Teaching a Parrot To Talk
I am often asked for suggestions on the best way to teach a bird to talk. Everyone thinks a talking parrot is just the coolest thing, and it is indeed great if your parrot talks, but the reality is that not all parrots do. Avian linguistics, it's a wonderful subject of avian mystery.
Some parrots speak a few words, some clearly and some not so clear, and some parrots talk a lot, even making up their own songs and sentences. However, as we all know, even if your bird never says one word, that doesn't mean your bird is anything less than absolutely wonderful.
I have found that some parrot species tend to be more talkative than others. My top five most likely to talk species would be various Amazon species, African Greys, Quakers, Ringnecks, and Budgies. Just remember that even if you have one of the mentioned birds, that does not mean you are guaranteed to have a talker. Every parrot does have the capability to talk, but not every parrot talks.
1. Amazon Parrots - My Yellow Nape Amazons all talk and love to sing. Don't know if it is a proven scientific fact, but our female Yellow Napes out-talk and sing the males by a lot. Although my Blue Front Amazon PJ only says a few words, I have heard other Blue Fronts that are very chatty. A couple of Double Yellow Head Amazons that have boarded with me also had large vocabularies. These three species of Amazons would be my top talking suggestions, but keep in mind it's only my personal experience with Amazons.
2. African Grey Parrots - If you are lucky enough to have an African Grey that talks, then without a doubt, I believe Greys are the most perfectly pitched human-sounding parrots around. However, not all Greys ever speak at all. Some prefer whistles and other noises much more than human speech. Phones ringing, large trucks backing up, sirens, alarm clocks, and barking dogs, are favorites among my Greys.
3. Smaller Parrots - Quakers and Ringnecks almost always say at least a few words, and some can become quite accomplished talkers. Their voices can be very clear and easy to understand.
4. Budgies - Budgies are often the under-valued talkers of the bird world. Because they are small, and sometimes their voices are quieter than their large parrot family members, people don't hear the great little talker right in front of them. Budgies have actually had some of the largest vocabularies of all talking parrot species.
Now, how to get that bundle of feathers to actually begin talking is the challenge. Some birds begin quite naturally on their own by repeating the things their humans say. Often first words can be "step up", "NO!", "don't bite", "hello", "time for bed", mainly because they hear them daily.
Because birds generally love drama (especially Amazons and Cockatoos), repeating a word or phrase you want your bird to say in a very dramatic voice can often help. This is why quite often birds love to repeat those naughty words that sometimes slip out. Humans say those words usually when very irritated or angry, and that's real human drama and very interesting to the parrot who hears it. Bird books used to say repeating a word over and over in a semi-dark quiet room, was how you taught a bird to talk. I'm here to tell you, maybe it works with some birds, but I have found birds repeat sounds and words they choose whether they hear it repeatedly or only once.
A little side story. The first Yellow Naped Amazon parrot I raised went to work with me every day in my bird store. She was talking long before she weaned. The only phrase I didn't really want her to say was the parrot cliche "Polly want a cracker". Well, one day that is exactly what a customer said to her and one time was all it took. No matter how much I ignored her saying it, she continued to say it as if she knew.
Treats can help, or a good head scratch, and always verbal praise. The more you talk and sing around your parrot, the more likely they will pick up something. If your feathered friend doesn't get it right away, don't throw in the towel. The more entertaining you are in the conversation, the more likely your bird is to join the conversation. The main tip to remember is to be very patient and try and make talk training fun for everyone. And if you never have a talker, that's okay too, just pay attention to the many other ways your bird communicates with you, and you and your bird will both be in sync.
