African grey parrots are great mimics, quickly picking up surrounding sounds that have been known in this author's experience to be repeated suddenly years later as the parrot exercises its repertoire, for example the sounds of engines or machinery and especially clearly resonant sounds such as footsteps across a hard floor.
Of the mynah bird species commonly available, the Greater Hill Mynah bird is especially talkative as well as being a great mimic of all types of sounds. All pet birds being trained to talk should be trained from young in order to achieve the best results. The mynah and the grey parrot are especially adept at learning relatively quickly.
Teaching Parrots and Mynahs to Talk
By far the best way to train a bird to talk is to interact directly with it, rather than trying to use training aids such as CDs, for example. With repetition, patience and some simple steps these clever birds will soon begin to develop a repertoire, even though it may be slowly at first.
Repeating phrases while feeding the grey parrot or mynah is good practice. Training sessions dedicated to teaching the bird to talk are sensible, and best done while the bird is relaxed, for example sitting on its perch or on a stand that it is familiar with. The use of a stand or a specific area or room will vary with the individual bird but will normally succeed. Another technique is to cover the cage with a cloth so that the bird will concentrate on the sounds it can hear. Keeping training sessions short to retain the bird's interest also has much to recommend it.
Both African grey parrots and mynahs are intelligent and active birds, so time and attention is needed in both cases. Providing toys for them, and even rotating a set of toys, are also good ideas in order to help keep them occupied, entertained and prevent them becoming bored and disinterested. Training them to talk is going to be both a practical and rewarding experience if the birds' basic care requirements are met as well.
African Grey Parrot
Also known simply as the grey parrot, this species can live to around seventy years old in captivity. Wild parrots do not adapt easily to captivity so obtaining one bred in captivity and training it from young is a more sensible route. A young parrot can be trained more easily and will also bond with its keeper though an African grey is not a parrot that likes to be handled excessively.
Types of African grey parrots include:
- The Congo African grey parrot is the largest of the African grey parrots at up to fourteen inches long. It has distinctive scarlet tail feathers and a black beak.
- The Timneh African grey parrot has a more purple or maroon tail and is a darker grey than the congo grey. It is slightly smaller and also has a much lighter-colored upper beak. It is also noted as having a generally calmer disposition than the congo grey parrot.
- The Ghana African grey parrot is also slightly smaller than the congo grey parrot. The ghana grey is generally a darker grey than the others and more plainly colored.
African grey parrots are hardy but don't like damp or wet weather if kept in an outside aviary. They need socializing from an early age with any human or animal that they are likely to have regular contact with, though they will often quickly try and establish dominance with any other pet in a fairly aggressive manner so caution is advised.
Mynah Bird
Mynahs are intolerant of smaller birds and not suited at all to being kept in a communal aviary with other species. There are two relatively popular types of mynah birds kept in captivity:
- The Greater Hill Mynah bird, some varieties being up to eighteen inches in length.
- The Chinese Crested Mynah bird, which looks different to most mynahs due to its less sleek feathers and its crest. It is also much shorter, at around ten inches long.
Mynah bird cages are conventionally solid on three sides because mynahs will scatter anything from inside their cage, and are also messy bathers as well. Daily bathing is best to keep their plumage clean. This can be facilitated by providing a large bowl but this can get tipped over if too light or small.
Teaching either an African grey parrot or a mynah bird to talk is a rewarding experience as both birds make excellent, very interesting and intelligent companions, live for many years and will normally bond well if trained from young. Further practical steps for teaching pet birds to talk can be found on this blog.
Ian Dutton - My writing is part of my lifelong fascination with all spects of plants and animals. My homepage at Naturepieces explains more. My ...
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