Last Updated on: 6th November 2023, 11:35 am
All birds are vocal, especially at sunrise and sunset. If you want to know which parrot makes the least noise, it’ll always be a smaller species, even if the individual bird is louder than average.
Parrots vocalize to communicate with flock members. While all parrots frequently vocalize by pushing air through the syrinx, smaller birds are quieter than larger birds due to their size.
Parrotlets are the quietest parrots, creating an average of 65 decibels of noise. Budgies can reach 68 decibels. Contrast this with quaker parrots (113 decibels) and sun conures (120 decibels).
How Many Decibels Is A Parrot?
Parrots have a broad decibel range of between 60 and 155 decibels.
To put these numbers into context, 65 decibels is equivalent to human laughter, and the average human speaking voice is 60 decibels. In comparison, 155 decibels is like a jet engine or fireworks going off.
While 65 decibels is a manageable amount of noise, 155 decibels is very noisy. This loud noise feat belongs to the nanday parakeet (also called the black-hooded parakeet or nanday conure).
They’re so noisy that their screech can cause headaches and permanent ear damage to those nearby.
Parrot Decibel Chart
The average decibel levels of parrots are as follows:
Quietest Parrots
| Parrot Type | Average Decibel Level |
| Parrotlets | 65 decibels |
| Budgies | 68 decibels |
| Cockatiels | 75 decibels |
| Lovebirds | 83 decibels |
| Senegal Parrot | 89 decibels |
| Meyer’s Parrot | 89 decibels |
| Red-Bellied Parrot | 89 decibels |
Loudest Parrots
| Parrot Type | Average Decibel Level |
| Nanday Conure | 155 decibels |
| Mealy Amazon Parrot | 124 decibels |
| Sun Conure | 120 decibels |
| Moluccan Cockatoo | 120 decibels |
| Eclectus Parrot | 115 decibels |
| Quaker Parrot | 113 decibels |
| Rose-Ringed Parakeet | 111 decibels |
| Hyacinth Macaw | 106 decibels |
| Scarlet Macaw | 105 decibels |
What’s The Quietest Parrot?
While it’s close between parrotlets and budgies, parrotlets are ever-so-slightly quieter, reaching an average noise level of 65 decibels. As mentioned, this isn’t far off human speech.
Parrotlets can’t screech and scream, which makes other parrots noisy. Instead, they use a series of chirps to communicate with each other or make their feelings known to humans.
Pacific parrotlets are among the quietest parrot species in the world. They can repeat simple words and phrases but aren’t good talkers. They’re also tiny parrots, so they can’t be as noisy.
Green-rumped and Mexican parrotlets are also quiet parrots, making good pet birds for apartments or small homes. Your neighbors probably won’t even realize you have a pet bird.
What Are the Least Noisy Parrots?
Parrotlets are the least vocal parrots, but there are other quiet parrots, including:
Brown-Headed Parrot
The brown-headed parrot is a small bird with a sweet temperament. While it makes moderate noise, it’s usually a quiet, calm parrot.
They don’t express themselves with vocalizations as much as others. Like most African parrots, they can learn and repeat some words. They love to talk but do so in a more controlled manner.
They have a soft chirp, so their call isn’t too loud and offensive. They whistle, but it’s not ear-piercing.
Budgies
Budgies (American parakeets) are a quiet parrot species. However, that’s not to say they don’t make noise, as they have a wide vocal range and are enthusiastic communicators.
According to The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, budgerigars have a complex, learned vocal repertoire consisting of short calls produced by males and females.
Males produce a long warble song that allows them to bond with females.
While budgies are quiet birds, they talk a lot and produce beautiful sounds that many owners enjoy.
Cockatiels
Cockatiels are among the most popular parrots but also one of the quietest. While they don’t make much noise, they have excellent vocal range.
Affectionate female cockatiels call out to their owners when they want attention. They’re also interactive birds that vocalize when you offer them affection.
Male cockatiels mimic human words and phrases. They can wolf whistle to get your attention but are likelier to sing, tweet, and chirp. A female cockatiel is quieter than a male.
Conures
While the sun and nanday conures are among the loudest parrots, the half-moon, green-cheeked, and peach-fronted conures are among the quietest.
Half-Moon Conure
Half-moon conures (also called the orange-fronted parakeet or conure) are medium-sized parrots. Although excitable, they’re quieter than other conures because they’re not chatty.
Green-Cheeked Conure
Green-cheeked conures are shyer than other conures. They prefer to remain quiet and rarely call out. Once you become bonded with one, they make soft chirping sounds and mimic words.
