The parrot speaks. Basics of teaching budgies to speak

When getting a parrot, the future owner immediately asks the question: is it possible to teach a pet to talk? Not every representative of colorful birds can pronounce words. There are reasons for this, laid down by nature itself. So, let's find out why parrots can talk.

Unraveling the mystery of nature

Some scientific theories they immediately try to explain why parrots can talk. According to one of them, birds manage to reproduce human speech due to the special structure of the vocal apparatus. In the throat of a bird there are 2 to 4 modulating devices (ligaments) and several resonating cavities. This specificity allows the parrot to easily move from bird chirping to pronouncing words.

In addition, the ability to speak is facilitated by the special form of the language. This organ in parrots is fleshy and thick. This helps reproduce some of the sounds of human speech. However, this theory explaining why parrots can talk is considered quite controversial.

There is an opinion that the chirping of parrots is very close to the sounds that people pronounce. And one can only be amazed at the ability of a feathered pet to pronounce words in different languages. You might think that the parrot mechanically memorizes terms and repeats them in random order. But pet owners claim that their charges carry on the conversation in a very meaningful way.

Types of talking parrots

Almost all parrots can talk. There is a kind of top 5 best “talkers”. So, which parrots speak best?

Gray Gray takes first place. This bird can chat tirelessly all the time. Jaco is a very smart bird, and talking with her is a pleasure. In addition to words, the bird easily imitates intonation, timbre and sometimes even accent.
An Amazon parrot can learn more than 60 words. However, intonation and timbre are not under his control.

The cockatoo quickly learns to talk. The white parrot is trained somewhat better than other parrots. A chattering bird constantly needs an interlocutor. Therefore, when you decide to purchase a cockatoo, you should understand that you will have to devote 100% of your time to your pet.
The macaw can remember a little - only 20 words. But they will be used by the bird according to the situation. The main difference between the macaw is that it easily imitates any sounds - from the creaking of a door to a convulsive cough.
A wonderful talker among parrots is the Carella parrot. As a rule, they learn little - from 10 to 20 words. But, like the macaw, the bird reproduces well the sounds of nature and everyday objects. In addition, Carella sings and talks at the same time.

Which parrot is the hardest to teach to hold a conversation?

The most common and relatively inexpensive are budgies. Birds can talk, but they rarely do so. They communicate best with their mate or with their image in the mirror.

Another difficult to train budget breed is lovebirds. However, breeders should remember that it is best to buy parrots in pairs. Lovebirds - symbol strong family and faithful family relationships. When paired, parrots have a hard time learning human speech. They do not need the owner as an interlocutor. However, if the owner manages to teach the bird 10-15 words, then it will be happy to repeat them with or without reason. The ability to remember and repeat words also depends on the sex of the bird. Males learn easier and faster than females.

Rules for teaching a parrot to speak

Having figured out why parrots can talk, we can move on to the “science”. When starting to teach your feathered pet speech, it is recommended to adhere to several rules:

A bird at the age of 3 months is an ideal student. The older the parrot, the more difficult it is to train. But young individuals are also not prone to remembering.
For the training to be successful, it is necessary to create the appropriate conditions: the bird must be alone, without its relatives, without toys and a mirror. And, of course, absolute trust must reign between her and the owner.
You need to start the lesson with the name of the bird. Thus, the little bird gets used to its own name and learns it.
To begin with, you should not use long words and phrases. It is enough to select from 4 to 8 nouns and constantly change their order. After some time, when the chick learns what is given, you can add other parts of speech.

You should not change your intonation often.
Training should take place without radio or television. Otherwise, the bird runs the risk of automatically remembering inappropriate phrases from television programs.
When training your pet, you should remember: no matter what the parrot is - white or multi-colored, large or small, you need to communicate with it with love and attention. Only in such conditions pet will absorb information with pleasure.

How to teach to speak budgerigar? This question interests many newly-made owners. And then the first mistakes are made, which can later turn out to be fatal. Budgerigars are so touching that their owners begin to grab them with their hands, cheer loudly and do other frightening things.

6 rules that will help teach your budgie to speak

Rule 1. No budgerigar is hatched by hand. He can become one, and even then, only under conditions of proper handling of the bird.

Therefore, before pestering a bird to memorize words, tame it. A calm environment will help you do this much faster than if you place the cage next to an always-blaring TV. Tame your budgie gradually, do not grab it with your hands right away. Offer him your palm as a landing pad, feed from it. As soon as the bird flies to you on its own, you can begin to teach it to talk.

Rule 2. While studying, the parrot should be alone. As soon as he has a neighbor, that's it. You can forget about talking.

