Whistling vs talking

[RachaelR]

I had heard that the more a gray whistles, the less he might talk. Isaac loves when we whistle to him and he makes up his own tunes. He's still talking though. Do you think that would change?

 

[Clueless]

@ncGreyBirdLady might know

 

[JLcribber]

No. They repeat what they hear. If they hear more whistling that's what they'll repeat more.

They're communicating. If you want someone to learn English, you better speak English.

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

I would not allow anyone to whistle to any of My fids until they were all talking.Like John said-they will learn what they hear the most and what is easiest for them.They are capable of doing both very well,Its really JMHO that talk first then whistle

 

[LaSelva]

Isaac loves when we whistle to him and he makes up his own tunes.

That sounds like my Timneh and it is so endearing. I don't think any of us could, or should, hope for anything better than a happy bird, a joyous bird that expresses that joy in our homes the way yours is doing.

To answer your question directly, no.

African grey parrots in the wild mimic various diverse noises that they hear including the songs and whistles of other birds. They then incorporate these into their own unique signature dialogue and calls.

Although I cannot tell people what they should value, a parrot that speaks human words is of superficial importance. To me African grey parrots in particular are so expressive of their emotions (for example, in terms of the inflections that they use) that regardless of whether or not they're using human language one can't help but know what they are feeling, what they want, etc. Likewise I don't know of any attentive pet owners who don't know what their dogs or cats are feeling based on their body language or their vocalizations. We share these emotions and recognize them on each other - it's as simple as that.

Dr. Pepperberg taught her African Grey Alex the use of human language as a vehicle to test his cognitive abilities. This has made him easily recognizable and very endeared by humans the world over. He's speaking our language - so he must be smart. And he is, of course, as are all parrots.

But we should also remember that the vast majority of what we know about animal cognition was learned from animals (including budgies) that did not communicate using human words. The intelligence behind our own ability to test these things determines what we learn.

I would say you can go ahead and whistle, play, sing, talk, and dance with your bird if you choose to do so and you will be absolutely fine. He will mimic all of these including noises in the environment like perhaps your doorbell, your microwave, or the message on your answering machine. And the last one can be really funny!

My Timneh repeats me telling her that I have to go to work as I'm out the door in the mornings.

 

[RachaelR]

That sounds like my Timneh and it is so endearing. I don't think any of us could, or should, hope for anything better than a happy bird, a joyous bird that expresses that joy in our homes the way yours is doing.

To answer your question directly, no.

African grey parrots in the wild mimic various diverse noises that they hear including the songs and whistles of other birds. They then incorporate these into their own unique signature dialogue and calls.

Although I cannot tell people what they should value, a parrot that speaks human words is of superficial importance. To me African grey parrots in particular are so expressive of their emotions (for example, in terms of the inflections that they use) that regardless of whether or not they're using human language one can't help but know what they are feeling, what they want, etc. Likewise I don't know of any attentive pet owners who don't know what their dogs or cats are feeling based on their body language or their vocalizations. We share these emotions and recognize them on each other - it's as simple as that.

Dr. Pepperberg taught her African Grey Alex the use of human language as a vehicle to test his cognitive abilities. This has made him easily recognizable and very endeared by humans the world over. He's speaking our language - so he must be smart. And he is, of course, as are all parrots.

But we should also remember that the vast majority of what we know about animal cognition was learned from animals (including budgies) that did not communicate using human words. The intelligence behind our own ability to test these things determines what we learn.

I would say you can go ahead and whistle, play, sing, talk, and dance with your bird if you choose to do so and you will be absolutely fine. He will mimic all of these including noises in the environment like perhaps your doorbell, your microwave, or the message on your answering machine. And the last one can be really funny!

My Timneh repeats me telling her that I have to go to work as I'm out the door in the mornings.

Beautifully said! As a Speech Language Pathologist, I am becoming more and more fascinated in non-verbal communication, the language that we all use and hardly recognize. Animals are so much more natural with this than us!
I loved Dr. Pepperburg's book. The relationship that we have with these animals are certainly a blessing!