A question about birds

[PJ's Mom]

This may sound stupid, but which birds can be trained to talk?

[DJFyrewolf36]

A lot of birds have the ability to mimic things they hear. Conures, some types of Mcaws, tiels and even Budgies (Parakeets). Mostly its the males who are vocal. Some birds pick up talking easily, while some won't even bother. African Greys are the birds most well known for talking. Some studies even show that they, unlike other birds, have the ablilty to actually LEARN language, not just mimic it. My moms African, Scarlet, will tell herself jokes and laugh. She will actually respond intelegently to questions my mom asks her (Like mom asks "What do you want to do?" and Scarlet will say what she wants, and its different every time depending on her mood).

Search for Alex, the African Grey for more information. The studies with him are the most well known.

hope that helps!

[Suki Wingy]

I saw Alex on TV, they said his intelegence rivaled a 5 year old child! They would say, "What is this made of?" and hand him wood, paper, cotton, or onething and he whould reply the correct answer. I love Sun Conures, they are so vibrant! Also, do Eclectus talk?

[Giselle]

Nope, Eclectus rarely talk. They're very popular for that reason because not only are they a fairly large size, beautifully colored, but they're also not vocal. Edit: Well, okay, I just referred to my referance books and it says Eclectus can be taught to talk (basically any Parrot species can), but they're not very popular for their talking abilities.

Word to the wise, if you're a first time bird owner, I highly discourage Aratinga Conures. You'll need a hearing aid to cope with their....uh....vocal abilities

[popcornbird]

Most species of parrots can be taught to talk. Of course there are certain species that are much better at talking than others, but even some budgies can learn to talk. I don't think it is too common with budgies though. Larger parrots are usually better at talking. African Greys are AMAZING when it comes to speach abilities. My tiels don't talk, BUT Popcorn has learned to make kissie sounds and almost always does that when we kiss him, and he enjoys whistling along with us. I do have many friends with cockatiels though, and several of them talk very well. My boy is just more into whistles and SOUNDS! LOL! He tries to copy some of the cell phone ring tones too.

My friend has a half moon conure who has a pretty good vocabulary.....BUT, he is VERY loud. I think some birds like to talk a LITTLE too much. Are you thinking of getting a bird?

[PJ's Mom]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm thinking of getting a bird and I'm trying to read up on them to find out if one would be the right addition to our family.

It's not necessary, but I'd like a talking bird and I have plenty of time to teach it to talk.

I guess at this point I'm more concerned about how the cats will react to the bird and if it will be safe around them.

[Giselle]

Just as a sidenote, budgies can very well be taught to talk! In fact, a little budgie named Max (was it? I forget) learned around 500 words. Budgies are excellent at learning their names and "Hello". As you probably know by now, I wub my budgies and they are my heart -er- species

[jackie]

That sounds amazing about the African Greys. My boyfriend would love a parrot, but I told him no way. I shudder to think of the phrases a poor innocent bird would pick up in this house!

[Suki Wingy]

Thanks Sophie. I can't have a bird now but I'd like to have one sometime, and I love the red of the females.

[Giselle]

Oooh, you are? I've been wanting to "upgrade" for a long time now, but I've never considered Eclectus. I am, however, looking into a Jardine. I love those guys


Also, PJ's Mom, have you looked into this link?

www.petbirdpage.com

[Uabassoon]

My dad used to have a red headed amazon parrot. She didn't say too many words, she knew how to scream out my name since my mom and dad were always screaming it when I was in trouble!

She could also meow, bark, say hello and we went out of town once and left her with my grandparents on their ranch. When we came back she had also learned how to moo and baa!

[new mom to a veiled]

I have a tiel and he talks a little (about 10 words). He also has learned to mimic the sound of our 81/2 month old son when he cries. It is quite funny to hear them cry together.