Talking Parrots: Species Description and Learning Tips

Each of us would like to get a friend in the form of a talking parrot. They are not only bright, smart and unusually charming birds, but they are also capable of reproducing our speech exactly to the intonation and the slightest sounds. In this article we will talk about talking parrots, get acquainted with the most popular varieties, as well as recommendations for their education and training.

In the world there are a large number of representatives of parrots, but only a few, due to the peculiarities of the structure of the tongue and larynx, can imitate human speech. In their natural habitat, parrots use fragments of songs from other birds to communicate with each other. If the parrot is outside the flock and constantly hears repeating sounds - it is likely that he will remember them and learn to reproduce.

Currently, there are 5 varieties of parrots that can be more or less well taught to speak.

One of the most talented breeds in the teaching of human speech. Also considered relatively expensive and rare for private bird breeders. It features a massive bent beak, large wingspan, as well as a characteristic crest in the parietal zone. A crest raised up, as a rule, can indicate a number of emotions: from excitement to surprise and fear.

Among his family is considered a true centenarian. In nature, individual individuals can live up to 95 years, depending on the species. Most species of cockatoo - large birds - up to 85 cm in length, their wingspan - up to 90 cm, adult weight - up to 1.1 kg.The crest is large and long, can be both thin and wide.

Certain varieties of the breed live throughout Australia and New Guinea, some species settle on the islands of the nearest archipelagos. They prefer to make nests either on trees, or on rocks and in mountainous areas. They feed mainly on the fruits of trees, seeds, insects and larvae. Recently, due to the reduction of natural habitats, some species of cockatoo are threatened with extinction. At the same time, they are considered pests in Australia, as they like to devastate entire fields.

Cockatoos are extremely intelligent and talented, can speak well (although they remember no more than a hundred words) extremely attached to the owner and become full members of the family. Besides conversational talents, love to play pranks and dance to music (have excellent ear for music). This type of parrot is most often a highlight on circus shows.

In a frustrated and depressed state, the bird can cause significant inconvenience. Loud sharp screams, disheveled plumage, a tendency to bite - all this indicates a bad mood of the bird. That is why this variety not recommended to start in families with small children, these birds are extremely vindictive and can harm the baby until you see.

Ara is considered a typical representative of talking parrots, it is his image that each of us represents when we mention the word "parrot". Birds of this species differ from others in their variegated, bright and extraordinary color, relatively large sizes, and also a long black beak. External characteristics: a large long body up to a meter, limbs incredibly strong (black), medium wings - up to 40 cm, their wingspan reaches a meter. The tail is quite long and narrow - up to 55 cm. The weight of an adult may vary depending on the variety, food, breeding conditions.

In nature, lives primarily in South America (Panama, Brazil). The habitat is most often represented by dense tropical forests with lots of trees, greenery, plenty of fruit and water. The diet includes fruits, vegetables, cereals, plant roots, some herbs.

At the moment, it is known about 6 varieties of macaw, which can be less or more successful in training and training: red, yellow-necked, green-winged, blue-yellow, soldier, chestnut-browed. Each of these species can potentially be trained to imitate human speech.

Despite the extremely developed intelligence and bright plumage, Macaw is not a particularly talented interlocutor. Throughout life, a single individual, even with regular training, can rarely learn more than 50 words or phrases. However, notably, macaw phenomenally accurately reproduces individual sounds: barking, meowing, singing of other birds. The variety is considered friendly and trusting, but it loves free space.

A beautiful, smart and incredibly charming variety of talking parrots. Among his family is considered one of the most talkative and capable of learning. Externally, they differ from other species in gray or pale blue color, lack of tuft, as well as yellow eyes and a short tail with bright red plumage. From afar, the variety can be confused with an ordinary street dove.

In terms of size it is not considered the largest variety, but much larger in size than budgies and lovebirds.The total body length can be up to 40 cm, wings are small - up to 25 cm, their wingspan - up to 70 cm. As already mentioned, the tail is small and short - up to 10 cm in length. The eyes are yellow. The beak is massive, sharp, bent down, black. Extremities are massive, gray or whitish. On the plumage itself, it is rarely possible to detect a red or bluish tint.

The average life expectancy in the natural environment can reach 60-70 years, in captivity - up to 50 years. The homeland of the variety is considered to be some regions of North Africa. In terms of habitat, vast forests of deciduous forests are preferred. The diet is diverse: for the most part these are fruits, their kernels, seeds, roots, and some herbs.

Jacques are trusting people, easily adapt to a new habitat, quickly get used to and recognize faces. They are extremely talented in memorizing not only words, but also whole phrases - they are able to learn them up to 1000 in a lifetime. By nature they can be capricious and aggressive, extremely jealous of children and other pets, as they like to occupy a major position in the family.

The individual is taught to speak from a very young age. The older the bird, the harder it will be to get used to the new owner and learn some words. The fact is that the past and current owners almost certainly pronounce separate phrases and words with different arrangement and intonation, which for a parrot is something like retraining in another, completely new language.