The bird will coo for a long time and with pleasure in its own language with its neighbor. The parrot will not be interested in your efforts at all. The same goes for mirrors, swings, bells and other entertainment. Your pet will only pay attention to you when he is hungry.

Therefore for successful learning you need to turn the situation so that the owner is the only entertainment for the bird. Then he will have no choice but to listen to your voice and begin to imitate it.

Rule 3. No voice recordings. A budgerigar will learn to talk much faster in direct communication with its owner.

After all, a tame bird can receive affection or a treat for a successful lesson. What can a voice recorder provide other than mindless repetition? By the way, for the same reason it is not recommended to leave the cage for a long time next to a TV that is always on. Some pets memorize entire commercials. Would you like it if at dawn your house was filled with shouts about an advertisement for some bank or, even worse, about dryness and comfort in critical days? Plus, this will continue for days on end throughout the life of the bird. From here it flows smoothly

Rule 4. Choose phrases and words to teach carefully and thoughtfully.

There is no doubt that once hearing a parrot say an obscene word or send a message about his mother is funny at first. But when bad phrases are repeated day after day for months, it’s no longer a laughing matter.

Start training your budgie by learning its own name. It is very good if it has growling or hissing sounds. They are most easily reproduced by the bird's vocal apparatus.

Rule 5. Teaching a budgerigar to speak is not a matter of one day.

Depending on your pet's talent, it can take from 1 to 6 months from the beginning of training until the first word is uttered. So don't lose your patience. Say regularly to the parrot the right words and phrases. It is also very important not to change the intonation and timbre of your voice at this time. This can be done later, when the bird begins to slowly repeat after you.

Just don't chatter. Give the parrot time to understand that they are talking to him. At first he will answer you in his own language. Then gradually his speech will become like an indistinct muttering. This means that conversation training is going in the right direction, and the bird is learning to imitate you. Well, the first word is not far off.

Now you can move on to new phrases. Just remember to periodically review the material you have covered. Otherwise, the pet will make a mess of phrases, get confused in words, or even alternate human speech with chirping.

Secret. Those words that a budgerigar learns in the first year of life, he will never forget.

Rule 6. Stop the lesson if the bird gets bored.

It should be remembered that learning is much more effective if:

the parrot is looking at you
rubs his head against his cheek
tries to pinch lips or fingers
speaks to you in his own language
flies towards you from the cage
fed
rested

If it's a pet:

turns away
cleans feathers
ignores you
flies from your hands into a cage
hungry
tired

It is unlikely that he will accept your activities at all. Even without his owners, he has something to do. Therefore, most amateur breeders recommend choosing a time to train your budgie in the morning. Immediately after waking up, the bird is rested, has had breakfast, and is full of vigor and strength. So it's time to learn to speak.

By the way, some parrots are not in the mood to communicate with their owner in the morning, but in the evening, on the contrary, they organize riotous games. Why not take advantage of this factor?

Important points

Don't take long breaks from studying. Saying a word near the cage twice a day will not bring the desired result. Spend at least 7 minutes a day in a row, but every day. But don’t torment the bird with your voice for more than 18 minutes at once. Give the parrot time to get used to the words and the process itself.

If, due to a lack of personal time, you still choose the teaching method with a voice recorder, then do not leave the recording turned on for a long time. The budgie will very quickly get used to repeated phrases and will not perceive them. The recorder will become an ordinary background for him, not worth attention.

You shouldn’t repeat one word every day. The parrot may not like it, or may not be able to pronounce it. Therefore, it is better to prepare several simple phrases, which you will teach the bird. Then the pet will be able to choose for himself what will be easiest for him to learn.

Another important aspect. No violence! Don't try to yell at your budgie if it stubbornly refuses to imitate you. It may well happen that your pet will never learn to speak. But it can easily begin to be afraid of the owner after loud screams. Therefore, only love, tenderness and affection can help you.

Turn learning into dialogue. Sometimes the budgie becomes active and begins to talk to its owner. Of course, so far only in bird style. Don't ignore these attempts. Respond to your pet, praise, talk. It is advisable to talk with the parrot in phrases that are prepared for training. By the way, it's best to use interrogative sentences. It is this intonation that is easier for the bird’s vocal apparatus.

Let one of the family train the feathered pet at first. This way the parrot will not get confused in its voices. And only after you hear the first word, you can connect the rest of the household. Of course, not all at once. Even human children study for more than one year. What can we say about parrots?

