Humans talk by using their vocal cords and then lips, teeth, and tongue to form words. Parrots have a syrinx at the
base of their trachea which air flows over. When the parrot uses his syrinx, then glottis tongue and beak he forms
words and sounds.
Parrots in the wild have a language of sounds that they use to communicate.
Parrots are very social creatures, so they need a language by which to communicate, in the wild it is sounds and
noises, in our homes it is words.
A parrot that learns to talk is a parrot that is interested in its human flock.
Before you teach a bird to talk you need a good relationship with him. Lonely birds learn to scream and abused birds
stay quiet and shy. A happy content bird is one that learns to talk with lots of words.
Budgies, African Greys, and Amazons are the best talkers.
Talk to your bird as you would an intelligent 5 year old.
Budgies will learn to talk in 6 months
African Greys will talk at about 9 months
Amazons will take a lot longer than 9 months.
REMEMBER…. Some birds will never learn to talk.
The television and the radio will help your bird talk.
REMEMBER…. Dont teach bad language or rude sounds.
I am always interested to see if any of my lodgers learn to say the things I say, in a lot of cases they are not
with me long enough, but some do surprise me !
Sam, my husbands African Grey, has a few words but mostly sounds and noises, I think he thinks we are in the wild
and he is talking to african greys, not humans! Sometimes when I have a full compliment of birds, it is a bit like
living in the wild, at dusk just when the calling would begin in the wild, my verandah goes absolutely crazy,
deafening at times!
Sprog, my conure is a clever little thing and has learnt lots of words, which surprises me because they are not known
for their talking ability.
How much does your feathered friend talk? I would love to hear how clever they are, and some of the phrases and
words they use… Do let me know.
If you have just got a baby, talk lots to it,encourage it all the time.
Edith and Chaka have joined the parrot family of Harare, and I welcome them.
Till next time, stay cool, it looks like we are in for another very hot spell, keep your feathered friend cool as
well.