Nature has endowed Corella parrots with the ability to master their voice. These birds are able to copy any sounds that catch their attention. But the pet will not learn on its own; you need to work with it. We will learn how to teach a cockatiel to speak at home, and what recommendations should be followed in the process.
What you need to know before starting the training
Most cockatiel owners want to teach their parrots to speak in a short period of time; they try to quickly achieve results. But experienced poultry farmers advise you to first think about the following points:
- The structure of the cockatiel's vocal apparatus does not allow the bird to withstand clear articulation of sounds, as happens, for example, in macaws. The words spoken by crested parrots often sound slurred.
- Talking cockatiels have a high, shrill voice. It is worth considering whether the bird owner and his family members will be comfortable being in the “high tones” zone every day.
- It is worth learning to control your speech in advance. A parrot can overhear and remember any “inconvenient” word.
Interesting! Cockatiels are shy, their emotional state is closely related to the quality of their health. When communicating with birds, you need to look for a “golden mean”, not to disturb them too often.
Female or male
One of the peculiarities of cockatiels is the influence of gender on the ability to imitate sound. Females tend to learn harder and remember fewer words. Experts believe that male cockatiels are the most capable.
In most cases, boy parrots are able to memorize sequences of sounds faster. They sing louder, love music, and copy large musical phrases. To learn to talk, it is best to purchase a young male cockatiel. He can show his abilities to the maximum.
Important! When choosing a pet for training, preference should be given to moving and chirping birds. If the parrot is ruffled and silent, the lessons are unlikely to benefit him.
At what age is it best to teach a parrot to talk?
It has been observed that adult cockatiels cannot remember phrases. This is due to the bird’s already formed system of habits and skills. “Oldies” can skillfully copy what interests them, but it is useless to start teaching them how to speak.
To teach a parrot to speak, you should buy a two-month or three-month-old cockatiel. This age is considered optimal for birds to quickly memorize sounds and sound combinations. Ornithologists advise listening to its chirping before purchasing a pet. The most promising individuals produce a wide range of trills that cover different tones.
Young parrots learn faster. It is even better if the cockatiel is taken from home parents. They have good memory and natural intelligence. With proper breeding and good care, these qualities are inherited.
It is worth remembering the individuality factor. There are young birds that are not capable of becoming speakers. As a rule, these are parrots that were born from psychologically immature parents. Such couples do not raise their offspring and shift this care to the person.
Features of learning depending on gender
Speech abilities are considered one of the indirect signs of determining the sex of a parrot. Breeders agree that females are more difficult to train and most often cannot repeat words. Such information cannot be considered confirmed; these are just guesses and hypotheses. Any cockatiel parrot can be a speaker - both girls and boys. Gender does not affect the quality of study as much as the individual traits of the bird.
How to teach a female cockatiel to talk
You need to prepare a little for a lesson with a bird: feed it two hours before the lesson, remove unnecessary objects, set a quiet mode in the room. The bird should be healthy, cheerful, cheerful and slightly hungry. A sick, well-fed or sleepy cockatiel is not in the mood to communicate. For successful training, follow the instructions:
- isolate the female from other birds and animals, establish communication in a one-on-one format with the “teacher”;
- do not let the parrot out of the cage, otherwise its attention will be attracted by the surrounding environment, and not by the voice of the owner;
- exercise twice a day for 10–15 minutes, monitoring the degree of fatigue;
- The most productive time for studying is the first half of the day; after sunset, the bird’s mental abilities are dulled, and the body adjusts to sleep.
In order to get your cockatiel to repeat words and short phrases, do not overdo it: your helpers are patience and affectionate treatment. Don't scold the bird if it doesn't work out. It’s better to praise and give treats even for a small victory.
How to train a male
How does a talking male cockatiel differ from a female cockatiel? In the learning process - nothing, except for greater activity and expressiveness. The same recommendations are relevant for a boy as for a girl. It has been observed that males remember more difficult words than females. At the same time, the clarity of pronunciation is higher in girls, but, again, this is due to the personal qualities of parrots. No one has calculated the percentage, and it is not necessary. Everyone who wants to buy a cockatiel for their home decides for themselves how many birds to get and what gender.
It is possible to teach a cockatiel parrot to speak humanly, but you need to understand that this is just onomatopoeia. A bird will never be able to communicate in the form of dialogue with a person, but this is not required of it. Cheerful and playful cockatiels themselves are incredibly attractive; with their appearance, the atmosphere in the house noticeably improves.
