Why can certain birds talk or mimic sounds whereas others can ?
Most birds can mimic. It’s a part of their survival, either for finding a mate, callling the flock, or confusing predators. Song birds start mimicking other songs before they learn to create their own original song. Jays and parrots can mimic the sound of one predator to frighten off another. The birds you are talking about that mimic human speech probably do so because it’s a part of their captive environment. The organ in birds used to mimic is called a syrinx. This is instead of a larynx, which is found in humans. Their mouths, beaks and throats have little, if anything to with the sound-making process.
