While it is natural for birds to vocalize, the loud screaming noises they can produce may not be appreciated by many, especially our neighbors.
If you live in an apartment, or if you personally find it challenging to endure constant vocalizations, finding a pet bird that’s on the quieter side is your best bet.
Some bird species can be less vocal than others, but it is important to understand that no bird is completely silent. Birds vocalize to communicate and express emotions, and other reasons that are essential for their survival.
Training a bird to be quieter can also help, but dealing with some amount of noise is part and parcel of owning a bird. We have rounded up 10 quiet pet birds that make the ideal companion for your home.
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Quiet Pet Birds
Finch
Finches are small songbirds that like to chirp and beep. They are not capable of producing loud screeching sounds like parrots, but they do vocalize frequently. Male finches in particular are enthusiastic singers and chirp more often.
There are many colorful species of finches, however, the Zebra Finch, Owl Finch, and Gouldian Finch are some of the most popularly kept pet finches.
Zebra finches are the most vocal of all the finches, and they make a lot of peeping and beeping sounds. Some people can find them to be a little noisy, although their calls are never loud.
Gouldian finches on the other hand are considered to be the quietest in the finch family because they are neither loud nor noisy. Their soft chirps and faint clicking sounds usually go unnoticed by anyone who doesn’t know there’s a bird in the house.
Finches are for watching purposes only. They do not like to be handled or pet and usually do not bond with their human owners. Finches prefer the company of other finches and require a large cage for flying around and being active.
Canary
While canaries are not loud, they practice their songs quite often. The sound level of a canary song is no louder than a windchime.
Canary songs are made up of trilling sounds and syllables, which are sequences of rapidly repeated musical notes. Canary enthusiasts often look for the best singing types as their vocal abilities are widely adored.
There are hundreds of species of canaries, some of them bred for singing traits and some for their colors. However, most canaries, even the ones bred for appearance, will have singing abilities.
Like other finches, canaries are hands-off birds. They are more interested in birds than people. Canaries thrive in aviaries with other small birds, however, they are also content being housed alone. Canaries are quite low maintenance and can be a good beginner bird.
Diamond Dove
Doves make cooing sounds almost constantly. But these sounds are so low that you can barely hear them if you are not in the same room. Doves are one of the quietest pet birds you can keep.
These birds do not like to be handled and can be flighty when touched. While they are social birds, they prefer the company of their own kind. However, hand-tamed doves can be much more social with their owners and bond with them.
Button Quail
Button quails are small, ground-dwelling birds that are kept in a rectangular enclosure. They have three toes pointing forward and one toe pointing backward, which makes it difficult for them to perch. They’re mostly on the ground and need enough running space inside their cage as well.
Button quails make soft vocalizations like clicking, chirping, and rumbling. Males tend to vocalize more often, especially when they’re alone or stressed. Button quails are social creatures, and it’s recommended to keep them in pairs or small groups. Solitary quails may become stressed or lonely.
Quiet Parrots
Budgies
Budgies are one of the few parrots with the rare gift of being both quiet and good talkers. Most other quiet parrots are not skilled at talking and are unlikely to talk even when trained.
Louder and noisier birds are generally the ones that talk. But that is not the case with the budgie. Budgies can learn words, phrases, and random sounds from their environment fairly easily. They can amass a big set of vocabulary and can be quite the chatty companion.
When budgies are not talking, they like to vocalize in chirps, chatter, squeaks, and whistles. They can get noisy at times, but their size prevents them from being overly loud. Many owners like the low-volume chatter of these birds and even find it soothing.
A single budgie will not be a problem in terms of noisiness, but if you decide to get more than one, they can create a ruckus.
Parrotlets
The soft chirps of parrotlets are not only adorable but also quite relaxing to the ears. Parrotlets are the smallest types of parrots, even smaller than budgies.
They are active birds that like to move around in their cage and love to interact with people. However, they are mostly quiet when they’re inside their cages.
Parrotlets make chattering and tweeting vocalizations in short bursts, but their sound remains very low. Parrotlets also have decent talking ability. They can learn a few easy words and can try to imitate sounds with okayish clarity.
Being such a small bird, they can be housed easily in an apartment. They require a roomy cage and a good amount of out-of-cage time. Both males and females make excellent family pets and have a feisty and affectionate personality.
Bourke’s Parakeet
The Bourke’s parakeet is a gentle bird with a mellow voice. They have a melodic chirp that doesn’t get too loud. However, they can get pretty vocal, especially during sunset.
The Bourke’s parakeet is a semi-nocturnal species, which means it is most active during sunset. They chirp the most at sunrise and sunset, but since their sound is faint, it should not bother you.
Although the Bourke’s parakeet is the only species in the genus (Neopsephotus), it is classified as a grass parakeet because they forage for food in fields and plains, eating seeds, and grasses.
They also share other characteristics with grass parakeets such as being quiet and not having good talking ability.
As pets, initially, the Bourke’s parakeet can be a shy bird, but once it is bonded to its owner it can become an affectionate and playful companion.
Senegal Parrot
Senegal Parrots are relatively quiet birds. While they do have the capability to vocalize, their calls and squawks are typically not as loud or piercing as those of some other parrot species.
Senegal parrots don’t scream, rather their vocal repertoire consists of whistling, squawking, and clucking sounds.
It is an easy-going bird and will hardly give you any trouble as long as it is getting adequate socialization and an enriching environment. Spending quality time with a bird is very important for its health and happiness.
Senegals are affectionate birds that adore their owners, but it is equally important that you show them love too by interacting with them for a few hours every day. Neglected birds can become nippy and develop bad behaviors.
Cockatiel
Cockatiels are a popular bird, and there are many reasons for that. A cockatiel is likely to make sweet chirps and whistles but its sound level is low, which makes it apartment-friendly.
Cockatiels do vocalize quite often and sometimes their vocalizations can go for pretty long. It is not a silent bird and is probably the most vocal out of all other parrots on this list.
If you have an issue with frequent vocalizations, you should go for the female cockatiel as it vocalizes less compared to the males. Cockatiels are generally not great talkers, but the males can sometimes learn to say a few words.
You should know that cockatiels are dusty birds and shed a lot of dander daily, which can be a problem if you have any family members who are allergic. If you wish to bring home a cockatiel, it would be necessary to install air purifiers and ensure a clean environment both in the house and around their cage.
