Saudi Gazette report

TAIF — Visitors to the "Birds Park" in Al-Wadi Al-Akhdhar (Green Valley) of Al-Hada in the city of Taif take advantage of the 23 talking birds in the sanctuary to have an enjoyable communication with them.

The "Birds Park," spread over an area of about 800 sq. meters, is one of the major tourism projects in Taif where visitors have an array of about 400 birds of different local and foreign species. They include the talking birds that are the main attraction and entertainment for visitors who engage in dialogues with these birds, a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report said on Monday.

Talking birds can mimic the speech of humans. They 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 European starling, is also adept at mimicry.

Talking birds have many advantages over other types of birds, including their beautiful shape, attractive colors, and great intelligence, as well as their ability to fluently imitate human sounds.

The park is an enjoyable outlet for visitors. It has birds including parrot, African grey parrot (Casco), silver cockatoo, Brazilian macaw, crown, canary, Kotare (kingfisher), and other birds that loiter in an open display among visitors amid a variety of flowers that decorate the place and give it an unrivaled beauty.

The park also includes a number of family sessions wherein visitors relax and enjoy the scene with the brightly colored birds around and other entertainment and recreational facilities.