Teaching a Pet Parrot to Talk

Polly Wants a Cracker and Polly Can be Taught to Ask for One

Mar 28, 2009

Teaching a pet parrot to talk can be accomplished using avian speech training techniques.

Parrots have bright eyes, beautiful plumage and express their personalities through characteristic body language. More interesting still, parrots can be taught to talk, using verbal language to communicate with their owners.

Some birds learn to talk on their own. Other parrots become fluent talkers, responding when their owners tutor them using avian speech training methods.

African Greys and Amazon parrots are considered the best talking parrots. These parrots usually master a number of words and sentences and may apply them in remarkable ways.

Macaws or cockatoos are capable of learning a couple of words or a few short sentences but usually do not make the best talking parrots. There are exceptions and much depends on how much time an owner invests.

Teaching a Pet Parrot to Talk

If at all possible, bird owners should start avian speech training as soon as possible. A baby parrot will carefully listen to the sounds in its environment and attempt to mimic those noises.

Teaching a pet parrot to talk starts with setting the right example. Simple words should be used and spoken repeatedly.

Simple words can be enlarged upon once the parrot masters them. A single word "hello" can be incorporated into a simple sentence: "Hello, pretty bird."

While learning to talk, a parrot produces a range of whistles and squeaks and should never be penalized for making these noises. A parrot experiments, learning how to manipulate sounds to conform to what it hears in its environment.

Owners can train a parrot to talk by using word association. For example, while giving a parrot a nut, the owner could say, "Want a nut?" This helps the parrot to associate "nut" with that particular food item.

If a parrot asks for a nut on its own, owners should reward the bird by using positive reinforcement, giving the parrot the requested item. The parrot comes to associate words with rewards, which makes learning to talk a positive experience.

A good avian speech training strategy combines words with actions. When returning a bird to its cage for the night, an owner could say " Night, now." This conditions the parrot to associate these words with bedtime.

Parrots are musical creatures by nature and express this innate characteristic through whistles and songs. When teaching a parrot to talk, owners capture their bird's interest by making words sound musical, using intonation and expression. When the parrot learns those words, it usually repeats them with similar gusto.

A parrot should be stationed near to its owners so it can absorb daily household sounds. Shutting a bird away in a separate area of the house will not foster avian talking ability. When seeking to train a parrot to talk, working in tandem with its flocking instincts is an good strategy to encourage vocalization.

Parrots are more vocal in the mornings and evenings. When teaching a pet parrot to talk, training sessions should be initiated during times when the bird is naturally expressive.

Cautionary Note

Owners should exercise caution. Parrots tune in to words that are spoken with emotion and will copy angry outbursts, yelling or crying. A parrot will readily master curse words and colorful expletives.

Teaching a pet parrot to talk takes time and effort but, most parrots, with the right encouragement and love, eventually produce whistles, words or sentences. Hearing a parrot give a greeting, ask for a toy or communicate its feelings is an unforgettable experience.

Avian Advice

The copyright of the article Teaching a Pet Parrot to Talk in Pet Birds is owned by Melody Rhodes. Permission to republish Teaching a Pet Parrot to Talk in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.