I've also heard that the only bird that can both talk and fly is the
> parrot, and it can't do either very well ...
Don't believe everything you hear. :)
Besides true parrots, there are a number of closely related species, like the cockatoo (remember the 'Baretta' TV series ?), and the macaw.
And the mynah bird.
Also the mockingbird and the catbird, although these two are nowhere as 'trainable' as the others.
One thing however, that parrots, and their immediate kin, *are* truely bad at, is counting. On more than one occasion, the macaw on Blackbeard's shoulder was heard to proclaim "Pieces of seven! Pieces of seven! Awwkkkkk!"
Everybody recognized it for what it was -- just a one bit parroty error.
(I had to have _something_ in this USENET posting that was nominally telecom related. :)