally. Fortunately, they don’t vocalize like some species, making it the best apartment living option.

This medium-sized parrot makes an outstanding pet; their brown and dark green color helps them stand out. Luckily, Senegal’s are very easy to train, and they can learn many tricks. So if you need a companion for over five decades, you should consider getting a Senegal parrot.

Parrotlet

Small-sized birds are known for producing a lot of noise, but with training; some can be quiet. A great example is the Parrotlet. Parrotlets are a group of unique birds with stocky builds with short tails native to South and Middle America. They resemble African lovebirds in body shape and size and are sometimes known as South American lovebirds.

But they’re still the smallest parrots that bird lovers usually keep, weighing about 25 grams. These birds make noises, unlike some of the small-sized parrots available. They won’t do it all day if they start making noises. These birds don’t make noises for a long time; in most cases, they can last for a few minutes.

Like parakeets, some small birds, like the Pacific parakeet, can’t scream or screech; instead, they’re known for producing soft chirp noises.

Therefore, they can make an excellent option for apartment dwellers. So, Parrotlet can be a great addition to your family unless you have very sensitive neighbors. 

They have a small lung capacity and size, so they can’t produce loud noises making them the best option for apartment living.

Parrotlets have high-pitched ‘meeps’ that don’t travel through walls like the lower-pitched sounds. Like lovebirds, the parrotlets do well in pairs; they tend to lose their companionability when left alone.

Therefore, if you want your bird happy and silent when you’re busy, you should ensure you get them in pairs. Another thing that makes them great pets is that they love socializing, so regular interaction can help keep them thriving and happy.

Rosy Bourke Parakeets

Parakeets are exceptional, but try the Rosy Bourke Parakeet if you want a polite pet. The Australian Bourke rarely squabbles with other pets; basically, it’s very calm and can get loud at times. Like its close cousin, the grass parakeet, this species is quiet and produces a stream of chatter.

In aviculture, people hold Bourke’s parakeet in high esteem despite its possible endangerment in Central and Southwestern Australia. Bourke Richard, who served as New South Wales governor between 1831 and 1837, gave them their name.

Unlike most parrots, this parakeet’s call is soft and should not disturb your neighbors. When alarmed, Parakeets produce a kik-kik-kik sound. Its other sounds include “chirrup-chirrup” or “chu-vee.” Their sounds aren’t bothersome even when they make noises to seek some contact from their flocks.

The Bourke’s parakeet makes an exceptional apartment bird. Most owners claim it’s better than pink parrots, especially in small environments. Luckily, there are several mutations that you can adopt. Some of the prevalent mutations include:

• Rosa, 
• Fallow, 
• Isabel, 
• Yellow
• Pink.

Lineolated Parakeet

Another quiet parakeet species on our list is the Lineolated or barred parakeet. The linnies resemble the budgies in several ways but are considered stockier. Like the budgies, they love walking and flying around, so you should create more room for them in your home or an aviary in your backyard.

The significant difference between budgies and linnies is that the lineolate parakeets perch and walk with their bodies horizontal or parallel to the ground. On the other hand, the budgies always keep their bodies upright. Despite these birds’ differences, the linnies make exceptional pets for apartment dwellers.

Like the previous parakeet in our list, the linnies are calm birds that love chattering. Fortunately, the chattering noises are not annoying and can rarely disrupt the neighbors. These birds can make huge noises, but only when in distress or their food is running low. Plus, they’re known for irritating noises and even talking.

Generally, they don’t all speak, but the males tend to be more vocal; plus, with proper training, you can increase the likelihood of your bird learning sounds or words. So you can keep it with another talker of the same species for them to learn to talk and be busy all day long. You can even use a few phrases that your bird will easily imitate.

Green Cheeked Conure

The green-cheeked parrot or conure is a New World and African parrot native to Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina. They’re affectionate, intelligent, and playful creatures with huge personalities that out shadow their body size. 