The bird is considered one of the most active and social species among parrots (it is a cockatoo species). Like all representatives of its family, it has a characteristic crest in the parietal region and a massive curved beak. The main difference from all other parrots is the presence of specific cheeks with orange or red plumage.

Manual Corella is not distinguished by either large size or long life expectancy. The length of an adult rarely reaches 35 cm (along with the tail), the weight is also small - up to 100 grams. The breed is considered the smallest in its family after the pink cockatoo (Gala). In color, the male has a bright yellow shade, and the female has a gray shade. The male’s cheeks are orange and bright; the female’s cheeks are yellowish and pale.

In the natural environment you can meet them in the shrouds and steppes of Australia, prefer to nest at low altitude near rivers and forests. It feeds on eucalyptus nectar, fruits and seeds, in unfavorable times living creatures appear in the diet in the form of midges, insects and larvae.

Unlike other species, it does not need painstaking care and is not picky about food. He is very attached to the current owner, loves to play and naughty, loves chatting and twittering non-stop, which over time can cause a lot of trouble. The bird has a pleasant, but quite sharp voice, which may not please your children or neighbors.

The bird does not belong to aggressive breeds, but sometimes it wants to be alone. Usually this is indicated by the fact that the bird does not want to go into your arms. So that the bird does not get bored during your absence, it makes sense to leave the radio on at home or just turn on the music on your computer. Then the bird will feel protected and will not get bored.

The most common speaking type of parrot, it can be found at every breeder. It is distinguished by its small size and variegated, bright and wavy color with a predominance of blue, green, pink and red shades.

In size, it is much inferior to anyone in its family: the length of an adult bird rarely reaches 22 centimeters, wings - up to 10 cm, the tail is also small and extremely thin - up to 10 cm in length. By weight is considered one of the lightest varieties - no more than 50 grams. The upper part of the beak is dominant, long, bent strictly down. In color, the beak is usually yellowish or grayish, the claws are pink or white, gray (small, thin, not massive).

The whole territory of Australia, as well as some adjacent islands, is considered the homeland and current habitat. In nature, it can live up to 20 years, it moves either in pairs or in large schools up to several hundred individuals. In terms of habitat, it prefers steppe and flat areas with a small number of trees. In captivity, life expectancy rarely reaches 16 years. The diet in the natural environment is the most diverse: seeds, seeds, small fruits, small insects and larvae.

Budgerigars are considered the friendliest, most active, and gullible of all speaking species. They love to play, fly from place to place, tease the owner. Can learn up to 100 words in a lifetime, and perfectly imitate household sounds. Unlike large talking parrots, they do not need any specific care.

There is only one drawback for this species - even if you teach such a parrot to talk, then speech will most often be very fast and completely slurred. To teach such parrots to pronounce individual words, you should start with short, but not particularly fast phrases.

They differ not only in prevalence among breeders, but also in an extremely low price among their family. In rare cases, the cost of one individual exceeds $ 50 (depending on age, coloring, speaking skills, pedigree and the presence / absence of documents).

Almost half of the above species are quite rare in the CIS. Birds such as cockatoo, macaw or jaco are usually very expensive and difficult to find even in private zoos or breeders. That is why get ready that most of the following recommendations will relate to common species: lovebirds, Corella, budgies. Of the available and widespread parrots, the most trained and capable are considered to be the cockatiels, as well as budgies. They memorize phrases much more slowly, but they will try their best to repeat them after you.

Any animals are better to buy it is in specialized pet stores or nurseries. In such establishments, there is a quarantine period that any bird passes before contact with the owner. Also, when buying in a store, you should be given in your arms a certificate stating that the bird is not sick with any diseases, including those dangerous to humans.

Buying birds with hands you will never be sure of the health of your bird. There are infectious or catarrhal diseases that occur only after a while. In addition, most private and non-professional breeders will not be able to provide you with any documents on the bird. When choosing a parrot, the following factors should be considered:

• life expectancy;
• level of interpersonal skills, learning ability and aggressiveness;
• weight and length of an adult;
• taste preferences of the species;
• Necessary environmental conditions for care and maintenance.

Before buying, decide for yourself what kind of individual you want: already speaking or not. The fact is that speaking and trained individuals are much more expensive, however, they are often very much attached to the breeder and for the first time after the purchase they can ignore or avoid the new owner. Training young and untrained individuals will take a lot of time, but they are cheaper and will become your real friend in the learning process.

Whatever it was, but it is parrots of large sizes that best succumb to training and training: cockatoo, macaw, and jaco. Therefore, if you have the opportunity and the means to purchase this particular bird, then you will not find better talkers than these breeds.

Large species of talking parrots are real centenarians. In rare cases, the life expectancy of the same cockatoos can reach 80 and 90 years. When buying, keep in mind that this is your pet at all times. You will have to reckon with his presence if you want to go somewhere far on vacation or just to the country.

Many breeders are faced with the question of establishing one or two parrots. It all depends on your desires. If your goal is to breed parrots, then it is better to buy two individuals at once. If you want to teach a parrot words as quickly as possible - the best training is for single individuals.

There is no universal parrot training scheme that would guarantee that your pet will be able to speak after a specific time. For each pet, the program should be individual and take into account its age, character, distribution area, inclinations for learning speech.

