The Quaker, also called the Monk Parakeet, is a small green parrot with an unusually large vocabulary and a habit no other parrot has: it builds nests out of sticks. They are bold, funny, talkative and far more confident than their size suggests. They are also the one species on this site where you need to check the law before you buy.
Check whether you can legally keep one
Quakers are banned or restricted in a number of US states, and in some places at city level as well. The reason is not the bird's behaviour as a pet but what happens when one escapes: Quakers survive cold winters, breed readily, and build large communal nests on power infrastructure, so several states treat them as an agricultural risk.
Rules differ by state and change over time, so check your own state and city before you commit to a bird, not after. A breeder cannot lawfully ship one into a state where it is prohibited, and a confiscated bird is not returned. If you are told the law does not matter, or that it will be fine, buy from somebody else.
What they are like
Quakers are busy, opinionated birds that attach themselves hard to their people. They are more robust and less fragile in temperament than most small parrots, happy to be handled, and quick to learn routines. They also have strong views about their own cage and can become territorial around it - many a Quaker is delightful on a shoulder and furious when a hand comes through the cage door.
Talking
This is where they punch above their weight. Quakers are among the best talkers of any small parrot, often clearer than a conure and with a larger vocabulary, and many start young. Not every bird talks, but the odds are better here than with almost anything else this size.
The nest-building
Quakers are the only parrots that build stick nests, and a pet one will try indoors with whatever it can find - paper, twigs, bits of the furniture. It is worth knowing rather than worrying about: give them material to work with and it becomes an entertaining habit instead of a destructive one. A hen with a nest can also become more defensive of it for a while.
The noise
Quakers are chatterers rather than screamers. They are not quiet - expect a running commentary, and a loud burst when something startles them - but they do not have the carrying shriek of a Sun Conure. Most flats can take one; a very noise-sensitive neighbour might not.
Living with one
Expect twenty to thirty years. They need a good-sized cage, several hours out of it, a pelleted diet with fresh vegetables, and plenty to chew. Because they are territorial about their space, it helps to do handling away from the cage rather than reaching into it.
Buying one
Ask where the breeder will and will not ship, and why - a breeder who knows the state rules is one who has been doing this properly. Ask at what age the bird was weaned, and ask to see it handled by somebody other than the person who raised it.
The breeders listed on this page raise Quaker Parrots and can be contacted directly through the site. Their prices, and what the species has sold for over the years, are shown above.