Training a Parrot to Talk

Training a parrot to talk is great fun and you will build up a great relationship with your parrot in the process.

Introduction

Some species of parrots are able to learn to talk much better than others. Therefore, if your aim is to have a parrot for its talking abilities you must choose the species of parrot that you keep very carefully. Of course, we believe that there are so many other qualities that parrots have, that its speaking abilities will probably come second to their other attractive characteristics.

Parrot Species

The first point to note if you wish to train your parrot to talk is that smaller breeds tend to be less proficient in talking than the larger species. Firstly, smaller parrots take a lot longer to learn to speak, and secondly, when they do learn phrases of words they tend to be more difficult to understand. Species of parrot that are not known for their good abilities to talk include:

• Parakeets
• Ringnecks
• Alexandrine
• Plumhaeds
• Cockatiels
• Conures
• Loikeets
• Lovebirds

As a general rule these species of parrot will not have excellent talking abilities.

Scientists have discovered that African Grey Parrots have the greatest capability to learn to talk. It is considered relatively easy to train an African Grey Parrot to talk, so if this is your goal, this parrot would suit you well.

Of the New World Amazon parrots, scientists have discovered that Yellow Nape, Blue Fronts and Double Yellowheads are the parrots with the best talking abilities. To train these parrots to talk it is best to start exposing them to speech as early as possible. Macaws are relatively good at learning to talk however they tend to have quite loud brash voices and a relatively limited vocabulary. Cockatoos also have a rather limited vocabulary; however they have voices which are softer than Macaws.

Parrot Temperament

When training a parrot to talk it is important that your parrot has the right temperament. Parrots that are not shy or timid tend to be the best at learning to talk. Some parrot keepers suggest that parrots that are less friendly ie. Have a tendency to bite are better at learning to talk!

Baby Parrots

Some authors suggest that it is best to get a baby parrot that is still being hand fed as they are easier to teach to talk. However studies have found that this is misleading and that it is just as easy to train a parrot to talk that is not still being hand fed. Certainly you should never buy unweaned birds unless you are an expert.

In the next section we will discuss the best way to prepare the environment for teaching your parrot to talk and consider other factors that will affect the speed at which your parrot learns to talk.

Preparation One

If you are the type of family that has family meals frequently then you should consider this method. By keeping your parrot in the kitchen during meal times it will be exposed to lots of conversation and the relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen is key to the success that your parrot has in learning phrases and words. Relaxed parrots tend to learn to talk far more quickly than parrots that are stressed or concerned about other environmental factors. Additionally the aromas of food in the kitchen will placate your parrot, making it much more likely to take in the sounds that are going on around him. As long as you and your family are relaxed in the kitchen, then so should your parrot be. A few weeks in this environment will prepare your parrot for speech training.

Preparation Two

The vital means to training your parrot to talk is to let your parrot interact with people. In the wild parrots learn their calls from other parrots in their flock. In captivity, humans are their flock. Only through lots of exposure to their “human flock” will your parrot learn to speak.

Preparation Three

Despite the “flock dynamics” in play when wild parrots are learning to call, in captivity it is generally better to teach a parrot to talk in a one-to-one situation. It is much more difficult if there are parrots in the next room or other humans in the environment. It is best that your parrot is the center of attention during the training period.

Preparation Four

It is essential that your parrot has excellent nutrition (whether your aim is to train your parrot to talk or not) in order to efficiently teach your parrot to speak. Good nutrition leads to a happier parrot that is more aware of its surroundings and taking more of its environment in. This is essential if you wish to have a happy parrot. If your parrot only eats seeds (which are of low nutritional value) then now is the time to change its diet to a pellet diet.

Preparation Five

• Turn off all TVs, radios and other such things that can take your parrot’s attention away from you
• Find a place that is absolutely quite
• Try to train your parrot to talk in a place where there is lots of sunlight

Training Process One

Start the training process either early in the morning or late at night. It has been scientifically shown that parrots are in “learning mode” during these times. It has been suggested that this is because in the wild these are the times that parrots congregate with other birds and eat. This is when parrots are at their nosiest!

Positive reinforcement is the key to training your parrot to talk. Methods include clicker training and giving your parrot (healthy) treats. Parrots very quickly learn what they have to do in order to receive their “rewards”. This is critical in successful training. You will also find that once you have trained your parrot to do certain things, training it to do other things will become easier because it will understand the “reward process”.

Step one

Find an item with a name that is relatively easy. “Paper” is a good start.

Step two

Speak loudly and clearly and state the word “paper”.

Step three

Repeat the word paper every ten seconds until your parrot makes a noise.

Step Four

As soon as it makes a noise that resembles “paper” reward the parrot

Step Five

Repeat the word paper and reward each time your parrot gets closer to saying paper. Be sure not to reward your parrot if it makes noises which sound less like paper than previously.

The first words that your parrot learns will be the most difficult. Once your parrot understands the training process it will learn other words very quickly. The main thing is to ensure consistency across the training process as far as possible.

Other words to try include:
• Grape
• Box
• Carrot
• Water
• Blue
• Yellow
• Red
• etc

Teaching your parrot to talk should be a fun and rewarding experience for you and your parrot. Your parrot will benefit enormously from the challenge of learning to speak. Parrots have high intelligence and need continual intellectual challenges to keep them happy. Patience and consistency are keys to training your parrot to speak.

Good luck!

Jamie Turner