Parrot Talk: Sweet Talk

I had to leave Portia with friends for a few months while I dealt with personal matters.

Portia never understood why I had abandoned him. He called my name and cried for me in a human voice, but whenever I went to see him, he was speechless.

The couple with whom he was staying worked opposite shifts for the same company. When one of them was at home and the other at work, they talked on the phone. Sometimes they talked about business, sometimes not; but they called each other often.

It was wonderful to finally bring Portia home. He was thrilled and absolutely in awe, so being the very good bird, he was perfectly quiet the first day.

The morning of the second day, however, he got excited when I vacuumed around his cage. Portia fanned his tail, strutted around the “Pooor, baaby" and "Pooor, pooor birdie."

Hissssssing: On the other hand, most birds will become alerted or even frightened by "shhh" or other hissing noises that sound like their natural enemy, the snake. Indeed, many birds—even nestlings—make snakelike hissing sounds themselves to ward off other creatures.

Hissing or shusshing at the bird can make it nervous and negatively affect its health and behavior.

Whispering Parrot Talk: Sometimes, particularly in dealing with a screamer, the most effective way to get the bird's attention is by whispering.

This behavior communicates to the bird that its screams have been heard. If you cannot understand why it is screaming or are unable to change whatever it's screaming about, at least you are modeling an appropriate method of getting attention. If the bird is a "quick study," it might catch on and try whispering for your attention next time.

Scolding: In relating to birds, birdlike behaviors are most effective, and scolding is an absolutely birdlike behavior. If there are 20 or more birds in a tree, odds are that at least one bird is giving another bird a piece of its mind. Strong, sharp consonants are more effective as verbal reprimands: "Don't" or "Stop" rather than "No," which may sound almost soothing if not delivered with force.

To whistle or not to whistle parrot talk: Some people contend that if one teaches a good-talking bird to whistle, it will not reach its full talking potential. It seems that since a bird has no vocal cords, speech is accomplished by "moving" the lining of the bifurcated trachea into different configurations while expelling air across that opening.

Therefore, a talking parrot is actually "whistling" in syllables, and true whistling is more natural and easier to accomplish than talking. Types of parrots with a propensity for mimicking these birds will aggressively interfere with practice.

A very good talker might occasionally become so enchanted with a new whistle that it will discontinue talking in favor of whistling for a time. It happened to my young yel¬low nape when a well-meaning friend taught him to wolf whistle. Portia didn't talk for a couple of weeks, and nearly drove me mad with that obnoxious whistle.

I don't think it's a bad idea, however, to use whistling as a substitute or a transition for teaching birds who find talking difficult or for birds, such as the female cockatiel, in whom speech is considered very difficult. Many parrots that may be only fair with parrot talk can become accomplished whistlers.

I know quite a few who loudly entertain with "London Bridge," "Colonel Bogie March," or "Beethoven's Fifth" at any opportunity.

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