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How to teach a parrot to talk right away. Basics of teaching budgies to speak

The budgerigar species is considered the most talkative. Its representatives can remember about 100 words, and there are cases when they read entire poems. The training process with experienced breeders takes 5 months.

There is no difference in what methods to use to teach a boy or girl parrot to talk. But females behave much more emotionally and require more attention and patience from the owner in the process.

As a result of numerous experiments, scientists have found that males are best trained.

You can give an example of the Pak parrot. His vocabulary consists of 1770 words. He managed to learn so many lexical units in just a few years. Not a single female was able to pronounce more than 30 words.

Before you teach your budgerigar to speak, you need to establish a trusting relationship with him. The bird should calmly, without fear, go into the owner’s arms and greet him with chirps. A person should become a true friend to her.

You can train a bird using different methods. But they all imply compliancefollowing conditions:

  • You need to exercise at least 2 times a day for 15 minutes;
  • Once a week it is recommended to conduct a lesson lasting 45 minutes;
  • It is better to teach a parrot to a woman or a child, and it is important that the pet’s teacher is the same person;
  • it is necessary to ensure that the bird is not distracted by strangers;
  • if the bird is not in the mood to perceive, you need to stop the lesson and resume it after an hour;
  • classes should start at the same time;
  • it is important to reward your pet with treats;
  • There should be silence in the room during classes.

Chaotically, without a scheduled time, you will not achieve success. The parrot must get used to the fact that before it is fed, the owner will come and play with it. It is necessary to adapt to your pet’s mood, since he, just like a person, does not always want to learn.

At the first stages of learning, voice recorders are not suitable - it is important to attend the lesson in person. The parrot must see the owner's face.

It is also worth creating some psychological prerequisites for the parrot to begin to trust its owner:

  • The bird should not be stressed. You can't grab her or shake her. It is better not to push the parrot into the cage, but to wait until it flies in there on its own, and then close the door. The bird should have the feeling that the owner will not harm it.
  • After establishing contact, you can move on to studying words or small quatrains. Rhymed lines must be pronounced immediately. Don't worry if the bird gets confused at the beginning. With regular training, the parrot will definitely learn its lessons.
  • For dialogue to be consistent, the word must be accompanied by action. When you say “you want to eat,” you need to give the bird a treat.
  • In order for a parrot to speak quickly, you need to repeat the phrase several times with the same intonation. To facilitate the learning process, you can use a voice recording. It must be turned on while the owner is away from home.
  • If the bird is not in the mood, you need to give it some kind of treat, play, and cheer it up.

Regardless of the method of training, to achieve results you need to talk to your pet more often.

Often, after the parrot begins to repeat the owner’s words, the teacher, having forgotten himself, uses obscene words in his speech, which the bird quickly remembers. Therefore, when the parrot begins to repeat what was said, it is important to monitor your speech.

The age at which a bird begins to remember human speech is two months.

How to quickly teach your pet to talk?

The claim that budgies can be taught to speak in 5 minutes is a myth. This will require a lot of effort, time, and patience.

Tips that will help you quickly teach a parrot to talk are presented in the table:

Conditions Recommendations
TimeThere is no need to arrange a lesson for the whole day. The best time is in the morning, 15 minutes before feeding the pet.
Nice atmosphereThe home should be comfortable while studying. It is forbidden to take the pet out of the cage - it must sit on the owner's hand. It is not recommended to cover the cage with fabric
First wordsYou need to start learning with words that contain the sounds “a”, “o”, “i”, “r”, “k”, “sh”. If the parrot's name consists of two syllables, you can work on this word
Using technologyAfter the bird learns to speak a couple of words, learning the rest will go much faster. To learn longer phrases, you can use a voice recorder to play them over and over again.
Constant attentionIt is necessary to keep the “student’s” attention at all times. To do this, you need to say his name more often and praise him. By moving its head, wings, and twitching, you can understand that the pet is listening to the owner and trying to speak
Positive attitudeYou should not show any negative emotions or utter curses. The parrot is sensitive to changes in the owner’s mood, so if he doesn’t like how they communicate with him, he may be offended. You need to praise the bird as often as possible, treat it kindly and reverently.

