Starting 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 laid down by nature itself. So, let's find out why parrots can talk.
The mystery of nature
Several scientific theories 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 feathered throat, from 2 to 4 modulating devices (ligaments) and several resonant cavities are located. This specificity makes it possible for a parrot to easily switch from bird twitter to speaking words.
In addition, a special form of language contributes to the ability to speak. This organ in parrots is fleshy and thick. This helps to reproduce some of the sounds of human speech. However, this theory, which explains why parrots can talk, is considered quite controversial.
There is an opinion that the twitter of parrots is very close to the sounds that people pronounce. And one can only be surprised at the ability of a feathered pet to pronounce words in different languages. You might think that the parrot mechanically remembers the terms and repeats them in random order. But the owners of the pets claim that their charges support the conversation very meaningfully.
Types of talking parrots
Almost all parrots can talk. There is a kind of top 5 best “talkers”. So which parrots speak better?
- The first place is occupied by gray jaco. This feathered 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.
- A parrot of the Amazon breed can memorize more than 60 words. However, intonation and timbre are not subject to him.
- Kakadu quickly learns to talk. We train the white parrot somewhat better than other relatives. Chatting bird constantly needs an interlocutor. Therefore, deciding to get a cockatoo, you should understand that you will have to devote 100% of your time to your pet.
- Ara can remember a little - only 20 words. But they will be used by the bird according to the situation. The main difference of the macaw is that it easily mimics any sounds - from the creak of a door to a convulsive cough.
- A wonderful “talker” among parrots is the Karella breed parrot. They learn, as a rule, a little - from 10 to 20 words. But, like the macaw, the bird reproduces the sounds of nature and household items well. In addition, Karella sings and talks at the same time.
Which of the parrots is the most difficult to teach to maintain a conversation
The most common and relatively inexpensive are budgies. Birds can talk, but they rarely do it. Best of all, they communicate with their couple or with their image in the mirror.
Another hard-to-learn budget breed is lovebirds. However, breeders should remember that buying parrots is best done in pairs. Lovebirds - a symbol of a strong family and loyal kinship. Being in a pair, parrots are hard at 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 she will be happy to repeat them with or without. The ability to remember and repeat words also depends on the gender of the bird. Males learn easier and faster than females.
Rules for teaching a parrot speech
Having figured out why parrots can talk, you can move on to "science." Starting to teach a feathered pet speech, it is recommended to adhere to several rules:
- A 3 month old bird is an ideal student. The older the parrot, the harder it is to train. But young individuals are also not prone to remembering.
- In order for the training to proceed successfully, 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 should reign between her and the owner.
- You need to start the lesson with the name of the bird. Thus, the bird is accustomed to its own name and learns it.
- For a start, do 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 the given, you can add other parts of speech.
- You should not often change the intonation.
- Training should take place unaccompanied by a radio or television. Otherwise, the bird runs the risk of automatically remembering inappropriate phrases from TV shows.
- When teaching a pet, one should remember: whatever the parrot is - white or colorful, large or small, you need to communicate with him with love and attention. Only in such conditions will your pet absorb information with pleasure.