Many owners are interested in at what age can they start teaching their pet to talk? Not from age, but from the moment when the parrot becomes tame and gets used to you. Then you can start classes. By the way, training will take place It’s easier if you talk to the bird in a calm, even voice from the very first day in the new home. By the time of the first lesson, your pet will already get used to your vocal apparatus and will not be afraid. Intelligent birds begin to talk at the age of 3 months. The stupid ones never talk. There was a case when a budgerigar completely refused to reproduce human speech. But he “spoke” wonderfully with the sounds of a telephone ringing, rhythmic music, car alarms, the clicking of a lighter and children’s toys. It is quite possible that your pet is exactly like this. So just be happy for your parrot, because he is talented anyway!

There are still disputes among owners: who learns faster - males or females? There has been no scientific research on this topic, but most breeders are inclined to believe that males begin to talk much faster, while females may never begin to speak in their entire lives. Although everything has its exceptions. Try to solve this issue yourself. What if your female budgerigar is 100 points ahead of any male in terms of talkativeness? After all, everything depends on your attitude towards the bird, on the reward for the activity, on affection in general.

How to teach a budgie to speak? It turns out it's very simple. Of course, for a long time. But what can you do if feathered pets are not always smart and super talented. But they are the most beloved, which means that they will take some time and your patience. And believe me, the result will please you very much.

Video: how to teach a parrot to talk

A little parrot has appeared in your house. You've probably wondered more than once how to teach a budgie to talk? But it will still take quite a long time before your bird speaks. This process is long, sometimes it takes several months until the bird learns to reproduce some words. The owner requires a lot of attention, love for the bird, patience and willpower. Not everything is as simple as many people think: “I’ll turn on a tape recording, let it play, and the parrot will listen and eventually begin to repeat it himself.” Alas, the tape recorder is only an additional tool for learning. Alive human voice birds perceive it much better.

Who should I choose for training: a male or a female?

Surely, many of you have seen a video where budgies have a funny conversation, and very clearly and legibly. Their “human” conversation sometimes even delights. It is believed that male parrots are able to learn to talk faster. Yes, this is true, but many owners have recorded the fact that females reproduce words well and are even more legible and louder than males, but often they amuse their owners only with their trill.

Where to start learning?

So, how to teach a budgie to talk? You need to start lessons from the moment when the bird is no longer afraid to sit on your hand or shoulder, that is, all the fear of being with a person has long passed. Of course, you should always talk to your pet, especially when you present her with food and other treats. But communication lessons should be conducted when the bird is calm, not hungry, and no one or nothing distracts you and him.

You need to learn to reproduce words from a very close distance, that is, your bird should be very close to your face or sit on your finger without any fear. If there is still some fear, it means that the right moment for learning has not yet come, and you will have to wait.

What should you not do during the learning process?

The entire learning process, which is how to teach a budgie to talk, is built on a system of short but regular lessons in communication between the owner and the bird. You need to start with 20-30 minutes a day, repeating each time clearly and with the same intonation individual words. Basically, parrots begin to talk after three months, the more “smart” ones reproduce speech in more early dates, but be that as it may, you must be patient and wait. Under no circumstances should you raise your voice at the bird or show your dissatisfaction, because the parrot senses your mood, and nothing good will come of it. You should not cover the cage with something dark, this can scare the bird, and it will forever refuse any contact with you, and you will only be pleased with the singing of the budgerigar.

What to do if a parrot speaks in syllables?

When starting a lesson, you can turn on soft music and, while maintaining a trusting relationship with the bird, clearly pronounce words and phrases. Be sure to address your pet by name, praise him, and call him affectionate words. And after such educational communication, be sure to reward with goodies. Repeat the lessons every day at approximately the same time. After a few months, your bird will begin to say individual words. Do not be alarmed if the parrot “swallows” words - pronounces individual syllables or endings of words. This is fine. This is how the perception process works human language. Continue to repeat clearly those phrases that you want your pet to learn. And you will definitely get the result. And you will no longer worry about the question of how to teach a budgie to talk, because by developing the ability to perceive through systematic communication, adding other phrases and encouraging the bird to “speak,” you will be able to listen to its chatter without much difficulty. Any task requires perseverance, and the bird must also feel that you adore it and will never do anything bad to it.

Read in this article

Every soldier must know the maneuver, Suvorov once said. Therefore, before you figure out how to teach a budgie to speak, you need to understand - why does it need to speak?

Therefore, the first thing to do for a feathered friend to decide to speak is to isolate him from his fellows. If he has company, then the need to learn strange human songs simply will not arise. But when alone, the wavy will begin to listen to the sounds around, because this will be his only chance to communicate.

Some owners say they have achieved great success using a tape recorder. They simply wrote down the necessary words and left the device turned on near the cage. Of course, you can try, but the result is doubtful. After all, the parrot understands perfectly well that the strange box is not alive at all, which means there is no need to talk to it. Most likely, he will simply not pay attention to the tape recorder, and will perceive the recording as ordinary noise. Live communication is much more effective.

