Talking parrots: species descriptions and training tips

Each of us would like to get a friend in the form of a talking parrot. They are not only bright, intelligent and unusually charming birds, but 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.

There are a large number of parrot-shaped representatives in the world, 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 out of the pack and constantly hears repeated sounds, it is likely that he will remember them and learn to play.

At the moment there are 5 species of parrots, which can be more or less well taught to talk.

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 curved beak, a large wingspan, and a characteristic tuft in the parietal zone. A raised tuft, as a rule, can denote a whole range of emotions: from excitement to surprise and fear.

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

Some species of the breed live throughout Australia and New Guinea, some species live on the islands of the nearest archipelagoes. They prefer to twist their nests either in the trees, or on the rocks and in the highlands. They feed mainly on the fruits of trees, seeds, insects and larvae. Recently, due to the reduction of natural habitats, some cockatoo species are endangered. At the same time, they are considered pests on the territory of Australia, as they like to devastate whole fields.

Kakadu extremely intelligent and talented, able to speak well (although not more than a hundred words are remembered), extremely attached to the owner and become full members of the family. In addition to conversational talent, love to play pranks and play music (have a great ear for music). This type of parrot is often the highlight of the circus shows.

In the upset and depressed state, the bird can cause considerable inconvenience. Loud, harsh cries, disheveled plumage, a tendency to bite - all this indicates a bad mood of the bird. That is why this species not recommended for families with small children, these birds are extremely vindictive and can harm a child until you see.

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

In the nature lives mainly in the territory of South America (Panama, Brazil). Habitat is most often represented by dense tropical forests with a large number of trees, greenery, an abundance of fruits and water. The diet includes fruits, vegetables, cereals, plant roots, and some herbs.

At the moment, there are 6 known macaw varieties that may be more or less successful in training and training: red, yellow-necked, green-winged, blue-yellow, soldierly, chestnut-browed. Each of these types can potentially be trained in the imitation of human speech.

Despite the extremely developed intellect and bright plumage, macaw is not a particularly talented interlocutor. A single individual throughout his life, even with regular training, can rarely learn more than 50 words or phrases. However, remarkably, The macaw phenomenally accurately reproduces individual sounds: woof, meow, singing of other birds. The variety is considered to be friendly and trusting, but it really loves free space.

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

In terms of dimensions, it is not considered to be the largest variety, but much larger in size than budgerigars and lovebirds. The total body length can be up to 40 cm, the wings are small - up to 25 cm, their span - up to 70 cm. As already mentioned, the tail is small and short - up to 10 cm in length. The eyes are yellow. The bill is massive, sharp, curved down, black. Limbs massive, gray or whitish. On the plumage itself it is rare to find a red or bluish ebb.

The average life expectancy in the natural environment can reach 60-70 years, in captivity - up to 50 years. Some regions of North Africa are considered homeland varieties. By habitat prefer extensive forests of deciduous forests. The diet is varied: for the most part these are fruits, their kernels, seeds, roots, some herbs.

Jaco trustingly treat a person, easily adapt to a new habitat, quickly get used to and recognize faces. Extremely talented at memorizing not only words, but whole phrases - they can learn them up to 1000 in their entire life. By their nature they can be capricious and aggressive, they are extremely jealous of children and other pets, as they like to occupy the main position in the family.

To teach to speak the individual is 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 utter separate phrases and words with different alignments and intonations, which for a parrot is something of a retraining into another, completely new language.

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

Manual Corella is no different neither large size nor long life expectancy. The length of an adult individual rarely reaches 35 cm (together with the tail part), the weight is also small - up to 100 grams. The breed is considered the smallest in its family after the pink cockatoo (Gala). By color, the male has a head of a bright yellow shade, while the female has a gray shade. The cheeks of the male are orange and bright, the female has yellowish and pale.

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

Unlike other species, it does not require painstaking care and is not picky about food. He is very attached to the current owner, loves to play and play pranks, loves to chat and twitter without a word, which can cause a lot of trouble over time. The bird has a pleasant, but rather harsh voice that your children or neighbors may not like.

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

The most common talking species of parrots, it can be found at every breeder. Differs in small size and variegated, bright and wavy color with a predominance of blue, green, pink and red shades.

It is much smaller than its family in size: the length of an adult bird rarely reaches 22 centimeters, its 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. The color of the beak is usually yellowish or grayish, the claws of pink or white, gray (small, thin, not massive).

Homeland and current habitat is considered the entire territory of Australia, as well as some adjacent islands. In nature, it can live up to 20 years, it moves either in pairs or in large flocks of up to several hundred individuals. In habitat 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 most friendly, active, and gullible of all talking species. They love to play, to fly from place to place, to tease the owner. Can learn up to 100 words in a lifetime, and perfectly imitate everyday sounds. Unlike large talking parrots, they do not need any specific care.

The disadvantage of this species is only one - even if you teach such a parrot to speak, then the speech will most often be very fast and completely indistinct. To teach such parrots to pronounce individual words, one should begin with short, but not particularly fast, phrases.

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

Almost half of the above species are rare enough in the CIS. Birds like the cockatoo, macaw or jacko usually cost a lot, they are difficult to find even in private zoos or from breeders. That is why get ready that most of the following recommendations will apply to common species: lovebirds, Corella, budgies. Of the available and common parrots, the most trained and capable are Corellas, as well as budgerigars. They memorize phrases much more slowly, however they will try their best to repeat them after you.

