"Talking birds are birds that can mimic the speech of humans. There is debate within the scientific community over whether some talking parrots also have some cognitive understanding of the language. Birds have varying degrees of talking ability: some, like the corvids, are able to mimic only a few words and phrases, while some budgerigars have been observed to have a vocabulary of almost 2,000 words. The hill myna, a common pet, is well known for its talking ability and its relative, the Europe

Fun fact Friday 🐦 Magpies are one of Australia’s most iconic birds, easily recognised by their black-and-white plumage and melodious warbling songs. Highly intelligent, they can recognise individual humans, mimic other birds or even human sounds and occasionally use tools to extract insects. Territorial during breeding season, they may swoop to protect nests, usually from September to November, but outside this time they are social and playful, often forming lifelong pair bonds and family group