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Teaching Your Cockatiel to Talk
Cockatiels can talk if the time has been invested into teaching them
to do so. A talking Cockatiel sounds as if it is whistling
syllables, they are somewhat understandable. Most talking
Cockatiels are those that have been incorporated into a household
and are stimulated by constant interaction and praise. Though they
will never have the clarity of parrots their size, such as Indian
Ringnecks or Quaker Parakeets, they can still learn to talk.
Buying a parrot for its talking ability is not advised. Sadly, many
people purchase parrots in hopes that it will develop a large
vocabulary and be great at talking. When the parrot does not meet
their expectations they quickly move the bird to a backroom or give
him away. This can sometimes mean moving from house to house. A
parrot’s ability to talk should not be the defining factor in
selecting a parrot. Rather, the traits the particular specie has
should be.
Interaction:
Interaction is an important factor if you want a talking Cockatiel.
Before the internet, owners were advised to play tapes that repeated
phrases. This method works; however, parrots taught this way
quickly lost interest and only learned a few words. Another age old
method was covering the cage in a dark room and repeating phrases
over and over. Through more research and education, we learned that
parrots are not machines. They thrive on human interaction and will
do anything to attain their owner’s attention.
A
Cockatiel cannot be expected to talk if the bird is only limited to
its cage. The bird has nothing to identify with and will only
resort to their natural calls. Human interaction is a must.
Incorporating:
Time should be spent teaching the bird to talk. Actives that
include the parrot and you are ideal. For example, taking your bird
to a mirror and repeating “pretty bird,” is a good start. The bird
will enjoy looking at his refection, benefit from having you around,
and take pleasure in listening to you. All this stimulation will
hopefully lead to the parrot repeating “pretty bird.” Just continue
this exercise until your parrot starts to talk.
Another example of promoting talking is to take the bird with you
during dinner. While the bird is eating, repeat something like, “Is
that yummy?” Keep repeating your phrases and be animated—Cockatiels
enjoy this.
Keep
your exercises short and interesting. The more you practice with
your Cockatiel, the more he’s going to pick up speech. If you find
your bird will not pickup certain phrases or words, move on to
something new. Try various combinatiosn or different tones with
your voice. The best talkers are from owners who constantly
stimulate their bird’s brain.
Increasing Your Changes:
If you want a talking Cockatiel then starting with a handfed baby
will help. A Cockatiel who is just weaned is a perfect candidate.
After weaning they are very impressionable to human behaviors—speech
included. This is such an important window for development of
speech. Parrots that have large vocabularies are those that were
simulated as early as possible to human speech. A wolf whistle is
perfect for introducing them to mimicking us.
Another factor is the sex of the Cockatiel. Males talk with much
more clarity than females. Why is this? Males use vocal chirps and
calls during courting to stimulate their mates; they are vocally
designed to talk. Females can talk; however, their voices are
usually not be as clear as the male’s.
If
your Cockatiel is going to talk, most start around four to eight
months, eight being the average. Remember, older birds can learn to
talk, but more time and patience is required.
Cognition:
Do they understand what they are saying? This answer is unknown, but
research done by Dr. Irene Pepperberg has yielded some fascinating
results. She is currently working with three African Greys, Alex,
her star pupil, can answer simple questions and identify many
objects. Through her research, she has come to the conclusion that
parrots do have the ability to label objects and use communication
as a tool. Your Cockatiel will probably never develop those
cognitive abilities. But, he can still learn a few words and
phrases. Most Cockatiels will pick up words or phrases that it
believes are important to its relationship with you (interpersonal
communication). |
