The closest thing I can think of to a (fairly) quiet house pet bird would be a finch. They "beep" all the time, but it isn't loud and is actually kind of cute.
My Eclectus parrot knows how to whisper, but only does it if I'm in bed. The Gray is just learning to talk and wants everybody to know she's trying!
My daughter had some finches for a while and they were actually pretty good little pets. She even hand-fed one, although everyone we talked to told us that it was impossible to do that.
Good luck - let us know what you find!
Critter
