8 Quietest Pet Birds (With Pictures)

Birds are very popular pets, but they can be very noisy. Not everyone wants a noisy bird. Whether you have roommates that you are concerned about or young children who like to nap, having a quiet bird can be the key to having a harmonious household. But what birds are quiet? You don’t want to accidentally pick a bird based on its appearance only to learn that it is incredibly loud. The good news is that there is a large list of birds that are relatively quiet and unobtrusive. Here are eight quiet pet birds you can bring home today.

The 8 Quietest Pet Birds

1. Budgerigars

Budgerigars are one of the most common pet parakeet species in the United States. They are often called by their adorable pejorative “Budgies.” These birds can learn how to talk, which can make them a lot of fun to own. But their small size prevents them from screaming and calling like their larger cousins. Budgerigars will talk and chatter throughout the day, but they will rarely let out piercing calls that cause consternation for your roommates or neighbors. Budgies are very playful, so make sure you give them plenty to do. An active and engaged Budgie is less likely to cause a ruckus than a bored bird.

If you are worried about a Budgerigar making too much noise, only keep a single bird. A single Budgie will be quieter than a pair or flock because it won’t have any other birds to communicate with. But they might be a little lonelier.

2. Canaries

Canaries are good for more than hanging in a coal mine. These small finches make excellent pets. Canaries rarely weigh more than a pound, and that small size keeps their volume to a minimum. Canaries are also solitary birds meaning they will do fine by themselves. Males will sometimes sing a catchy tune, but females make very little noise. If you are looking for a beautiful but quiet bird to bring home, you should consider getting a small canary. Most canaries are a distinctive shocking yellow color, making them very striking.

3. Doves

Doves are birds commonly spotted in the wild, but they can also make great pets. Doves are medium birds that have the volume of a small bird. Doves do not have any loud, piercing, or shrieking calls. All of the noises made by a dove are very soft. Most often, Doves are content to coo quietly to one another, and they will rarely be noisy or obtrusive. It is important to note that Doves will coo continuously during the day. While they are not loud, they do make noise almost constantly.

Doves can also live for a very long time in captivity. Captive Doves are routinely recorded as living for up to 19 years or more, so be sure you want to have a Dove for a long time before committing to one. Doves also only require a little attention, unlike some parrot species.

4. Senegal Parrots

Senegal Parrots are one of the quieter species of talking bird. If you are looking for a bird that can talk but won’t make your house unbearably noisy you should consider looking at a Senegal Parrot. These birds are medium sized, have that colorful tropical plumage that so many people adore, and they are fairly calm. Senegal Parrots like to socialize and can be quite friendly. Be aware that like most parrots, Senegal Parrots can live for decades. That means if you get a young Senegal Parrot be prepared to enjoy their company for many years to come.

5. Cockatiels

Cockatiels are one of the most popular bird species in the world to keep as pets and it is not hard to see why. These birds are beautiful and clever. They will often copy sounds they hear regularly so it is not unheard of to hear your Cockatiel whistling your favorite tune if they listen to the radio. These birds are fairly large compared to other birds on this list, but they don’t live as long which can be a boon for some people intimidated by parrots’ decades-long lifespans. Cockatiels do make a lot of noise, but it is rarely very loud. They can be very unobtrusive in the right situations while being very fun birds to own.

6. Parrotlets

As the name suggests, Parrotlets are essentially tiny parrots. Their diminutive size prevents these birds from making too much noise. Parrotlets are adorable, colorful, and fun. They flit around and will sing and attempt to talk. Their small size prevents them from forming full speech or words like other parrots, but their attempts are still fun. They do not squawk or scream, and they are less obnoxious than some large parrot species. There are various different breeds of Parrotlet, but they are all small and quiet and could be the perfect addition to a quiet home. Parrotlets are very social, and they enjoy being handled and socializing with their owners.

7. Finches

Finches are tiny birds. They rarely exceed 4 inches in height and weigh less than an ounce. Since they are so small, they make equally small noises. Finches are unique compared to other quiet birds in that you do not have to limit yourself to just one. Some birds do better solo since single birds make less noise than pairs or groups of birds. But you can keep groups of finches without worrying about the increased noise. Since the finches are so quiet, even numerous finches won’t be able to raise an appreciable racket.

8. Bourke’s Parakeets

Bourke’s Parakeets are relatively quiet birds. Like other parakeets, they do make some noticeable noise, but it is rarely obtrusive. These birds are primarily active during the morning hours around sunrise and the evening hours around sunset. During these times, the birds will chatter and fly around as they would in the wild. During the middle part of the day, these parakeets make much less noise. These birds also have a colorful tropical appearance giving you the best of both worlds in terms of appearance versus noise.

No Birds Are Silent

While some birds are quieter than others, quiet does not mean silent. Birds are noisy by nature. Many birds like to chat, call, sing, and coo. It is normal behavior for birds. That means that all birds are going to make some amount of noise, and even quiet birds might be louder than you anticipate. You will not find a silent bird. If you cannot tolerate any bird noises during the day, you might want to shy away from getting any birds at all.

It is also important to remember that birds are graded on how noisy they are based on other birds. That means even quiet birds might be loud, they are just quieter than other birds. Birds are not judged on their noisiness on an absolute scale. These are important things to remember before choosing a bird that is potentially right for you. No birds are silent; they all make noise. The only question is how much noise and if it is a noise that you can comfortably tolerate.

Every Bird Is Different

It is important to remember that birds, like most animals, all have unique personalities. Birds are shaped by a number of experiences, including their genetics, upbringing, environment, and past trauma or relationships. While it is easy to peg a small bird as being quieter than large birds, not all individual birds will be quiet. You can easily find a Parakeet or Parrotlet that is far noisier than average. Similarly, it is possible to find calm individuals of larger species that are traditionally classified as noisy.

If you are worried about noise, you have a better shot at getting a quiet bird if you pick a quiet breed, but it is not a guarantee. You can also roll the dice on a larger, more showy bird and hope that it is quieter than average. Every bird is a little bit different.

Conclusion

This is a very diverse list of quiet birds. From Canaries to Parrotlets, and Doves to Cockatiels, there are birds of all shapes and sizes that can be a quiet companion for your home. Some of these birds are extremely colorful while others can live for decades. Whatever your preferences, there is a bird out there that is right for you that won’t bother you with continuous loud squawking.

See also:

• Small Pet Birds That You Can Easily Keep at Home!
• What Is the Best Bird to Have as a Pet? 12 Amazing Species (With Pictures)

Featured Image Credit: Mitrey, Pixabay