How well does you Amazon talk?

[AmandaB]

My zon has a one word vocabulary. Hello is all that he says. I've been trying to get him to say a couple of different things for the past 3 yrs, and he's not having any of it. Why talk when you can scream for attention? Talking isn't a big deal to me.

[GlendaNS]

I just figured out my BFA says "POR FAVOUR". I have no idea who taught her that. Took me awhile to catch on.

She says several things, and likes to say them in different voices. She will say "HI" in a sweet impish voice , then "HI" in a monster voice.

Oh and the Zon scream.... Drives my other birds crazy.... To the point, they will get nippy.... I don't blame em. That usually gets her a squirt in the face if she don't quit.

The Lady I got Maxie from.... We were talking on the phone and she was trying to warn me about the Too scream.... She heard my BFA.... The little peeps my U2 makes are nothing compared to my BFA.

[starr511]

I am wondering if my Merlin will ever say anything. He is my rescue bird so don't know anything about his background. He is an adult so if he isn't talking yet does that mean he never will learn?

[rc766]

My yfa Coco is 11 and she has a fairly extensive 'vocabulary' but nothing compared to a nape I used to have. I had always heard that amazons didn't learn any new words after 5 years, but have found this to be untrue in her instance. She says: Robin, Coco, Sammers (my tiel-his name is Sammy but we nick-named him 'Sammers'), Bubba (a dog), Lyza (another dog), hello, bye, Hey Mo (from the 3 stooges), "I'll go see Sammers", "night-night-bye-bye", "Do you want to go night-night-bye-bye", pretty bird, I'm a pretty bird, bad bird, I'm a bad bird, good girl, hi honey, quiet, no, 'give me a kiss', 'are you hungry', shower, "weekie, weekie, weekie" (from a cartoon), scooby-dooby-doo, here kitty, kitty, kitty and "What are you?---I'm a bird!". She does the usual dog and wolf whistle, and also whistles the Andy Griffith theme and the Star Spangled Banner (just the first two lines). She also does a VERY annoying imitation of a crow..... like I wish I could break her of that.....

Robin

[Bagwellfan]

My Yellow Napes have a huge vocabulary. They actually talk more than my TAG's. I play a talking CD all day in the aviary.

[amandaemily11905]

My BFA Bella is 8 months old, 9 months June 25. So far she says:
Hi Bella
Bell-laa-laa (not sure where she got that from)
Pretty girl
Pretty Bella
Bella pretty girl
Come on
Step-up
Maa

She also laughs out loud and just started making coughing noises! I had been sick and I guess she picked it up because everytime I would cough you would hear her mocking me!!

Right now were working on I love you and night night.

How do you get your birds to talk in context?

[rc766]

One of the things I do is think of something I want them to say, and a trigger. An easy one, of course, is if there is a phone in the room, every time it rings, you pick it up and say, hello, well the bird will hear and perhaps imitate. The ring is triggering the word, hello.

Another example: when you enter the room, say hello... when you leave the room, say bye... Eventually, your BFA may beat you to the punch and say hello and bye at appropriate times. (Or be like mine... who the minute she sees my husband enter the room, she says - BYE. She knows exactly what that means... she wants him to leave!) The entering and leaving the room are the triggers for hello and goodbye.

These are easy ones. Just cos a bird can say a word/sentence, doesn't mean they will like the word or want to say it. I've had birds that only talked when I was NOT in the room. Another example: when you place the food dish in the cage, say, "mmmm..... I'm hungry!" Eventually, your blue front may say that sentence when you are putting the food into the cage. Things like this - you can think of better examples, I'm sure, where everyday birdie activities lend themselves to opportunities.

Robin

[iggysbirds]

As far as not learning or saying new after five years that has got to be wrong. We currently have three amazons. An orange winged, a double yellow headed and a red lored.

The OW is 24 years old, we got her when she was 12. She had never spoken a word, she had heart problems and other health issues that had the vet believing she was incapable of talking (not just not wanting to LOL!) within the first six months she said step up, love you, mama, get me. She still only talks very seldom and never when you want her to but every so often she throws a word or phrase out.

The double yellow head is 28, we got him when he was 22. He already had quite a large vocabulary but has picked up new phrases. We have an eclectus who says "How do I look". You would have to see her to know how to respond she was completely plucked but due to a diet change and medical care she is regrowing some feathers, the other folicles were too damaged. Well anyway Alex the DYH now says "well how do I look" and then he laughs hysterically. Since we don't laugh when she says it he seems to have come to his own conclusion about her looks LOL!

The red lored is now 29 we got her when she was 26. She said a few words and phrases along with a few not so nice words and phrases. The not so nice things have left her vocabulary. She also now makes running water sounds, says the names of three of the other birds here and calls me and my husband both by name.

[ParrotsRUs]

Our lilac amazon is an amazing talker. Its so clear that if your standing in another room you swear there is someone in there talking. We have to be very careful what we say around her because it only takes her once to hear something to pick it up if she pleases to.

[dani_L]

My 2 year old OWA Evie is a great talker. I know OWAs are not reputed to be the best talkers, but I also gather that they are very very responsive to a patient and loving owner, and adapt accordingly. She uses words in context, when she feels ignored, she'll say "Mama's girl... Evie is mama's girl.." in a sad, sad voice. She also says "Hi mama! Hello!" She calls my dogs and yells NO!!! at them, as well as at my young B&G when he's being loud. She calls family members by name, and will say "Where's mama?" and answer herself "mama's gone!" She also has the most scandalous laugh imaginable, and interjects in people's conversations to laugh uproariously at them. The cutest thing she says is, when people says she's pretty, she'll cock her head to the side and go "awwwwwwww...."