If you want your bird to talk, the first thing you have to do is start talking to your bird. Be consistent in the phrases you use. For example, when you walk into the room and see the bird, cheerfully exclaim “hello!” to it. Two things are important here- one, that you use the phrase in a way that the bird understands as being connected to an action, and two, that you are excited about the phrase. Being consistently cheerful and excited when you say phrases increases the likelihood that they will be picked up by your bird.
Some people find it very easy to tell when their bird is listening and learning. Your bird might get very quiet and still while you are talking, or start following your movements with their head. Remember your diction- birds are learning phonetically, so if you are lazy in your pronunciation, you might not get a “pretty bird,” you might start hearing “pridy brrr.”
Obviously, phrases like “hello”, “goodbye” and “pretty bird” are popular, as is teaching the birds their own names. If food comes with the statement of “ooh yum yum!” and out-of-cage time is accompanied by a “let’s play” you might be surprised to find that your bird will start letting you know when it is hungry or ready to come out and play with you! Birds with language skills will also listen to and pick up on words that you say frequently or sounds they hear on a regular basis.
