Most people adopt parrots for one purpose – to teach them to talk. But if you think that only parrots are the privileged ones with the gift of mimicked speech (particularly the African grey specie), you may be surprised to learn the are several types of birds which have the ability to talk. Some even claim that their pet finches picked up a word or two. Though the African grey parrot is undoubtedly the most fluent talker, species like the Amazon parrots, cockatiels, cockatoos, and Quaker parakeets can also learn as much. Even lovebirds and other species of conure learn quickly: it all depends on how you coach them to talk. Here are a few tips to help you get your bird to yap in no time.

It is important to remember that baby birds are similar to human babies when it comes to speech; both need to be guided through the process with determination and patience. If you buy a young bird, chances are that it has yet to learn how to talk, and it may also be unable to learn how to mimic human sounds; some who do learn to talk may only pick up a few phrases, so you’re taking quite a risk if your sole intent is adopt a talking bird. It’s best to choose an older bird, preferably one which you already hear talking. Be careful with your choice though; it may have picked up a few phrases which aren’t actually pleasant to the ear. You don’t want your bird to be your children’s initiation to the joys of swearing.

Teaching a bird how to talk is much more difficult than teaching phrases to one which can already talk; the former has to be taught an entirely new skill which the latter is already accustomed to. Although repetition works for many birds (such as playback CDs), oftentimes, the best approach is direct interaction between owner and pet. Start by opting for the simplest words or phrases; those which have carry the letter R are the ones which birds find easiest to pick up. As soon as you settle with a phrase, enunciate it in front of your bird every time you pet or feed him.

Eventually, you’ll recognize the bird’s effort to mimic the phrase if you see it making muttering sounds beneath its breath. This is a good sign since it is quietly ‘deliberating’ the phrase to itself before it attempts to repeat it out loud. If you notice that it’s taking too long, or if the bird shows no interest in listening to you, you can slightly raise your voice; many birds do not respond to baritones, and since most birds pick up curses as part of an angry exchange between people within earshot, a very audible voice does contribute to learning. If your bird has picked up foul language, the phrase you teach may even replace the former if you speak loudly and frequently enough. You can also introduce speech by whistling; you can teach them entire sonatas and they’ll pick the tune more readily than they can pick up phrases, but do remember that some birds who can whistle can’t talk – at the very least, you’ll have a Mozart phonograph around the house.

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