Ways of learning

There are several ways to train an adult budgie to speak at home.

"One on one"

For the successful implementation of this technique, it is important to comply with the following conditions:

  • there should be no strangers in the room during the learning process;
  • complete silence is required;
  • the owner must be in a positive mood.

Classes begin when the pet gets used to the cage, gets comfortable and stops being afraid of the owner.

Training is performed according to the following algorithm:

  1. 1. The owner enters the room and clearly says “hello.” The bird begins to understand that this is a command to copy speech.
  2. 2. The owner sits next to the cage and says a few phrases in a gentle voice to calm the parrot. If the bird likes to sit on the owner's shoulder, then it is allowed to teach it in this position.
  3. 3. The owner pronounces a syllable consisting of the sounds “a” or “o”, “p”, “k”, “t” or “p”. You should not start learning immediately with two syllables and words that contain “m”, “n” or “l”.
  4. 4. Within 10 minutes, the owner teaches the parrot to repeat one syllable.
  5. 5. At the end of the lesson, the bird is given a treat.
  6. 6. The owner says “Bye” and leaves the room. This will be a signal that the lesson is over. You can return to the parrot in a few minutes.

In fact, if you have a clear goal for your bird to talk, then I have no doubt that you will succeed, strictly follow the basic rules - and very soon you will be proud to show off your talking pet to your friends. In this article, readers of MirSovetov will be able to learn how to teach a parrot to talk.

It's amazing, but a parrot that talks doesn't just talk, it uses words correctly. If you start the learning process correctly from the very beginning, you will be able to hear “Let Kesha eat,” for example, when he is hungry. The fact is that the bird connects the meaning of words with a specific case. When they were told to him during “lessons,” he says them at the right time.

Not every parrot will be able to quickly learn to talk; everyone has completely different abilities; when buying a parrot, choose the most mobile and active individuals who are actively interested in what is happening around them. Males are more capable of learning, but sometimes females are also very capable. Parrots of the Jaco, Corella, Amazon and budgerigar breeds are best suited to learning human speech.

So, let's get started, before starting classes, it is very important to tame your parrot. The first step towards this will be the parrot's ability to eat in your presence. As soon as he approaches his feeder, approach him carefully and slowly, at first he will rush away from the food, but over time he will get used to it and stop reacting to you.

The next step should be to teach the bird to eat from your hands. Take your parrot's favorite food and calmly push it through the bars, do not rush. Sometimes it takes a long time before the bird decides to take food from your hands.

After the pet has feasted several times, you can accustom it to the “human” language.

The most important thing is patience and constant training, and very soon your pet will delight you with its first word!

Rain of parrots is a standard occurrence in Darwin. Near an Australian city grow plants whose nectar causes a state close to intoxication in birds. Flowers are harmless to birds, but disrupt their coordination and cause partial numbness. The vocal cords also become numb.

In this state, you cannot teach a parrot to speak. But those who do this, as a rule, keep the birds at home and feed them non-intoxicating food. Let's talk about how to encourage a bird to master human speech in a standard setting. However, first, let’s figure out whether all parrots are capable students.

Talkative species of parrots

The most popular budgerigars among Russians are not excellent at studying rhetoric, although they are capable of adopting human speech. However, the vocabulary of wavy representatives of the species is, as a rule, small - about 10-20 words. Cockatiels also absorb the same amount.

These are Australian birds the size of a small pigeon. The color of representatives of the species is gray. The head has a light tone, a yellow crest and red-orange spots on the cheeks. Before, how to teach a cockatiel to talk, listen to the voice of the chicks. Those of them whose squeaks contain notes and fragments of melodies will be able to communicate.

The most talented students are the Grays. These are gray birds, about 40 centimeters in length. The beak of the bird is black, curved. It's easy to teach a parrot to talk, if the bird is not wild. This is the name given to individuals caught in the wild. Of these, only about 40% adopt speech.

