How do parrots speak so clearly and mimic so well?
Parrots do not have vocal cords, so sound is accomplished by expelling air across the mouth of the bifurcated trachea. Different sounds are produced by changing the depth and shape of trachea. So, talking parrots are really whistling in different variations. Congo African Grey Parrots (CAG) are well known for their ability to “talk”, which may be caused by more control, or stronger trachea. But that does not mean that a Cockatiel (Cockatiels are not well known for their talking ability), could have a greater vocabulary than an African Grey Parrot. This ability has made them prized as pets from ancient time to now. In the Masnavi, a writing by Rumi of Persia, AD 1250, the author talks about an ancient method for training parrots to speak. “Parrots are taught to speak without understanding the words. The method is to place a mirror between the parrot and the trainer. The trainer, hidden by the mirror, utters the words, and the parrot, seeing his own reflection in the mirror, fancies anot
I have known, trained, and been associated with lots of birds, most of them psittacines (parrots and their kin.) Mimicry is a huge part of bird communication in the wild, and is one of the more important ways that parrots learn to communicate and coexist with other similar species. They have very sharp minds and quickly form associations between sounds and actions. Most of the large vocal apparatus we humans have is dedicated to producing low frequencies, and that’s something parrots cannot do. Luckily, most of the information (the intelligibility) of human speech is in the mid-to-high frequencies, and birds have great equipment for generating and modulating those frequencies. Speech ability varies by species. Budgerigars and cockatiels can manage only a few squeaky words (generally), while African Greys can mimic not only words, but individual voices and speech mannerisms of their favorite people. Irene Pepperberg broke a lot of new ground in her work with her famous African Grey parr
How are parrots able to speak? How do parrots speak? Are their larynxes, tongues or brains different to other birds? I am amazed at how little literature there is on this. — Lucy Middleton, New Scientist INSTEAD OF A LARYNX with vocal chords, birds have a syrinx, a distended portion of the trachea. In the wall of the syrinx are two thin, oval membranes that vibrate and produce the bird’s vocalizations. Syrinxes differ slightly anatomically across bird families, involving the attachment of various muscles. Genetic differences also influence birds’ vocalizations. Parrots and some members of the crow family are the perfect combination of anatomy and neurology to learn human speech. Their syrinxes are capable of making the sounds and, unlike some birds, they are not hard wired genetically to speak only one “language.” Much in the same way English speakers can learn to speak French or Russian and vice versa, parrots and crows can learn to speak human words. However, for success it takes a
Dr Pepperberg’s “Alex” is not the only parrot who reasons and thinks, though he is the most studied and published case. I have several stories about my parrot that prove to me that she thinks, but they are not video taped, witnessed, etc, so in most people’s minds, are not real proof. My African Grey is 13 yrs old. When she started learning words, she just repeated them, probably because she knew I would respond positively. Later, as she knew more words she would combine them into short phrases that were appropriate to the situation. She has a sense of humor. When I come home, she often says,” eek! there’s a mamma” which is something no one ever taught her, but she knew all the words from different times and has recombined them herself. I won’t bore you with the many other stories! Don’t believe those web sites that say parrots only mimic words. Instead read some recently published (later than 1990) books about parrots. Also, the magazine by Sally Blanchard, ” the Companion Parrot Quar