How to teach a cockatiel to talk
If parrots of different sexes live at home, it will be more difficult to train them together than solitary birds. Family cockatiels are constantly distracted by each other. Experienced breeders, before starting to teach parrots to memorize words, always place them in different homes and separate rooms.
Conversation with a bird
The first step in training parrots is to establish trust between human and bird. If the cockatiel has not yet adapted to unfamiliar territory, he will regard any contact or attempt at communication on your part as a threatening action. You need to give the bird a few days to get used to it, and it will calm down.
Training rules
Your pet will learn to talk much faster if a woman takes over the classes. For parrots, it is easier to perceive high overtones of sounds and a female voice timbre. When training a bird, the following rules should be observed:
- conduct several lessons per day (the total lesson time should not be more than 60 minutes);
- isolate extraneous noises and objects that distract the bird;
- The duration of 1 lesson with a parrot is no more than 15 minutes.
The speed of learning is different for each pet, it depends on the individual characteristics of the bird and its trainer. There are “students” who are able to memorize 2-3 words per week. For others, the same thing takes a month or a month and a half. The parrot should be encouraged not only with words, but also with treats. Pieces of fruit, berries, sunflower seeds and millet are suitable for this.
Important! Every conversation with a parrot should end with praise.
Teaching Techniques
If a parrot sits on your shoulder, it means that it completely trusts its owner. When the cockatiel is ready to communicate, he will often look at his face. Such moments are considered the most productive in terms of bird training.
The optimal location for a parrot during a lesson is the owner's hand or shoulder. In the first case, the hand is raised to the level of the face, then the chosen word is clearly pronounced and repeated. As a rule, the first task in a parrot's life is to name it.
When placing the “student” on the shoulder, the owner should turn his face to the parrot and clearly pronounce the word to memorize. It is best to do this at least 4-5 times.
Using audio equipment and a computer
The advantages of this express method are:
- high learning speed;
- an expanded “range” of skills (you can teach a bird to imitate not only words, but also music and whistling);
- the opportunity not to be present in class, saving time.
You will need to record sounds using a microphone (on any convenient gadget) or download the necessary combinations, set them on a timer and play them for the parrot at certain intervals (1-3 hours). The owner does not have to be present at home.
Interesting! If your computer does not have a microphone, you can use your phone microphone to record sounds and download the assignments to your computer.
Monotonous repetition
There are times when a parrot's training lasts for weeks, but the bird does not remember anything. To move forward, experts advise changing tactics. For example, choose any activity that will be repeated daily, and voice it with the same intonation. Monotony helps the bird remember the sequence of sounds.
The sound form can be any (phrase, phrase), but not too long. It is desirable that it contain vowels: “a”, “o”, “u”, “e”, “yu” and consonants: “k”, “r”, “sch”, “zh”, “t”. They are easier for parrots to pronounce.
To begin with, you can voice your arrival and departure. Use the following phrases for this: “Hello, (nickname)” and “Bye, (nickname).” Parrots are very emotional. The appearance of a beloved owner can inspire the pet to repeat the proposed phrase. You can understand that the cockatiel has begun to speak by repeatedly repeating sound combinations that resemble words.
As a rule, the bird itself really likes this game. If a cockatiel not only copies something, but also dances and fluffs its wings, the owner will immediately understand that the process has begun.
Age
The birds most susceptible to learning are young birds. It is unlikely that chicks can be taught to speak at all; their vocal apparatus is just beginning to form. But with those on the wing, you can already practice reproducing human speech.
The older the cockatiel, the more difficult it will be to teach him to speak. Difficulties will also be added by the fact that a mature parrot gets to a new owner from an old one, and the previous one did not try to train it, or did it incorrectly.
Very old birds will not show any interest in any tricks of the teachers. His way of life is established, and it will not be possible to stir up the feathered one. Here he himself will most likely share his wisdom with you.
How to teach a cockatiel to whistle
To teach whistling, the same techniques are used as for memorizing words. Some breeders whistle melodies themselves, others download ready-made versions from the Internet and let the bird listen to them.
It is advisable to select melodies that are not too long, so that the parrot does not get confused and get lost in improvisation. If the whistle version is too long, it should be shortened. Experts advise not to choose whistles at too high frequencies.