But among the offspring of domesticated individuals, almost 100% can speak. The peculiarity of Gray is the clarity of pronunciation, exact copying of intonation. Based on the pronunciation of the parrot, it is clear whether the voice is female, male, or childish.

In the brochures " How to teach a parrot to talk“Amazons from Central and South America are also praised. These birds are green in color, but the color markings may vary depending on the type of bird. Amazons live up to 70 years. But guests from the New World learn to speak only in childhood. If the 2-3 month age is missed, the main opportunity to impart pronunciation skills to the animal is also missed.

Cockatoos take bronze on the list of the most talkative. These are large birds from 30 to 70 centimeters in length. The lower part of the beak is wider than the upper - the difference between representatives of the species and other parrots. They come in white, yellow, pink, and black. There is no need to rack your brains with a cockatoo, how to quickly teach a parrot to talk. Yellow-crested representatives of the species are especially talented. They have tufts of golden feathers on their heads.

Question " Is it possible to teach a parrot to talk?"does not arise with aru either. They are large - about a meter in length. Representatives of the species do not have feathers around their eyes or on the sides of their heads. On the rest of the body they are colorful - scarlet, yellow, green, blue. The aru has a large, strongly compressed laterally, rounded beak. The problem is that a large bird requires a cage 8 by 3 meters and 2 meters high. Not every apartment can accommodate one of these.

The nuances of teaching parrots to talk

Question " how to teach a budgie to talk", or a bird of another species, does not make sense not only if childhood is missed. Birds do not accept changing teachers. Animals begin to reproduce speech only if they hear it from the same person. It is important that the parrot is not afraid of him. Therefore, before classes, you need to tame your pet.

    Parrots are not very susceptible to male speech. Birds can more easily pick up a high-pitched voice, so women and children become the best teachers for animals.

You can teach a budgie to talk, like representatives of other species, only in a calm stop. Birds are distracted by the noise of the TV, washing machine, and loud speech of household members. The lessons will not be effective if several parrots live in the same room. In this case, they have the opportunity to communicate with each other, there is no need to establish contact with a person.

    Parrots of different sexes differ in the learning process. Girls adopt fewer words, but speak them more clearly. If the question is “ how to teach a boy parrot to talk", you need to be prepared for a large vocabulary, but unclear articulation.

Systematic training is important. Daily lessons are required, preferably in 2-4 approaches. Experts advise carrying out one of them for 30-40 minutes. For other activities, 10-15 minutes is enough. Start by repeating simple words. As a rule, the first thing to learn is the pet's name. Parrots learn the vowels “o” and “a” very well. Of the consonants, birds are simply given “r”, “t”, “k” and “p”. So, calling a friend is a combination of these sounds.

    Develop a habit in the bird of responding with certain phrases to human actions. This problem is solved by developing a connection in the animal’s brain between sounds and events. So, repeating the word “Hello” in an even voice upon arriving home will gradually become a habit for the parrot.

Compliance with the rules of training can give a result of 200 memorized words or phrases by the parrot. The minimum result is 10 words. Alex is recognized as the smartest person in the world. He represented the Gray class, but is now deceased. Alex was the only parrot who could count to 8 and could distinguish the colors and shapes of objects. Zoologists studied the unique creature and compared its level of development with the level of development of a 4 or 5 year old child.


10.01.2016 02.03.2016 by Martin

A pet always brings a lot of positive emotions, joy and fun. Especially if your feathered companion is a parrot. This is an affectionate, active, sociable bird that takes root well in captivity and becomes very attached to humans. In addition, parrots have another ability that distinguishes their species from all other birds - they can be taught to talk.

Many people, when they decide to have a parrot in their home, count on being able to teach the bird to speak. However, many of them have a very vague idea of ​​not only how to do it correctly, but also do not know which parrots can be taught to speak and which ones - even if you don’t try so hard, the bird will still not be able to greet its owner when he returns home. We decided to fill this information gap and help not only choose the parrot that can be taught to speak, but also tell you how this can be done. However, be prepared for the fact that such training will take hours, or even weeks, and the more systematic and competent your approach to training is, the faster your bird will speak.

