First of all, it's important to understand what it takes for a bird to talk...

Birds do not have a larynx, or vocal chords. This is what enables you and I to speak. In order for a bird to enunciate human sounds, they must learn to control the movement of the muscles in the throat to manipulate the movement of air well enough to reproduce tones and sounds. Sound complicated? It is.

So don't be discouraged when your Quaker doesn't say, "Thanks for picking me from the clutch...", when you bring him home that first day. Learning to accurately reproduce human spaech takes time, and depends on the birds particular inherent physical capabilities, as well as their...

Environmental Motivation

If you have taken time to thoroughly research this website, your heart is in the right place. Following up by reading some of the books listed on the Good Reading page will put you right over the top. The more knowledge you have about Quaker behavior, the more you can stimulate and bond with your Quaker. The more bonded and stimulated your Quaker is, the greater his desire to communicate with you. That is why parrots talk. Mimicing is a birds natural way of communicating with its flockmates. Every day you hear wild birds calling to one another. This is the basis on which we motivate our birds to speak to us.

So, do tapes work?

Well, is your parrot bonded to a tape? Probably not. Although birds do most often learn to speak the words and phrases we use most frequently, the repetition is based upon the fact that the words are uttered often as a part of the birds emotional environment.

Now, this is not to say that belting out "Jingle Bells" to your Quaker will motivate him to sing it in rounds. Parrots usually begin speaking with simple one syllable words like "What" and "Good". This is because, quite simply, they're easier. Birds also seem to love words that end with 'eeeeeeee' sounds like "pretty" and "yummy". Some words attract their ear, some are just easier to reproduce. However, rest assured, once your parrot is motivated to speak to you, and gets a big response for doing so, new words are just around the corner.

Quakers usually begin talking between 3-6 months of age. One of the most frequently first reproduced human sounds is kissing. SMOOCH-SMOOCH-SMOOCH. Think how many hundred times they probably hear it the week we bring them home! Quakers will often practice their human sounds at low volume and often their early attempts will be misconstrued as 'noise'. Don't discourage your parrot from noise making if you want a well enunciated parrot later on. Practice makes perfect!

There is some obvious (to me at least) truth to the fact that birds speak more frequently and at louder volume in their cages and when you are out of sight. Behavioral experts call this 'barrier frustration'. I call it "desperation motivation', same thing. In the wild, parrots constantly call out to their flockmates to establish location and territory against other species of bird. When you leave your parrots sight, instinct has it that he will call to you. If you respond, odds are he will too. You leave the room...

Quaker: "Eeeekk", loosely translated as, "Where are you?"
You: "Watcha doin'?"
Quaker: "Aarkk", loosely translated, "Just checkin'"

If you respond to your bird each time he calls to you in this manner you are teaching him some very important lessons. First off, vocalization gets results. Secondly, you understand what he's saying to you. This is a very important motivation for acquiring human speech. Keep loving your Quaker, stimulating your Quaker, and talking to your Quaker. People who talk have birds that talk.

Back to those physical attributes...

African Grays are by far the best talkers in the bird kingdom. Quakers have been known to have vocabularies of up to hundreds of words, most used appropriately from time to time, but their physical capabilites do not allow them the same clarity as Grays. When speaking to your Quaker, speak as clearly and plainly as you can. Talking baby talk will only further distort the birds imitation of the sound, sometime rendering it useless.

Although I have never known a Quaker that did not speak at all, you may choose to buy a bird that is already saying "mmmmm,good" by the time its weaned if this is extremely important to you. Regardless, your Quaker will talk eventually, and when he does, it's all over...

The short clip of my Quaker, Tango, saying "Step up" was made at Age 4 months, he was across the room and I used the computer microphone, so it's not very clear, but he is an excellent little talker, just like Mommy!

General Behavior

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© contained in Quaker Quarters Copyright Kyra Brown 1998