Peach-Fronted Conure
Peach-fronted conures are small, measuring only 10 inches long. They’re a small, quiet conure species.
They’re not good talking birds but can make loud, high-pitched sounds when calling. The half-moon and green-cheeked conure are preferred for apartments or if your home has thin walls.
Lovebirds
While lovebirds are chatty and enjoy singing and whistling, they’re too small to make much noise. Also, they don’t mimic sounds.
Lovebirds make a soothing, pleasant song that owners enjoy listening to. Lovebirds are most vocal at dawn and dusk and remain relatively quiet most of the day.
They have a high-pitched screech. While it’s not particularly loud, it’s unpleasant.
Meyer’s Parrot
The Meyer’s parrot (also called the brown parrot) is from the same family as Senegal and red-bellied birds. They’re much loved due to their easy-going, laid-back personality.
Rather than vocalizing frequently, they prefer to watch everything from afar.
Meyer’s parrots aren’t known for their talking ability. Instead, they whistle, make clicking noises, and sometimes squeak. While this can be loud, they don’t do it too often and don’t scream or squawk.
Parakeets
The two least noisy parakeets include:
Bourke’s Parakeet
Bourke’s parakeets are known for their quiet, calm demeanor. While they’re most chatty during dawn and dusk, they’re quiet compared to other parrots.
They chirp with delight and make soothing melodic sounds. When startled, they produce sharp, high-pitched noises, so they’re best suited to quiet homes.
Barred Parakeet
Barred parakeets have low noise levels and chatter softly to themselves, hardly making a sound.
Occasionally, they’ll become loud when they need food or feel stressed. Barred parakeets are quiet but can learn words and imitate noises, making them fun avian companions.
Red-Bellied Parrot
Red-bellied parrots aren’t considered vocal birds. However, they’re talkative and can mimic words well.
They’re playful birds that make a range of sweet vocalizations when mentally stimulated. Red-bellied parrots like to whistle, but they seldom screech and squawk.
Senegal Parrot
Despite being slightly bigger than most quiet parrots, Senegals have sweet personalities and want to be around their owners.
They’re not talkative and don’t scream, preferring to whistle and cluck to communicate.
Consequently, it’s unlikely your neighbors will ever hear one. While they’re among the quieter parrots, they can mimic some words and are intelligent birds.
Senegal parrots dislike loud noises or noisy areas, so they’re best suited to quieter homes.
How To Keep Parrots Quiet
While you can’t change parrots’ noise levels, you can encourage them to vocalize less by ensuring their environment suits their temperament and personality.
When quiet parrots make noise, they may need to alert their owners of something they’re unhappy about.
Provide the following to reduce the parrot’s noise:
Mental Stimulation
Parrots vocalize when bored or stressed, perhaps because they lack things to do. To prevent this issue, provide fun toys and games they can use for entertainment.
Alongside vocalizations, bored and stressed birds will pluck out their feathers, so enrichment is essential.
As described by Peer J, chronic stress is the cause of several behavioral disorders. Therefore, making more noise is among the primary ways parrots demonstrate their displeasure.
Mist Bath
If a parrot starts making lots of noise for no apparent reason, mist it down with spray.
Most parrots enjoy the relaxing feeling of the water on their feathers and will spend time preening and grooming them. Consequently, they’ll quieten down, reducing their noise levels.
Regular Feeding Times
A parrot may be calling out to you because it’s hungry. Consider the times you feed the parrot and alter them to reflect when it’s most hungry.
Clicker Training
Clicker training is a good option if a parrot’s excessive noise-making has become habitual.
You can use clicker training to inform the bird that it’s about to get a treat. Once it quietens down due to the clicking sound, you can reward the parrot with its favorite food.
Eventually, remove the treat so the click signals the parrot must quieten down.
Why Do Parrots Make Sounds?
Parrots vocalize for various reasons, including:
Communication
Parrots use sounds to communicate with other birds, especially when living with others.
They use sound signals to warn each other of dangers and scare predators away. They also use vocalizations to defend their territory from other parrots.
Find Mates
Parrots sing to attract mates, which are the most beautiful vocalizations parrots can make.
According to Science Daily, female budgies listen to the variation in males’ calls and use this information to choose a mate. The parrot will grow more vocal while trying to find a partner.
Show Emotions
Parrots vocalize when they feel happy, sad, angry, jealous, or stressed. They have different vocalizations based on their moods, so listen for other sounds to determine their feelings.
Quiet parrots make good pets because they fit into their surroundings and don’t upset the neighbors. Similarly, they make various sounds that can relax and soothe you.