What parrots can be taught to speak?

It is a well-known fact that parrots are capable of reproducing human speech. However, birds do not “talk” on their own. In order for your pet to say at least one word, training is necessary. This process is lengthy; it is not easy to teach a bird to pronounce words. Depending on the bird’s abilities and its species, training can take from 3 months to a year, subject to daily regular training. Note that there are birds that are not capable of reproducing words. Let's look at the most popular types of parrots for their learning ability:

  • Wavy. Is it possible to teach a budgie to talk? This species is considered one of the most chatty. They begin to “speak” earlier than others, but it is still not possible to quickly teach them human words. The vocabulary of these birds can reach several hundred words, and their pronunciation can be called perfect. There are cases where budgies reproduced poetry. A trusting relationship with your pet will help speed up the learning process. However, for the bird to “speak” it will take not a single day or even a month.
  • Corella. This type of parrot does not have special learning abilities. It is quite possible to teach a cockatiel to talk, but the process is more difficult and lengthy than in the case of budgies. In addition, the vocabulary of these birds is less rich and the pronunciation of words is not as clear. A cockatiel can learn no more than 10 words. Only young individuals can be trained. Adult birds are not capable of reproducing words.

If the pet is young, then training should begin with hand training. After the bird ceases to be afraid of people, they begin directly to speech exercises and activities. Corella is a smart pet and can become a “teacher” himself. A “talking” parrot of this species can teach speech to other birds and small children.

  • Lovebird. These pets are among the most taciturn when it comes to human speech. At the same time, individual individuals can be trained. A lovebird can learn the pronunciation of 5 words. The learning process will be long; parrots of this species do not learn words quickly. In addition, only young individuals can learn to “speak.” If the lovebird “speaks”, then he will pronounce the words clearly.
  • Rosella. This species, like the previous ones, does not differ in speech abilities. Rosella can learn a few words. The bird's vocabulary is limited to the name of the owner and some other word that is directly related to the bird itself. Learning to speak in rosellas is a long process and not always successful. If you expect that your pet will be able to learn a few phrases, then don’t get your hopes up.
  • Cockatoo. This bright giant has not only an exotic appearance, but also high learning abilities. The cockatoo is capable of reproducing human speech - words and individual phrases. This feature of the bird allowed him to become one of the most popular participants in circus shows. However, it takes a lot of time to train a pet. It is not possible to quickly teach a cockatoo to speak.


  • Jaco. The smartest parrots are grays. Their unprepossessing appearance is more than compensated by the bird's ability to imitate the human voice. According to breeders, the Gray Gray is the most chatty bird among parrots. His vocabulary contains at least a hundred words and short phrases. Thanks to its inquisitive mind, the Gray learns quickly, remembers words for a long time and is able to use them exactly in accordance with the situation.

How to teach a budgie to talk?

At what age is the best time to adopt a budgie?

Young budgerigars leave the nest at the age of 30 days (deviations in either direction are about 5 days). At first, the chicks fly after their parents, begging them for food, but at the same time, almost from the first day after leaving the nest, most chicks already begin to eat on their own.

The sooner the bird gets to you, the better. The age of 35-40 days is the most promising, but parrots that were separated from their parents at the age of 50 days also began to speak.

You need to choose a strong bird that is already capable of flight. Beware of purchasing a parrot that sits ruffled, with its head hidden under its wing, and sits on the floor of the cage. This chick is either sick or too young and may die in a few days.

All parrots have a so-called cere at the base of the beak - a featherless area on which the nasal openings are located (except for parrots, only owls have a cere).

How to determine the sex of a parrot by wax


The age and sex of budgerigars are distinguished by their cere. In young males who have just left the nest, it is usually convex and pale pink in color. Then the color of the cere changes and at the age of the parrot about three months it becomes light blue, and later it darkens and by five to six months it already becomes bright blue, the same as in completely adult birds.