Who to choose: boy or girl

It is of great importance. The younger the parrot, the easier it is for him to learn. And with age, the desire to learn new tricks disappears.
Male or female? Many argue that boys are more talkative. But there are also female budgies who have learned to reproduce words and entire phrases. So the gender of the pet does not play a special role. You can safely choose any parrot you like, the main thing is that it is young.

Oddly enough, talent is of great importance. Both males and females can be gifted or not, smart or stupid. And nothing can be predicted here; one can only hope for luck.

Before you think about how to teach a budgie to talk, you should make friends with it. This is the key to success. Exactly emotional contact, the bird's affection for a person forces it to learn words and phrases. A lonely abandoned parrot will never speak. Therefore, it is better to focus on establishing contact at first. To do this, you should be patient, gradually accustoming the parrot to your company. It is ideal if he learns to completely trust a person, sit in his arms, and take the food offered. Then the parrot will have a desire to communicate.

Where to start learning

Usually the budgie is the first to remember its name. By repeating it often, the owner kills two birds with one stone: he trains the pet to respond to and lays the foundation for further training.

It is easiest for both males and females to learn short words with the letter P and hissing words. Of course, later the parrot will master more complex sounds, but you should start with simple ones. Therefore, the names Roma, Rita, Shura or Richie would be a good start.

Intonation is of great importance. It is better to talk to a parrot emotionally, but under no circumstances should you scream. The speech just needs to be emotionally rich. Birds perfectly sense a person's mood. And if the words show irritation or aggression, they will get scared and refuse to communicate. Monotonous, boring speech is also unlikely to seem interesting to a budgie. You need to speak kindly, energetically and kindly.

Teaching animals and birds is very similar to teaching small children. How to teach a budgie to speak? To do this, you need to follow a few simple rules:

The owner needs to tune in. If you are in a bad mood, exercise will not bring any benefit. A good mood is the key to success. The same applies to the parrot. If he is sleepy, wants to eat, or is interested in another toy, you should not expect much zeal.
Classes don't have to be long. 10-15 minutes maximum. A parrot is not a person, it gets tired quickly.
Lessons should be enjoyable for your parrot. You can scratch your feathered friend, sometimes offer him treats, while repeating the necessary words and phrases.
There should be no loud noises or other distractions in the room. This will make it easier for the bird to concentrate.
There is no need to repeat the same word all the time. This is boring for both the student and the teacher. It is better to use several different short sonorous phrases.
The parrot will choose what he likes.
Both the male and the female understand very well when they are being addressed. And only then do they react. Therefore, it is important that the lesson be in the form of a conversation. You need to not just repeat phrases meaninglessly, but turn to your pet. “Richie wants to eat? The bird wants to eat! Good Richie, good Richie."
If you have clearly stopped listening and want to do something else, there is no need to insist. There won't be any sense anyway. It's better to leave your pet alone, let him have fun, he deserves a rest. This way, the bird’s activities will be associated with pleasant communication and play, and not with boring training.

Little secrets of success

How to learn to talk faster budgerigar? If you follow these simple tips, things will go faster.

Don't just talk, but also listen. When the parrot starts chirping, try to distinguish the sounds he makes. After all, the first words sound distorted and it is not easy to make out them in the usual bird chirping. But it is very important to notice your pet’s attempts to speak and encourage them.
If a male or female tries to chat not during a lesson, but simply “at the behest of the soul,” the conversation should be joyfully supported.
All family members should talk to the budgie.
If you need the bird to speak according to the situation, then phrases need to be learned in key points. For example, stroke, saying “Good, well done” or give a treat, repeating “I want to eat!”

Choose the phrases you teach your pet carefully. Both the male and the female, if they start talking, will chat a lot and with pleasure. Therefore, you will have to listen to the same thing all the time. You can’t explain to a feathered family member that the old joke is already boring, and you can’t swear in front of grandma. Therefore, it is better to choose neutral phrases or jokes that will not be unpleasant to anyone.

Both the male and the female will definitely experiment with new “songs”. They do not understand the meaning of spoken words and treat them like twitter - they arbitrarily connect parts different words, rearrange syllables. It is better to take this moment into account when choosing a repertoire. Often innocent words connected by an innovative parrot become dissonant. Eg, " wise bird" and "Karlusha is good" in a certain arrangement turn into almost obscene language.

Don't scold your pet if it doesn't work out. First of all, it's not his fault. Maybe he just doesn't have the talent. This happens to people too. And secondly, if the budgerigar wanted to speak, then after angry shouts he definitely wouldn’t do it.

