Parrot Speech

[Kakariki]

Correct. It's called cognitive speech and it only works when you teach it right.

Just like teaching babies/toddlers. Use short words, sentences in context repeatedly.

[Toggsy]

When you stop to consider it the only thing that a predator uses to grab a bird is their mouth and our hand is shaped roughly the same way when we grab something, this similarity probably has a lot to do with why so many birds are afraid of hands.

Which makes perfect senses and I can see the similarities

[Kakariki]

absolutely. However with birds in captivity, depending on how they were raised, and/or handled . Birds Can and do end up finding hands a source of pleasure. My SC now seeks out my hands, she will be comfy on my shoulder and for some reason crawl down to my wrist and 'play' with my fingers until I give her tickles and attention. Similarly , but not totally the same, my daughters cockatiel will butt her head against my fingers when I am at the computer until I give her tickles.

Hands can be a source of fear or delight, depending on a variety or circumstance.

[Wolf]

Of course most birds get over their fear of hands and most reach a point where hands are not an issue and even a source of comfort, My statement was really more about the reason that may be the source of many bird's initial fear of hands

[liz]

never reach from above a bird to pick it up. preditors that eat them come from above.

I was totally ignorant of amazons when I got Rambo. I did not have time to research since I took him the same day I found out he was going to be sold. I didn't even have a cage and he lived on the dining room table for quite a while.

I can't say he gave me a crash course in bird but he did give me a crash course in Rambo. he came with a large vocabulary and increased it every day just like a kid. we can actually talk about things like talking to a little kid. he is amazing.
he does not talk as much as before I got myrtle but still communicates when he wants to. Myrtle makes up most of the noise in the house. she is 5 now and learned a lot from Rambo and the rest of the family but when she wants to butt into a conversation she just uses "baby blabber" to join in.

I cannot get them to say good morning because I want them to or even peanut. just like a kid they don't do what I want them to do when I want them to do it.

[Wolf]

Of course not, Liz, that would not be as much fun. Like us they have a sense of humor and it is just as strange as ours.

[Toggsy]

I had to chuckle Coco went over to the parrotlets cage next there was squawk Bluebell and given her a nip on her toe
She flew off on to her perch so we looked up and said to her did bluebell bite your foot ? aww naughty bluebell !! which was promptly rewarded by her telling us all about it not sure what she was saying but she wasn't happy lol
She's trying so hard

[liz]

when Rambo climbed on a parrotlet cage he had to scream for help. the poor thing was switching feet to stand on every time he was bit. for those who do not know, Rambo can't fly.

[rachaelslp]

As a Speech Language Pathologist, I am fascinated by parrot's speech. So much of our human communication comes hardwired in our brains, just waiting for the stimulation to bring it out. I think the same is true of parrots. They have a flock, a need to communicate, and it just depends on who teaches them the communication. They either learn speech (like us) or specific bird calls that they would learn in the wild. Either way, it's legitimate communication.
Now, if I could just figure out how they make the p and b sounds without lips!!

[Wolf]

I would guess they make these sounds the same way that they make all of the other sounds without vocal cords. They change the shape of their airway to produce sounds.