Important! The wary and timid behavior of a bird reduces the chances of teaching it anything. If the parrot behaves unusually, it is necessary to find out the reason for this mood and eliminate it, postponing the lesson until another time.
Gender
The common belief that female parrots are not at all capable of learning to speak is refuted by documented facts.
The influence of a parrot's gender on its learning
The process with them is much more difficult, that's for sure. And many owners give up without achieving results.
Let's look at why this happens:
- females by their nature are more closed, secretive and reluctant to make contact;
- they have frequent hormonal surges that interfere with the calm training process;
- building a nest, laying eggs, caring for offspring - this comes to the fore for the female and occupies all her attention and thought processes.
If you still decide to achieve your goal and want to teach a girl cockatiel to speak, then you need to be extremely patient. And the most important thing is to establish trusting contact (even more than with a boy).
Tips and tricks
Beginning breeders often do not know some of the nuances of training parrots. This reduces the quality of work and increases the training period. To establish strong associative connections in your pet's brain, you must always combine the pronunciation of words chosen to be memorized with actions that illustrate their meaning.
Experts advise:
- Choose a pet cockatiel for training.
- Monitor your pet's mood. If the parrot is upset, the lesson is skipped.
- Do not share the learning process with anyone. You can get good results with just one teacher.
- Do not handle a sick bird.
Parrots don't start training with long words. The principle “from simple to complex” is practiced. Owners who scold or punish their charges for mistakes risk losing contact with the bird forever.
List of words
There are many words and phrases that you can teach your feathered pet. But we will highlight the most popular ones that the parrot will learn quickly:
- Hello;
- Hello;
- guard;
- peach;
- bird;
- piastres;
- ciao;
- it's time to sleep;
- (nickname), good;
- let `s play;
- Protect the environment;
- Good morning;
- Good afternoon;
- I want to drink;
- give me money;
- behave yourself;
- How are you doing.
If a cockatiel parrot talks, then these phrases will sound special to him. For many they will evoke a feeling of tenderness and joy.
Repetition is the mother of learning
Every day in the morning (this is the period when cockatiels are most receptive), go to the cage and say the phrase you are learning. Speak clearly several times. Back up your words with action. For example, "Hello!" and nod.
The action will attract the nymph's attention. If there is a sound response from the bird, any kind - even a whistle, even a trill, then repeat it again and again. If the tone of the response changes and becomes closer in sound to the word, then the process is underway - the cockatiel has understood what is required of him.
Repeating words for better results
Monotonous repetition method
In the proposed version, the main emphasis is on clearly pronounced sounds. Choose a time, put away all the toys. Absolutely anything that can distract a parrot from its activity. Start saying the word, over and over again. The nymph must understand that his only entertainment for the next 20 minutes will be listening to this phrase.
If you isolate the cell from an external light source, the effect will be better. The main thing in this method is good motivation of the teacher, since the previous method involves a game moment, but here there is obvious “cramming”. However, such training is only more effective if you accidentally do not fall asleep.
What not to do
You cannot punish a student. In the previous chapter we talked about the parrot's ability to understand emotions. So, negative emotions affect the bird more than positive ones. If you scold your pet, then he will lose the desire to undergo training. And your contact and trust in you on the part of the cockatiel will be undermined. In this case, everything will have to start all over again, and time for favorable learning may be lost.
Do not hit the bird under any circumstances. No comments needed here at all.
HOW TO TEACH A PARROT TO SPEAK? My experience. | Rocky Life
Trust is the path to success
Nymphs are active creatures, very sensitive to their surroundings. If the pet was taken from a store, then from a very young age he lived in a state of constant stress. The mass of people passing by frightened him. Things are a little better with birds from nurseries.
The owner’s first task is to provide the newcomer with the most comfortable living conditions. It is necessary to observe the light and sound regime, take care of proper feeding, and choose a suitable cage. These everyday issues are only the first step towards establishing trust.
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? At the same time, the owner needs to establish contact with the pet. Constantly communicate with him, offer games, spend time together. You should not put pressure on your cockatiel or try to forcefully establish a relationship, this will have the exact opposite effect.
To train a cockatiel, you need to create a trusting relationship.
It is worth starting training after all the obstacles have already been removed, and you feel that the bird is not afraid and accepts it as one of its own.