I feel sorry for the poor bird who always sits in a cage alone. Is it possible to buy a male a female girlfriend? Not only is it possible, but it is also necessary. Volnistik, who has already mastered the art of speech, will never forget it. And maybe even your spouse will teach you. This happens quite often. The female imitates the male, repeating the words he speaks. And after a while you will have a happy, sociable bird family.

The speed and success of the learning process depends on several factors.

Important! Birds perceive high-pitched voices better, so they quickly remember and reproduce words spoken by women or children.

Where to start

It is important to immediately understand that the bird does not understand the meaning of the words. It can only imitate a certain sequence of sounds of human speech, which is why systematic repeated repetition is so important. Do not give your parrot too difficult tasks at once, such as learning a long phrase. Start with 2-3 short words. Alternate them. Keep in mind that the parrot may simply not like some words, and therefore he will not repeat them.

Advice. Parrots are more comfortable with words containing the sounds “r”, “p”, “k”, “t”. "sh", "h". It is with these words that it is better to start learning. The simplest example- the words “hello”, “guard”.

The main thing in the learning process is systematicity. If you only work with your parrot “when the mood strikes,” it won’t do any good.

Classes should be daily.
Several lessons are taught per day (on average 2-3), preferably at the same agreed time.
One lesson can last from 10 to 40 minutes, as long as your pet’s attention span is sufficient. Once he loses interest, the lesson is over.

Do not forget to repeat the material you have covered - birds tend to forget what they have learned without practice, just like people.

Set up a contact

During training, do not just mumble a phrase in the presence of a parrot, but contact him, try to build interaction.

Use emotions. Emotionally charged phrases will be easier for your pet to remember. For example, say your parrot's name affectionately.
Choose the moment when the bird is good mood and ready to make contact. It’s a bad time if the parrot is hungry, excited, doing some of his own business (cleaning feathers, being carried away by a toy or having fun with his fellow tribesmen).
Be sure to reward your bird with something tasty after exercise. And even more so, encourage success.

As practice shows, birds that live alone, without fellow tribesmen, learn faster, and therefore get used to communicating with humans. But sometimes another parrot, already speaking, can be an assistant in training. If you sit down with him yet talking bird, soon the new neighbor may begin to imitate the “chatterbox”.

Attention! The bird learns words that you say often and emotionally especially quickly, so refrain from frequently repeating curses and other phrases that you would not like to hear from your feathered pet.

Let's automate the process?

Some resourceful bird owners try using a tape recorder for training. It seems so convenient - I wrote down a phrase once and played it for at least half an hour, at least half a day. And you don’t need to waste your own time and nerves on monotonous “droning.” Mind your own business, and the parrot sits and learns... Simple and brilliant? Not really.

Firstly, a parrot, even having memorized phrases behind a tape-recorder voice, may refuse to talk “in public.” To avoid having to listen to bird speech exclusively from behind the doors, at least stay in the room during the audio lesson.

Secondly, the scarecrow will perceive a tape recording that plays for a long time simply as background noise, and training will not take place.

Thirdly, if you want the parrot to say a word or phrase in response to some external actions (say, say “hello” when you enter the room, “handsome” when he sees himself in the mirror), the tape recorder will not do anything will help. Let us remind you once again that the bird does not understand the meaning of words. It can produce the “necessary” combinations of sounds only at the level of a reflex to a certain situation, and only you can form such a reflex. For example, every time you show your parrot a mirror, repeat “handsome”, and he will associate this word with your action.

If you still want to use tape recordings, do it not at the very beginning of training, but when the bird begins to pronounce at least one word.

When will he speak?

How long does it take to train a bird? Much here depends, of course, on her individual abilities - some birds have an excellent gift for imitation. A “gifted” parrot can begin to try to pronounce individual sounds of human speech already in the first day. But clear pronunciation of syllables, words, and even more so phrases require a lot of practice. Parrots master their first word on average in a week to a month.

Remember that learned words must be repeated so that the parrot does not forget them

They remember memorized words for a long time, although without practice, clarity of pronunciation may be lost over time, syllables may become confused (for example, a bird can put two words into one, or even replace parts of words with chirps).

So getting your bird to talk is quite possible, and not even too difficult. In addition to the usual “Goshi or Kesha” and “hello-bye,” come up with a few funny phrases that you will teach your parrot. For example, the famous cartoon “Tahiti, Tahiti! They feed us well here too.” Then an uninterrupted source of positivity will appear in your home. And no matter how successful the day was, you can be sure that when you come home, you will certainly smile.