Any animals better to buy in specialized pet stores or nurseries. In such institutions there is a quarantine period, which passes any bird to contact with the owner. Also, when you buy in a store, you must be handed out certificate that the bird is not sick of any diseases, including those dangerous to humans.

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

• life expectancy;
• the level of sociability, learning and aggressiveness;
• weight and length of an adult individual;
• taste preferences of the form;
• 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, but they are often very tightly attached to the breeder and the first time after the purchase can ignore or avoid the new owner. It will take a lot of time to train young and untrained individuals, but they are cheaper and will become a true friend to you in the learning process.

Whatever it was, but it is the large-sized parrots that can best be trained and trained: the cockatoo, macaw, jaco. Therefore, if you have the opportunity and the means to acquire this particular bird, then you will not find talkers better than these breeds.

Large species of talking parrots are true long-livers. In rare cases, the life span of the same cockatoo 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 the establishment of 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 the parrot the words as quickly as possible - best trained solitary individuals.

There is no universal training scheme for parrots, which would precisely guarantee that your pet will be able to speak after a certain time. For each pet, the program must be individualized and take into account its age, character, distribution area, inclinations for learning speech.

The tips below apply to learning both large and small talking parrot species.

• The most important thing in training is to build trust between the owner and the parrot.If a bird is shy or afraid of you, you will not achieve anything from it. That is why the training should be carried out a few days after the purchase, when the bird will get used to the apartment a little.
• Start learning with short monosyllabic words: home, food, key, mote, shoo. At the same time try to back up words with associations. Say “food” when giving him goodies, call good when you praise.
• The first thing to teach your feathered friend is to pronounce your name. It is also worth considering the choice of a name carefully - parrots best remember words with such letters as “u”, “sh”, “h”, “s”, “g”, “k”. Common names for parrots - Nyusha, Gosh, Marfusha, Petrusha, Kesha, Andryusha, Yash, Jack, Kuzya.
• Classes must be held systematically, preferably at the same time every day. To make the result felt faster, you should have several sessions every day. For the duration of the workout should not be shorter than 20 minutes each. The first is in the morning, before meals, then in the afternoon and in the evening also before feeding.
• Do not demand a momentary memorization of a word from a parrot, pronounce them consistently, with pauses, give the bird some time to remember the combination of sounds.
• Learning to talk should be carried out in peace and quiet. Remove other people from the room in advance, just cover the curtains. This will allow the bird to concentrate.
• Teaching parrots is worth it one by one, together they will be constantly distracted, and the new information is digested badly.
• Learning to repeat is also necessary correctly: with a strict observance of stresses, sounds, intonations.
• Each parrot has its talent for learning and training. Some may 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. To praise is also worth it - the parrots perfectly catch the friendly notes in speech.
• Parrots study well only if the same person participates in classes. They must learn to completely copy his intonation and pronunciation.
• The surest sign that a bird is listening to you is a focused look right in your mouth, slightly narrowed eyes and a static figure.
• Phrases and words will be better remembered if they are pronounced with emotional coloring - interrogative or exclamatory.
• Connect new words and exercises to learning, but do not forget to return to the old ones so that the bird will not forget them.
• Watch the mood of your talkative friend - if he is too active and doesn’t want to learn at the moment, put off training for a while.

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

• It is not necessary to teach your birdie obscene words and foul language. At first, such a fascination can be fun, but when acquaintances and friends come to visit you and hear something offensive in their address, an awkward situation can arise.
• Never, under any circumstances, shout or call a parrot in case of failure or slow absorption of some phrases. These birds perfectly feel the aggression directed against them and are able to withdraw into themselves.
• The best stimulus for the development of speech in parrots will be constant communication with the owner. Spend more time with your pet, talk to him, play, joke, laugh. All this will positively affect the training of the bird.
• When buying a parrot, you should choose a separate place in the apartment for it in advance. There are only two conditions for this place: it should be where there are always people and should be free from drafts.
• When arranging a place for a parrot, you have two alternatives: a cage or an aviary. The cage is suitable for single individuals even if you have little space in your apartment and you are not going to buy new ones. Aviary is more suitable for spacious apartments in the case of buying two or more parrots. It is better to buy an enclosure to order - so you can customize it just for your interior.
• As already mentioned, parrot training is a long process. You should not expect that after a week of training your bird will actively speak in all 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 meyn-kuna, for example).
• After buying a parrot in the store or with your hands, it is advisable to take him to the vet for examination. This will allow to identify diseases and infections, about which sellers could keep silent.
• Larger species of parrots, such as macaw, cockatoo, and jaco, should not be turned on by people without experience. They are extremely difficult to care for an unprepared breeder.
• There are cases when people find a sharp form of allergy to parrots. That is why before buying an individual, one should undergo tests for such an allergic reaction.
• Contrary to popular myth, parrots only mimic human speech. Some words and phrases may be appropriate and pronounced at the right moments, but this does not mean that the bird understands you.
• It is believed that parrots learn best in the dim light. In this case, the bird feels protected and most calm. Therefore, the lessons of conversations are advised to conduct in the early morning. At the same time, parrots are in dire need of natural sunlight, in which their activity increases.
• Many parrots are great 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. Parrots can often reproduce entire sentences from a TV, radio, even from your telephone conversation.

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

How to teach a parrot to talk, see the next video.