In young females, the cere is either completely white, or in some cases pale blue, only there are white areas near the nasal openings. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish such birds from young, three-month-old males. However, two to three weeks pass, and in females the blueness disappears completely, the wax becomes white. When the female begins to nest, her cere sometimes turns brown. Pay attention to the coloring of the selected birds. Green parrots quickly begin to imitate human speech. Under natural conditions in Australia, all wavy companions are green. Only through selection did man manage to change their color.

The influence of budgerigar gender on receptivity to learning

It is known that the sex of a parrot plays an important role in its ability to learn to speak.

Males are more susceptible to onomatopoeia than females, and if you absolutely want your parrot to talk quickly, choose a male.

This fact is confirmed by examples of a record vocabulary possessed by males. So the most sociable is the budgerigar Puck, who knew 1770 words. However, this does not mean that girls cannot “speak” at all. The exception is the female Australian parrot.

It is more difficult to teach females to speak, and it will take longer to work with the bird, but females pronounce words clearly, cleanly and loudly. There are also cases when a talking male was placed next to a female, and after a while she also began to repeat some words.

Rules for teaching parrots to talk

The process of teaching a parrot to speak is long and laborious. It requires patience from the person who has taken on the role of teacher. According to ornithologists, parrots perceive the speech of women and children better, so the owner of the pet is preferable as a teacher. One person should handle the bird. In addition, the following rules should be taken into account:

  1. Classes are conducted in complete silence, as parrots are naturally terribly curious. If the silence regime is not observed, the “student” will become distracted and will not remember the required combination of sounds. Particular attention should be paid to the TV. The sounds coming from it will not allow the bird to concentrate.
  2. Teaching words should be accompanied by corresponding action. When learning the word “hello”, you should enter the room, and “bye” is said if you leave the room.
  3. Classes should be scheduled at the same time. The duration of the lesson should be 15-20 minutes. In addition, once a week it is recommended to conduct a long strengthening lesson for 40-45 minutes.
  4. The first word to learn must have two syllables.
  5. To facilitate training, the use of a tape recorder or voice recorder is allowed. The recording periodically turns on and off, but during the lesson you must be close to the “student”.
  6. It is necessary to interest the pet and maintain its curiosity throughout the lesson. Signs such as head movements, wing twitching and blinking indicate interest on the part of the ward.
  7. You can't yell at the bird and punish it. If the student is not in the mood to study, you should give him a treat that will attract his attention.
  8. One of the rules of learning is persistence. Even if the “student” does not want to study, it is necessary to attract his attention.
  9. Young parrots should be taught from the age of 2 months.


A quick method for teaching a parrot to talk

For training, choose either young individuals or adult males no older than 4 years. The most difficult words to learn are the first words. A “talking” person will remember words faster. In this regard, in the presence of a pet it is necessary to monitor your speech. To teach a bird to “speak” as quickly as possible, use the following recommendations:

  1. Choose the right class time. It is recommended to set aside time for lessons in the morning before feeding. However, according to trainers, the quality of training is not affected by what time classes are held. The main thing is that the lessons are regular and the bird stays awake. In addition, during the day you should address your pet several times, as if you were a small child, pronouncing the right words.
  2. Create a pleasant atmosphere. During classes, it is necessary to maintain a friendly attitude. The “student” should feel comfortable and safe. You cannot raise your voice, wave your arms, or threaten. Classes should be fun. In this regard, it is recommended to sit the bird on your hand during the lesson, but the pet must do this himself. Picking it up and forcibly holding it on your hand is strictly prohibited. The room should be warm and light.
  3. What words to start with? The training program should include words containing the vowels “a” or “o”; among the consonants, “k”, “p”, “r”, “t” are recommended. Examples of such words are: Roma, dad, Cora, Tom and others. Birds remember words with hissing words well: eat, Kesha, chao, Gosha. It is recommended to take the pet's name as the first word to learn if it contains no more than two syllables.
  4. Watch your speech. Once the learning process has started, you need to pay attention to your vocabulary. Parrots are attentive students and will imitate even those words that you accidentally used. Avoid using abusive language or profanity in the presence of your pet. Otherwise, the “student” will learn the wrong lesson.
  5. Learning poems and songs using a tape recorder. As additional training tools, it is recommended to use technical equipment - tape recorder, voice recorder. They use TS to memorize voluminous information. The poem or song is recorded on a tape recorder and audio material is included as needed. In this case, you should be present next to your pet. The use of TS provides the opportunity to repeat educational material many times.
  6. Praise your pet often during training. The key to the success of classes is the positive attitude of the student. For this reason, during lessons it is necessary to constantly encourage and praise the parrot, regardless of its success. The slightest rudeness or careless movement can cause fear and anxiety in the little “student”. Regaining your pet's trust after this will not be easy.

