• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Parrotlets and talking

Aksarben

Strolling the yard
Joined
1/5/22
Messages
81
Location
Fennville, MI
Real Name
Vernon
`Do they mimic humans much or at all?
 

expressmailtome

Ripping up the road
Administrator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/15/10
Messages
49,992
Real Name
Matthew

Destiny

Rollerblading along the road
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
6/6/20
Messages
2,088
Real Name
Destiny
Yes, parrotlets can learn to mimick human speech.
 

Trogdora

Meeting neighbors
Joined
1/26/22
Messages
29
Real Name
Jen G.
They can certainly learn to mimic speech and other noises like kisses, whistles, etc. but just be warned, they sound nothing like a human when they "talk." They have very birdy voices, if that makes any sense, and might be hard for anyone not familiar with the bird to understand. My friends never believed me when I said my parrotlet talked because his voice was so tiny, but he mixed human words in with his constant chattering all day long! There are plenty of videos on Youtube that can give you a better idea of their abilities.
 

Aksarben

Strolling the yard
Joined
1/5/22
Messages
81
Location
Fennville, MI
Real Name
Vernon
Thanks much ! We have a pair of Budgerigars, Rocky and Adrian. Hoping that Rocky does talk someday. ;)
 

SumitaSinh

Rollerblading along the road
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/6/20
Messages
2,416
A pair of budgies will not bother to mimic human speech. :lol: they'll be absorbed in each other. Though there are exceptions, but usually a single budgie mimics, and then if a new budgie joins the flock, he follows him. But, mimicri Or not, budgies are awesome.
 

Aksarben

Strolling the yard
Joined
1/5/22
Messages
81
Location
Fennville, MI
Real Name
Vernon
So, it begs a further question. Do you need to have just 1 (one) parrot if you have any success with getting a parrot to talk/ mimic?
Has there ever been a pair or a few parrots together than one of them actually could talk?
 

Destiny

Rollerblading along the road
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
6/6/20
Messages
2,088
Real Name
Destiny
Short answer ... yes, it is possible to have more than one parrots and they still learn to talk. It is just less common.

The longer answer is that parrots will naturally mimic sounds in their environment. Especially sounds they enjoy and find interesting or useful or sounds that are repeated often. If you have a close bond with your bird, what you do and what you say will be very important to your bird and he is more likely to want to mimic you. In contrast, if your bird has a special bird friend or lots of bird friends, your sounds are probably going to be lower priority than the sounds made by other birds. You are still part of his environment and he might pick up on something you say or do often ... but it less likely to happen.

Tendency to mimic varies a lot between parrot species and even between two birds in the same species. There is no guarantee that a particular bird will show interest in mimicry, even if they have the potential.

If you do hear your bird "talking", you can reward him with praise or treats to encourage more mimicry. Simple greetings like "hello" are some of the easiest to pick up because it is easy to get into a habit of greeting your bird each time you visit their cage. Consistancy, repetition, and praise are key aspects of successful training.
 

fashionfobie

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
1/4/19
Messages
5,246
Location
Qld, Australia
Real Name
Natalie
Do keep in mind that each parrot will be an individual. I have two parrotlets, one is much more talented at human noises. One says his name, and makes other sounds I make. The other is much more skilled at being chirpy and adorable in parrotlet lingo.

In my opinion you shouldn't expect a parrotlet to 'talk'. They will be parrotlets first and that is perfectly alright. You may find that you want to mimic your cute little parrotlet more that they mimic you. They makes pretty adorable vocalisations.
 
Top