Parakeets love to be held and

can learn to mimic words

Parakeets, also known as Budgies or Budgerigar, are the most popular pet birds in the world.  The are actually the smallest of the parrot family and come in a wide variety of colors.

Two things lead to their popularity:  They like to be handled and they can learn to talk.

If they are handled daily, parakeets will love to be stroked.  They are friendly, like people, and are smart enough to be taught tricks.

They also can learn to talk, although they don't speak loudly, and often people don't hear them.  In 1995, the Guinness Book of Records listed a parakeet named Puck who had a vocabulary of 1,728 words. There is also a Canadian man who claims his parakeet, named Victor, actually put words into context to hold meaningful conversations.  There are recordings of Victor available on the internet, but no scientific confirmation of the feat.

Parakeets normally live from 5-8 years, but some have lived as long as 20-25 years.  Most do well with another parakeet in the same cage.