What do you call an eagle who can play the piano?
Why this joke works
An Eagle at the Piano
Talented describes someone with ability; talons are the claws of a bird such as an eagle. The invented label talonted inserts the bird's equipment into the compliment. A piano-playing eagle is already a playful picture, and the final word gives that picture a name. Pronounce it close to talented, with enough attention to the middle syllable for the claw reference to register clearly.
A closer look
A compliment with claws
The joke asks for a description, not a species name. That gives the answer permission to act like an adjective rather than another animal label. On paper, the altered spelling is the strongest clue. If told aloud to someone unfamiliar with talons, the sound alone may not reveal why this particular musician had to be an eagle.
Fact behind the joke
The name for a hunting claw
Talon is the word for a claw, especially one belonging to a bird of prey. An eagle's feet therefore provide the vocabulary used in the joke. The piano performance is fictional; the anatomical term is real and changes the spelling of an ordinary compliment.