How to teach an adult budgie to speak

With age, a parrot's susceptibility to learning decreases, and it is more difficult to teach an adult pet to speak. If you still decide to try, then regular exercise for 10-20 minutes several times a day will eventually bear fruit. Birds that are already 2-3 years old may well learn to speak. Although there is a known case when a 10-year-old budgerigar also spoke.

To achieve success, it is important to comply with the following conditions:

  • Loneliness. A parrot, who has lived only surrounded by people since his youth, perceives them as his flock and learns to speak their language. It is very difficult to teach a pair of parrots that initially live together to speak at once, since communication with each other is enough for them.
  • The bird needs to be tamed. A winged pet, wanting to communicate, will willingly fly into the arms of its owners and listen to their speech. It is strictly prohibited to grab and scare a newly born chick with loud noises.
  • Systematicity. Conversation training should be carried out daily, in several sessions of 5-10 minutes, while the parrot is placed on your arm or a cage is placed next to it.
  • Consistency. The bird should be taught to speak by the same person, preferably a woman or a child.
  • Diversity. After the birdie learns its name, you can teach it several simple phrases at once, because the parrot may simply not want to repeat words it doesn’t like.
  • Do not overdo it. If the parrot has flown away, or is starting to get nervous while sitting in a cage, stop, let the bird rest and absorb the information. Treat yourself to something tasty.


How long does a budgie remember learned phrases?

Parrots have a very good memory, especially in their youth, and the bird will never forget phrases learned in the first year of life. Although, if you do not periodically repeat the material covered, the clarity of pronunciation will suffer, or the parrot will begin to mix the letters with bird chirping.

Often parrots stop talking when another individual moves in with them, and the couple begins chatting among themselves in their own language. Don’t assume that your pet has forgotten everything in joy.

Usually, such “family” parrots remember the phrases they have learned, they simply limit their use for a while, and there is no need to stop practicing.

Funny phrases from budgies that will cheer you up

A parrot is an entertaining bird in itself, and if it also says something funny or amusing, a good mood is guaranteed. Come up with and teach your pet some phrases that will be interesting to hear for both you and your guests. For example, when it sees its owner in the morning, a bird may shout: “My little bunny, can I give you some coffee?”, or: “Come and give me a kiss!”

You can expand your pet’s repertoire with “winged” sayings from the famous cartoon about Kesha:

“What am I wearing? In rags, like Cinderella!”

“Well, after this rain, expect a good calving.”

"Freedom for parrots!"

If there is a cat in the house, you can teach your parrot to scream when he approaches, “get the animal away,” or “let the cat eat.” Some phrases can even be useful, for example, a parrot will remind its owner “Did you turn off the iron?”, “Buy some bread!” or: “Stop eating, watch your figure!”

Taking good care of your budgie, treating it affectionately and regularly exercising it will allow you to soon acquire a true friend. And provided that the pet’s vocabulary is constantly updated, an inquisitive little bird can become a funny and restless interlocutor not only for you, but also for your guests.

Video lessons: how to quickly teach a parrot to talk

It's no secret that parrots' ability to imitate is one of the main arguments when buying them. Indeed, there are many beautiful and colorful birds, but parrots have no equal in their ability to imitate human speech. However, among pets, few can boast of a clear and rich conversation; often a purchased parrot remains just a chirping bird. So what is the secret of training and how to teach a parrot to speak?