The tips below apply to teaching both large and small types of talking parrots.

• The most important thing in training is to establish a trusting relationship between the owner and the parrot. If a bird is shy or afraid of you, you will not get anything from it. That is why training should be carried out a few days after the purchase, when the bird is already a little used to the apartment.
• Start your training with short monosyllables: home, food, key, knot, kysh. At the same time, try to reinforce the words with associations. Say "food" when you give him goodies, call good when praise.
• The first thing to teach your feathered friend is to pronounce your name. The choice of a name should also be taken carefully - parrots remember the words with such letters as "u", "w", "h", "s", "g", "k" best of all. Common names for parrots are Nyusha, Gosh, Marfush, Petrush, Kesha, Andryusha, Yasha, Jack, Kuzya.
• Classes must be carried out systematically, preferably at the same time every day. To make the result feel faster, you should spend several sessions every day. The duration of the training should be at least 20 minutes each. The first is in the morning, before eating, then in the afternoon and in the evening also before feeding.
• Do not demand a moment's memorization of the word from the parrot, pronounce them sequentially, with pauses, give the bird some time to remember the combination of sounds.
• Talking should be done in peace and quiet. Take outsiders out of the room in advance, slightly cover the curtains. This will allow the bird to concentrate.
• To train parrots is one by one, together they will be constantly distracted, and new information will be absorbed poorly.
• Learning to repeat is also necessary correctly: with strict observance of stresses, sounds, intonations.
• Each budgie has his own talent for training and training. Some can learn the first words in a week, others will strongly ignore the owner for a few more months. According to statistics, if you practice with a parrot regularly, he will be able to pronounce the first phrases and words in 2-3 weeks.
• For each successfully learned word, offer the parrot some goodies - each of them should have favorite fruits or vegetables. The bird must understand why it is encouraged. Praising is also worth it - parrots perfectly capture the friendly notes in speech.
• Parrots study well only if the same person participates in the classes. They must learn to completely copy exactly its intonation and pronunciation.
• The surest sign that the bird is listening to you is a focused look right in your mouth, slightly narrowed eyes and a static figure.
• Phrases and words are better remembered if pronounced with an emotional coloring - interrogative or exclamatory.
• Connect new words and exercises to the training, but do not forget to return to the old ones so that the bird does not forget them.
• Follow the mood of your talkative friend - if he is too active and does not want to study at the moment, postpone the training for some time.

Check out the list of recommendations and tips with which you can teach your birdie how to talk without much difficulty.

• You should not teach your bird obscene words and foul language. At first, such a hobby can be funny, but when acquaintances and friends come to visit you and hear something offensive to you, an awkward situation may arise.
• Never, under any circumstances, scream or call a parrot in case of failure or slow assimilation of some phrases. These birds perfectly feel the aggression directed against them and are able to become isolated in themselves.
• The best incentive for the development of speech in parrots will be constant communication with the owner. Spend more time with your pet, talk with him, play, joke, laugh. All this will favorably affect bird training.
• When buying a parrot, you should pre-select for it a separate place in the apartment. There are only two conditions for this place: it should be where people are constantly and should be free from drafts.
• When arranging a place for a parrot, you have two alternatives: a cage or an aviary. A cage is suitable for single individuals even if you have little space in your apartment and you are not going to buy new individuals. The aviary is more suitable for spacious apartments in the case of buying two or more parrots. It is better to buy an aviary on order - so you can customize it specifically for your interior.
• As already mentioned, training a parrot is a lengthy process. You should not expect that after a week of training your bird will actively speak all the languages ​​of the world. The assimilation of individual phrases and words often takes months, or even years.
• Do not buy parrots in an apartment with such pets as a cat or dog. This applies to large species of dogs and predatory species of cats (Siamese cats and Maine Coons, for example).
• After buying a parrot in the store or with your hands, it is advisable to take it to the veterinarian for examination. This will allow you to identify diseases and infections that sellers could be silent about.
• Large species of parrots, such as macaws, cockatoos and jaco, are best left to people without experience. They are extremely difficult to care for an unprepared breeder.
• There are cases when people have a sharp form of allergies to parrots. That is why, before buying an individual, you should pass tests for such an allergic reaction.
• Contrary to popular myth, parrots only imitate human speech. Some words and phrases may be appropriate and pronounced at appropriate moments, but this does not mean that the bird understands you.
• It is believed that parrots are best trained in light twilight. In this case, the bird feels protected and most calm. Therefore, it is advised to conduct lessons in conversations in the early morning. At the same time, parrots are in dire need of natural sunlight, in which their activity increases.
• Many parrots are wonderful imitators that can easily produce short and loud sounds. Do not be alarmed if you suddenly hear from your parrot barking or meowing exactly like a neighbor's dog or cat. Often, parrots can play entire sentences from the TV, radio, even from your telephone conversation.

In no case do not buy a talking parrot in a fit of momentary emotions or the requests of your children. Any animal requires attention, care and care, which may turn out to be an unbearable burden for an inexperienced family.

See how to teach a parrot how to talk in the next video.