Hyacinth macaw

Talking: limited; most macaws mimic only a little, and speech is not the reason to choose it. Noise: very loud, with harsh, guttural alarm calls. Lifespan: probably around 50 years. The largest of all parrots, at 95 to 100 centimeters from beak to tail tip, the hyacinth is the bird most people admire at a zoo and the one fewest homes can support. Its beak cracks the hardest nuts, so it needs a cage of heavy wire built to withstand chewing and room to stretch its wings fully, and its alarm calls have been measured at about 106 decibels. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with trapping for the pet trade one cause of its decline, so be wary of any seller who cannot show clear captive-bred origins.