Before you start learning, you need to know what affects your ability to speak...

  • parrot species- different types of parrots have different abilities for onomatopoeia. Accordingly, “talking” species will easily inherit speech, often borrowing words without special training. Less talkative species will require extensive training and even then their vocabulary will be small. Gray parrots are the absolute champions of onomatopoeia; they are easy to learn, pronounce words perfectly and can remember a lot of phrases. A few dozen words are the norm for Grays; the best students know over a hundred words and phrases. Less talkative, but also capable species are Amazons and common budgies. Despite their small size and “ordinariness,” budgies imitate human voices well, easily remember 10-20 words, and in exceptional cases know up to 100 words. Corels (nymphs), cockatoos and other species of medium and small size are distinguished by average abilities for onomatopoeia. These parrots can learn few words, but are good at imitating intonation. A number of small species (monk parrots, for example) hardly speak, and large macaws, although they can learn a few words, are distinguished by poor, croaking pronunciation.
  • sex of the bird- in large species of parrots, both males and females can talk, but the latter are still not so capable. In small species, the difference in the ability to perform onomatopoeia is even greater; for example, in budgerigars, females speak very rarely, but for males this is a common occurrence.
  • individual abilities- among birds of any species and gender there are both talents and “mediocrities”. No matter how cunning the owners are, birds have a genetic predisposition and individual character that influence the learning process. Therefore, situations are possible when even long-term training will not be successful, and it may also be that the bird itself takes the initiative and begins to pronounce words that no one taught it.
  • conditions of detention- although this factor is listed last, it is perhaps the most significant. Most owners limit themselves to buying a parrot and some care for it, believing that this is enough for the bird to talk. Prolonged silence is regarded as “mediocrity” or deception of the seller. Such unfortunate owners do not realize that in 90% of cases they themselves are to blame.

So, in order to teach a parrot to speak, the following conditions must be met.

Firstly, approach the issue of choosing a bird correctly. Talkative grays cannot boast of the beauty of their plumage, less capable cockatoos are attracted by their intelligence and trickery, and well-spoken budgies are small in size. In each specific case, the future owner himself determines which qualities are more important to him. If conversation is a priority, then you need to choose the appropriate species; it is always advisable to buy a male. But it is important not to get carried away with exact calculations, because you are choosing a future friend, not a talking robot, so a bird bought with soul and desire is always potentially more capable than an individual selected according to parameters.

If you are determined to buy a male, then be careful when purchasing - since the demand for males is higher, sellers often have unclaimed females, which they try to sell to inexperienced buyers. Study carefully the sexual characteristics of the desired species and be guided by them (no matter what the seller says) or use the help of an experienced owner. For example, in budgerigars, sex is determined by the color of the cere (thickening with nostrils): in young males it is blue, with age it becomes blue, in young females it is pink, with age it becomes brown. It is extremely rare that old parrots that have left the breeding process are sold. You should not buy such birds - not only do they not talk, but they will never speak, since they are used to living in a flock and do not perceive humans as an interlocutor.

Secondly, even at the purchasing stage, come to terms with the idea that there will be only one talking parrot in your house. Or two, or many... but then they won’t be “talking”! This is an immutable rule and it is explained simply. A parrot's conversation is not just sounds, but words with which it communicates with you. Even though these words are often pronounced out of place, they have an informative function. By talking, the parrot signals to you: “I’m calm,” “I feel good,” “I miss you.” Such an exchange of signals is possible only if the parrot perceives the owner as part of its family or flock. If there are several parrots, they will communicate with each other and use bird sounds. Even when keeping parrots of different species, they are more likely to inherit each other's sounds than human speech.

Thirdly, since the parrot talks to you as a member of his family, then become such a member for him. And this is the most difficult task. To gain a bird's trust, it is not enough just to feed it. It is necessary to create conditions for the parrot in which it would feel comfortable. This means a calm environment, silence, lack of physical punishment (which does not prohibit verbal reprimands) and constant communication. It is better to place a cage with a parrot in a quiet and quiet room; you should not place it next to a doorway, in the kitchen, balcony, corridor, dark corner or in direct sunlight. In the first 1-2 days after purchase, you should not approach the cage often, this will make the parrot nervous. You should approach the cage slowly, do not make sudden movements, and do not pick up the bird.