Unlike most parrots, they don’t produce huge voices at times. Fortunately, they can quickly learn to speak specific vocabulary with extensive training.

Most pet owners have been abandoning most Conures at the shelters since they can’t handle the noises, but that’s not the case with the green-cheeked conures. These parrots produce high-pitched notes when fighting, which can be annoying, but they make musical noises that are not that unpleasant. In most cases, they’re silent when perched.

Unfortunately, these noises can be piercing, harsh, and noisy chattering when in-flight flocks make calls simultaneously and frequently. Therefore, keeping a flock may not be a good idea.

Pionus Parrot

Pionus parrots are medium-sized birds that are pretty popular among people living in apartments, requiring parrots bigger than cockatiels or budgies. The pionus species are not great talkers but can quickly learn to speak a few words. Unfortunately, their speech is a bit raspy and hard to comprehend. 

Pionus parrots have low energy levels, but this doesn’t mean that they are not playful. It also means that they won’t be great companions. 

Pionus are devoted pets; plus, they love being showered with attention by their owners. Therefore, if you can keep it stress-free, you can enjoy the benefits of owning a pionus.

Even when frightened or excited, pionus parrots tend to produce snorting or wheezing noises, which can be easily mistaken for a sign of distress.

Meyer’s Parrot

Another perfect parrot for apartments that can be ideal for beginners is Meyer’s parrot. Sub-Saharan Africa’s plateau woodlands contain the African species Meyer’s parrot. Some types of woodland they inhabit in Sub-Saharan Africa include savanna, miombo woodlands, and wooded grassland. The forest bordering agricultural land and watercourses contain them as well.

They’re small-to-medium-sized parrots about 9 inches high; fortunately, they’re quiet, playful, funny, gentle, social, and highly intelligent creatures. But the fact that they’re quiet is what makes them stand out. Unlike most parrots, these parrots are not great talkers.

Many well-socialized or hand-raised parrots make great family pets for a family looking for a small parrot. It’s always happy to sit on its perch for hours instead of screaming all over the house. Just like with the other parrot, it’s always a great idea to get a young parrot that is very easy to train and tame.

Red-Bellied Parrot

Another African parrot to feature in our list is the red-bellied parrot. It’s quieter than most parrots and easy to care for, making them ideal for beginners who prefer a less noisy parrot. The Red-bellied parrot is native to East Africa, particularly central Ethiopia, and north-eastern Tanzania. Unlike some birds in our list, the Red-bellied parrot is bigger than the Senegal parrots.

Fortunately, hand-raised and captive-bred parrots are sweet, curious, and have some confiding personalities. It is easy to train them. 

Other than being quiet, they are not the best talkers; most of them are not always willing to learn how to talk. Therefore, you may have to spend more time and be patient to teach your bird some words.

These birds squawk and shriek less than the larger birds, so they are less likely to affect the neighbors.

Quaker Parrots

Last but not least, the Quakers from South America are a popular quiet pet that makes a great option for pet lovers. These species are referred to as Quakers because they shiver and tremble. These parrots are one of the quietest parrots on the planet. 

They only chatter and speak all day long at a moderate volume. Fortunately, they aren’t prone to screaming when stressed like the conures.

Quakers are beautiful birds with charming comical personalities; their willingness to learn to talk is commendable. They’re exceptional pets for beginners that work perfectly for people who love fun pets that can adapt to an apartment setting. 

Conclusion

We all love parrots, but our environment and work status have made us pick these birds according to the noise they produce. After all, some species are known for being quite noisy and can even affect our hearing capabilities. So if you’re living in an apartment, you may have to adopt a less noisy option.

Luckily, many quieter parrots can keep you company for decades without affecting your neighbors. You can go for a Senegal parrot if you prefer a medium-sized parrot. Senegal parrots are farm pests in Senegal but in Europe and North America. But there are several small-sized options like Parrotlet and parakeets. Owners can train these birds to be quiet.