Parrots, especially larger members of the order Psittaciformes, can be entertainingly imitative birds that quickly pick up human speech mimicry and mimic it to an incredible degree. Many people get these birds with hopes of providing fun verbal interaction between themselves and the bird(s).
To teach a parrot to talk, it must associate each word with an action or object – starting out using small treats such as almond slivers or sunflower seeds should help establish this association.
Let’s find out how to make a parrot talk!
Repetition is Key
Parrots require repetition to learn any sound. Therefore, patience must be shown as your bird attempts to imitate past sounds it has heard and repeat new ones as well as learning any unfamiliar vocabulary or phrases. As you repeat sounds to your parrot, they will become words which it associates with rewards; similarly with how babies babble until they learn what those sounds represent.
A great time to teach your parrot is when it is receptive and interested, such as first thing in the morning or prior to feeding time. A scared or distracted parrot may not listen as willingly; parrots must feel safe, secure and confident to communicate; this will encourage them to perceive you as more of a companion than an potential predator.
At first, a parrot may pronounce words incorrectly and require rewards when even small parts of words are correctly said, before eventually increasing in complexity step-by-step until it can successfully mimic an entire word.
Many people rely on tape recorders or mechanical devices to teach their parrots, but it is essential to remember that parrots learn best when hearing their owner speak the words in an engaging and enthusiastic voice. Enunciating each word properly also greatly aids learning; otherwise it becomes very hard for your parrot to distinguish sounds not articulated clearly enough.
Parrots can be trained to mimic many words, and many owners experience great success training their pet bird to do this. It should be noted, however, that parrots cannot understand any of the words they mimic; nevertheless they still enjoy engaging in conversations with their owners, often producing funny noises out of their beak! It can even be amusing hearing all those squawks coming from inside its beak!
Make it Fun
Parrots tend to enjoy repeating sounds they find most appealing, which means if you want your parrot to say certain words and phrases, you must repeat those particular sounds frequently and with enthusiasm. While exactly why each sound appeals is unknown, but it could have something to do with its rhythm, vowels and consonants composition or tone of voice; also make sure not to repeat using any single sound too often and vary its context when doing so.
For instance, when teaching your parrot to say the word “hi,” don’t only use it as a greeting; use it also when bringing out water or food dishes so they associate specific actions with specific words – this way your bird is more likely to remember them! Additionally, try saying these words frequently with variations in voice tone to keep their interest. It is often easier for parrots to remember the names of objects they interact with frequently such as food bowls, water supplies or toys.
Some professionally-trained parrots can be taught to recognise over 50 objects, seven colors and six shapes – often human-reared from early infancy and enjoying close bonds with their owners. Unfortunately, however, this form of training may have its drawbacks; many bird owners become frustrated if their parrot does not respond appropriately when repeating certain sounds in conversational settings.
Wild parrots and other species of birds communicate using sound: whistles, whistles-chirps and squawks. These animals must work hard at learning how to transform these sounds into human words and sentences that people understand.
Hand raised parrots from an early age tend to make the best talkers. The bond that this type of interaction creates between parrot and owner often serves as an invaluable incentive for their parrot to learn new sounds quickly, yet once this window of learning closes many parrots cannot go beyond basic mimicry.
READ ALSO:
How to Make Sugar Water For Hummingbirds
Reward Your Pet
As many people choose a parrot as a pet in hopes of enjoying verbal interaction, it’s important to realize that its ability to talk doesn’t indicate its overall suitability as a companion or family member – even among species known for their chattiness, many birds never learn human lingo!
If you’re serious about teaching your parrot to talk, it is best to start early. That will give you and the bird plenty of time together so they can focus their efforts on learning new words – which may take patience but is well worth the investment.
Parakeets respond well to positive reinforcement during training sessions. To encourage them, offer treats every time your parrot repeats a word correctly, which will encourage it to continue practicing and eventually pronounce all of it correctly.
Your first attempts at teaching your bird may sound like gibberish, but as soon as it starts practicing it will learn how to pronounce each part of a word correctly – eventually becoming capable of stringing together full words into sentences!
It is also vitally important that when teaching your parrot, your voice be audible over any background noises and be something they recognize as their teacher. Parrots have remarkable hearing that allows them to distinguish voices even when far apart; taking advantage of this remarkable feature by using voice training techniques with their parrot.
One of the best methods of training a parrot is associating words with objects, whether food items like apples or small trinkets like key chains. Doing this will encourage your bird to say specific words because he or she associates them with something rewarding and thus motivate it.
Be Patient
Many people choose parrots due to their ability to imitate human speech. It can be hilarious watching talking parrots mimic their owner’s words and say silly phrases while singing familiar tunes. Some pet owners may believe their parrot understands what they are saying and can even have full conversations with them; however it should be noted that talking parrots cannot hold in-depth discussions with their owner and do not always understand the meaning behind what they say.
Talking parrots offer many distinct advantages over their non-talking counterparts, yet as with all animals they learn at different rates. Some might learn new words instantly while others can take months or years to perfect one sound. Be patient during early training stages – your bird might initially make noises that resemble word attempts with soft, poorly formed sounds but over time and repetition this should become clearer.
For optimal learning results with parrots, the ideal approach to training them involves selecting words that are easy for them to comprehend and grasp. This will build their confidence while stimulating their natural curiosity for what’s being said. After building their confidence you can increase complexity of sounds being taught them so as to develop their vocabulary over time.
Training your parrot at an optimal time and place is of utmost importance, such as morning or before mealtime. In addition, teaching them in a peaceful, distraction-free environment allows for maximum learning potential and will prevent any unpleasant surprises from cropping up during training sessions.
When training a parrot, it is recommended that training begin by teaching their name or some simple words such as “hello”, “goodbye” and “peek-a-boo”. Since these are words commonly heard among pet owners, your bird should easily pick up on these. Be sure to use a clear, calm tone of voice when communicating with them; immediately reward any time they imitate one word successfully before gradually expanding into longer phrases or even songs.