After a few days, you can move on to getting to know your pet closely, but you shouldn’t force things. At first, approach the cage briefly, but often, and just stand silently nearby. After 10-15 such sessions, the parrot will understand that your presence does not threaten it. Then you can talk to the bird. At this stage, words are not important, you are simply accustoming the bird to the sound of your voice. You need to talk calmly, without raising your voice, pronouncing your words slowly and clearly. Silence is the most important condition for a parrot's well-being, but this rule is so often neglected. Think about it, do you ever turn on the TV loudly, listen to music, celebrate noisy celebrations in the room with your pet? Such natural activities for people can frighten a parrot; chronic stress not only negatively affects its health, but can also lead to mental trauma, due to which the parrot will forever become silent and run wild for the rest of its life.

How do you know if your parrot trusts you? The symptoms of a budding friendship are as follows: the bird does not fight in the cage when you appear; does not fall silent or, having fallen silent for a short time, immediately resumes its “chirping” in your presence; not afraid of a hand stuck in a cage. At this stage, the parrot can be picked up and released from the cage to fly. This should also be done gradually, starting with short sessions of freedom and light touches. During this period, you can already begin learning words.

The first word a parrot should learn should not be funny nonsense and teasing, but its own name. In the future, this will only speed up the training process. The parrot's name and vocabulary should be selected taking into account the phonetic features of its conversation. Please note that parrots pronounce most vowels (“a”, “o”, “i”) and voiced consonants well; they are less able to pronounce unvoiced sounds (“f”, “p”, “s”, “x”). To teach a parrot to speak, words must be pronounced clearly, slightly separating the syllables, but without stretching out the words. Remember that parrots imitate not only words, but also intonation, so from the very beginning the pronunciation should be the way you want to hear it. It will be very difficult to retrain a parrot.

Training should be carried out daily - the more often the parrot hears your speech, the faster it will learn to speak. When leaving home, the parrot can leave the radio on (not a music channel) - the constant sound of human speech will allow the bird to quickly get used to the owner’s voice and improve the recognition and reproduction of individual sounds. If you let your parrot fly around the room, it is important not to avoid his attentions. Do not drive away the bird if it sits in your arms or approaches your workplace - this is not pranks, but an attempt to participate in your affairs, this is how the parrot tries to understand you, which means it already considers you its friend. By accepting signs of attention, you encourage the bird to communicate with you.

What to do if a bird chews things, throws objects away, screams? This behavior should not be encouraged - even friends must maintain discipline. If the parrot commits unwanted actions, you should call it by name with a “threatening” intonation, remove the object or drive it away with a light wave. You cannot shout loudly or hit the parrot! You cannot punish a bird if more than 5 minutes have passed since the undesirable action - it simply will not be able to connect the “crime” and the subsequent punishment. The parrot uses a very loud cry in extreme cases, this is evidence of great discomfort and anger of your pet. Parrots usually scream loudly when they are disturbed by loud noises or when they have not been fed for a long time.

If you manage to gain trust, then the parrot will delight you with precise intonations, by which you can unmistakably determine which member of the owner’s family is pronouncing this phrase. Jaco also very often pronounces words situationally. This should not be surprising, because the bird remembers the word and the circumstances under which it was pronounced. Subsequently, the parrot repeats words in a similar situation, and with deep mutual understanding with the owner, it even answers questions quite intelligently.

Did you know that learning to speak can have real benefits for you and your pet? In Japan, a lost two-year-old budgerigar, Pigo, gave his full address and was returned to his owner. At first, Pigo's owner had another parrot, but it got lost. When a frustrated woman was given a new pet, the first thing she did was teach it to say the address. As you can see, Pigo answered his lesson perfectly.

Listen to the conversation of gray parrots -