I always wanted to know if cockatiels can talk at all. I noticed some cockatiels in a pet store the other day, but I didn’t stick around for long to hear if they were talking. So I decided to do some little research. Here is what I found!
Can Cockatiel Talk?
Can Cockatiels Talk? Yes, the cockatiels have the ability to reproduce the sounds and words that it hears. When they are kept as a pet or around humans, the cockatiel can reproduce human sounds. However, they are not very communicative birds and can vocalize only a certain number of words.
Моst people think that if cockatiels are smart and intelligent, they can talk. But they are all surprised to learn that cockatiels are just mimicking the familiar sounds in their environment. The sex of cockatiels also makes a difference in their speaking ability. Male cockatiels are more likely to talk and mimic sounds than their females. As a result, teaching a cockatiel to speak is possible and easier than you think.
Many cockatiels can be taught tricks like ringing a bell on command, pulling specific toys, and walking up ladders. In addition, being a member of the parrot family, cockatiels may be taught to mimic human words. However, remember that these birds aren’t the fastest speech learners, unlike other parrot-like African greys.
Cockatiels may also learn to sing and mimic non-human sounds like the ringing of your home telephone. So expect your pet cockatiel to be vocal, especially as soon as they arise in the morning or when they’re about to go to sleep at night.
Cockatiels will be extra noisy if you leave them alone for a while. As soon as you come home, your pet will most likely greet you loudly. That’s their way of communicating, and they want to show you how happy they are to see you back home.
At What Age Do Cockatiels Start Talking?
On average, cockatiels start talking at the age of 8 to 10 months. So although most cockatiels will start making cute little chirping at three months, you will need quite a bit more time with them to start talking.
In the beginning, you need to make sure that your cockatiel is no longer shy and that he trusts you enough to want to learn. Therefore to create such a relationship with your pet before you start teaching him how to speak, I recommend that you take at least six months.
Males are known to start whistling much earlier and tend to be much louder than females. Sometimes how long it takes for your cockatiel to start talking depends on many factors, including the bird’s personality. You may also get a female who starts making noises louder earlier.
Can Cockatiels Talk Like Humans?
No, the way cockatiels talk is very different from the process that happens in humans. Cockatiels do not have the ability to talk or vocalize due to the vibrations of the vocal cords, unlike humans who have that ability.
Like all other birds, the cockatiel has no vocal cords that can reproduce speech that sounds like a person. Instead, cockatiel speech occurs when the cockatiel directs air through the muscles in the throat. As a result, they can only try to reproduce the sound around them.
This skill that cockatiels have adapted is what has happened as a scientific response over time. Unlike them, people do it all the time. Many social experiments have proved that humans, like animals, react similarly to their environment, even when it doesn’t make sense.
When cockatiels are kept as pets, they are most of their time exposed to the sounds of humans rather than the traditional sounds of a flock of cockatiels or the jungle. In this way, they imitate human sounds to socialize correctly in that environment.
How Do You Teach a Cockatiel to Talk?
The best way to teach your cockatiel to talk is if you are constantly hanging out with your parrot and in an environment where there is constant noise.
It takes a long time to teach your cockatiel to talk like any new trick. In addition to time, it takes specific effort on the cockatiel owner’s part. Depending on whether your bird is male or female, they may not be as active talkers or even learn how to talk.
If you want them to talk, then you need to speak to them. Constantly ask phrases or questions that you want them to learn.
We already know that all cockatiels try to imitate the sound around them. Therefore, the best way to train your cockatiel is to understand what sounds are in their environment. For example, if your parrot is not in a social location and is kept in a quiet place, it is absolutely the worst thing when you train them to talk.
There should be constant noise or talking in the area where you keep the bird so that they can learn to talk. The best way to go about doing this is to socialize with your cockatiel.
In the beginning, when cockatiels start talking, like babies, they start mumbling or changing the pitch. One thing to note is that cockatiels do not speak as they try to mimic sounds so the ringing sound of your phone and your voice are two different terms in their environment.
Cockatiels and their owners
You can help differentiate yourself by making your voice more honorable and vocalizing and pronouncing words face to face. In the end, you should listen and speak at least at the beginning until they improve their mimic. Their voice at the beginning will be thunderous, fast, and different from how people talk.
Repeating things is a surefire way to get him to accept that frequent sound in their environment. After your cockatiel has begun to vocalize or show signs of starting to learn, you may find a better approach to be holding up objects and naming them so that your cockatiel has some association with a word.
Many cockatiel owners leave their music or tv on when they go out. This is because cockatiels respond very well to music. Also, the extra sound from the tv will allow them to pick up the human voice. But be very careful which channel your tv stays on as you may find that your cockatiel has started talking about politics or swearing in your absence.
Are female cockatiels quieter than males?
Yes, female cockatiels are more quitters than males, and if you are looking for a noisier bird, then your right choice is male.
The sex of the cockatiels makes a big difference. The talking ability of cockatiels is linked to the male hormone testosterone. Because of this correlation between bird speak and testosterone, male cockatiels are more likely to talk and mimic sound than their female counterparts. So while some females do learn to speak, the chance of the male speaking is significantly higher.
In their natural environment, they need to learn and adapt. The parrot’s ability to imitate ordinary sounds is a scientific response that has evolved over the years. The male is the one who chases, and the female is the one who is persecuted.
There is also a big difference in personalities from male to female. Remember, all birds are different in temperament, and this is especially true for an intelligent and social bird such as a cockatiel. Females tend to act more nervous than their male counterparts, but they also have a higher chance of being more social and affectionate than males. It’s more difficult to teach a female how to talk, but they chirp in a charmingly, friendly, and sing-song way.
Unlike more active males, the female will mate, lay eggs, and spend more time in the nest. This allows males to socialize more than females. But the females are, therefore, often more territorial than males. If you keep two female cockatiels as pets, they will often quarrel and must be kept in a different cage, but if you keep males as pets, then they will usually be friendly with each other.
Do cockatiels know what they’re saying?
No, cockatiels only imitate the sounds of their environment. We think they speak, but it is just a reproduction of speech. Sometimes we think they understand what we are talking about, but they are intelligent enough to read and respond in our language.
