Many birds can be trained to speak, and some will even begin doing so on their own as they hear their owners speak. Think of training a bird to speak as a fun, bonding adventure with your pet. Stay positive and do not stress-out the animal. Also keep in mind that certain birds may be easier to train than others.
Birds That can Talk
- African Greys: great speech proficiency, greater cognitive ability than other birds
- Amazons: great speech proficiency, greater cognitive ability than other birds
- Budgies, Parakeets: difficult to train
- Cockatiels: difficult to train
- Cockatoos: difficult to train, not understood easily
- Indian Ringneck Parakeets: intelligent, but love to scream and can be destructive
- Mynah Birds: clearest diction of any breed, large vocabulary, but very messy
- Quaker Parrots: great speech proficiency, greater cognitive ability than other birds
The easiest way to begin training a pet bird to talk is to start right at the beginning of your relationship. Make the training part of the pet-owner bonding experience and it will be something the animal will look forward to each day.
Start Simple When Training a Pet Bird
If the pet appears uninterested in speech at first, try whistling instead and see if the bird will mimic the sounds. Spend only a few minutes each day working on the mimicry so as not to stress the animal or make it seem like a negative thing. After the pet seems comfortable with whistling, begin training the bird to talk.
Repetition is the key to getting a bird to talk. Try to relate each word or phrase to a particular activity as well so the bird knows what you want it to say or do. For instance, when you want the bird to perch on your finger, press your finger up against the bird's belly just above the feet and repeat the phrase, “Up, up,” a few times. Remember to use a happy, positive tone of voice and never yell at the bird. Eventually, the bird will relate, “Up, up,” to spending time with its owner.
Offering Rewards When The Bird Speaks
Once the bird is on your finger, begin to repeat a word or phrase that you would like the bird to learn. Work for only a few minutes at a time. If the bird repeats the word, a snack or treat is a good reward. Keep the treats hidden until the bird is successful. The bird will have no idea why you are not feeding him those treats if he sees them before hand. But when the treat is delivered right after a successful training session, the bird can then relate the treats to talking.
When you walk into the room, try saying “hello” each time you do so. The bird will begin to associate this as your greeting and may then mimic the phrase. Be consistent with whatever you try so the bird does not get confused. If you decide to say, “I love you,” every time you offer the bird a peck on the beak, be careful not to say “I love you,” when doing other tasks, like filling the food bowl as the bird will be waiting for his kiss. If the bird does not get the expected response, he may become agitated or disinterested.
Discouraging Bad Behaviors
Once a pet bird learns to speak, the flood gates have been opened. The bird may start to pick up new phrases on its own and some of those phrases may not be desirable. If the bird begins repeating cuss words or insults that may have been heard on the TV set or from an unruly child, some bird owners will not see the humor in this.
The simplest way to discourage this behavior is to walk away from the bird when the unwanted phrase is spoken. Birds crave human attention. Once they figure out that they are losing your attention when they say a certain thing, they will eventually stop saying it. Once you leave the room, wait a few minutes and try again. Speak a word you want the bird to repeat and keep interacting until you hear the “bad” phrase again. Then, leave and repeat the process.
When training a bird to talk, have patience. Some birds learn faster than others and the one thing you want to avoid is upsetting the animal. Take things slowly and over time, progress can be made. Keep the sessions positive and upbeat and enjoy the time spent with your pet.
Jennifer Zambri-Dickerson - Jenn Zambri-Dickerson works as a freelance writer and photographer and also as a part-time school teacher. She enjoys travel, sports, ...
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