Will a Sun Conure Ever Talk?

Sun conures, which are also frequently referred to as sun parakeets, are South American parrots that have endangered population status, according to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species' 2012 assessment. One of the primary factors behind this status is the pet industry, which has contributed greatly to the species' population drop in the wild. These conures are companionable in their natural habitat, and also are friendly with people. Their temperaments are usually loving, bright and inquisitive.

If you have a new sun conure in your life, there is no guarantee of his talking in the future. With some patience and effort, however, some sun conures can indeed acquire speaking skills, although perhaps not as seamlessly as various other birds. Talking sun conures also do not generally develop extensive vocabularies, tending to learn just a handful of words and sentences. When it comes to copying the sounds of human voices, other types of parrots often exceed these conures in ability -- think chatty African gray parrots, for example. Despite all of this, exceptions do exist, and some sun conures are especially gifted talkers.

Some sun conures do learn a little speech, and some also replicate the sounds that are most common in their everyday lives. Like many parrots, sun conures often enjoy copying the oft-heard sounds of the daily grind, whether the microwave oven, treadmill, television, cell phones or barking dogs.

Although sun conures aren't always the avian world's greatest conversationalists, they aren't necessarily silent birds, either. They have their loud and rambunctious moments, but are generally a lot less loud when not in the company of fellow birds. Some typical sounds that sun conures produce include squawking, screaming, cackling and piercing shrieking. They are especially loud early on in the day and then again when it gets dark.