The 4 Best Singing Pet Birds (With Audio And Facts)

Birds are nature’s best musicians. Each bird has a different style, tone, and musical flair. Some birds are known for their musical chirping, while others are admired for their ability to mimic sounds rhythmically.

The singing quality of birds has been one of the reasons for their domestication, as many people find relaxation and joy in the soothing melodies that these feathered companions bring to their lives. Here are the 4 best singing pet birds:

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Pet Birds That Sing

Finches

Finches are one of the most popular species of domesticated songbirds. These small birds are cherished for their cheerful vocalizations and mellifluous songs, which can add a pleasant ambiance to any household.

There are hundreds of species of finches and most of them are accomplished singers. The best-singing finches have long and complex warbling songs. At the same time, some finches might vocalize only in peeps and beeps.

As musical and talented as they are, finches are not born singers. They learn songs from their elders much like a child learning to speak.

Young zebra finches learn to sing by memorizing songs from older birds, which they use as templates for their own tunes. After their tutoring session, zebra finches practice the songs in their sleep and fine-tune their skills. Numerous studies show that other species of finches are also influenced and tutored by the elders in the group.

Each species of finch sings a unique song. Zebra finch songs are composed of distinct syllables, punctuated by silent intervals. Their songs consist of introductory notes, followed by repetitive renditions of motifs.

Java sparrows are recognized for their bill-clicking patterns coordinated with song-note sequences, while the Bengalese finch has a twittering song made up of a series of notes.

Canaries

Canaries have been domesticated for centuries, and are bred for characteristics such as song, color, and appearance.

The song canaries have louder, melodic, and more complex notes. But even the ones bred for their looks have a soothing voice. The male song canaries have the best songs, though the females are also capable of producing short trilling notes.

Unlike finches who are tutored on songs by other finches, canaries are born with musical instincts and a repertoire of songs. Canaries also improve their songs by continually listening and learning from their environment.

Research by Ethology studied the systematic, age-related changes in canaries’ songs. In the 6 canaries that were observed, it was found that many syllables present in the previous year were omitted, while numerous new ones were added during the second year.

Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the overall syllable repertoire during the second year of life. So while canaries a born with a musical gift, learning and training help them reach their full potential.

The most popular types of singing canaries are the Waterslager, the Russian, the German Roller, the American singer, and the Spanish Timbrado.

The Waterslager’s song sounds like water-dripping and bubbling sounds of the water. This bird usually sings quietly with its beak closed.

Another great song canary the American singer which showcases a diverse repertoire of complex songs. The Spanish Timbrado has the loudest voice of all canaries and produces a metallic sound reminiscent of a bell or wind chimes.

Amazon Parrots

Amazon parrots are known for their remarkable talking and singing abilities. They are among the best-talking parrots in the world and can mimic different sounds with great accuracy.

But while most parrots only mimic words and phrases, amazon parrots are able to mimic entire songs and sing like an opera singer. They are quite fond of music and also like to dance when their favorite beats play.

The singing ability of the amazons is no secret to the world. Echo, a 15-year-old double yellow-headed Amazon performed on America’s Got Talent showcasing his verbal skills and singing skills. The Amazon parrot sang the famous song Old MacDonald Had a Farm and mimicked the voices of various animals. Check out Echo the Amazon parrot singing.

Amazon parrots have a fondness for music and singing. They sing with gusto, even if their tunes may not always follow the traditional notes. Amazon parrots are so melodious and talented at singing that even their spoken words seem to carry a musical quality.

Cockatiels

Cockatiels are talented whistlers and remarkable at mimicking. They usually make whistling sounds to communicate with other birds or express excitement. Their whistles are pleasing to hear, but it does not stop there, as these birds continue to improve on their skill.

A cockatiel can learn to whistle in a variety of different ways and even mimic a rendition of human songs in whistles. They can learn various sounds from their surroundings such as the radio, television, or mobile phones.

Their imitations are quite entertaining and amusing, but cockatiels can take this one step up and learn full human songs. Take a listen to this cockatiel singing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song.

Yoshimasa Seki, a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Aichi University, conducted a study investigating the musical abilities of cockatiels to sing in unison or align their vocalizations with a musical melody in real time.

The researchers played a musical melody for three hand-raised cockatiels. All the birds learned to sing the melody. Notably, two out of the three birds spontaneously synchronized their singing with the melody, and achieved near-perfect timing aligning with the human’s whistling.

Subsequent experiments demonstrated that the cockatiels actively adjusted their vocal timing when exposed to a recording of the same melody, showcasing their ability for flexible vocal control. This flexibility in timing adjustment is comparable to the way humans control their singing.