How to teach English to a Parrot
Don’t you love it when your bird speaks? Indeed, one of the reasons, human keep parrots for pets it is because of their ability to speak and mimic. However, not all parrot species will speak. While some parrots go to the extent of whistling, some species will never talk. All the same whether she speaks or not, treat them for what they are, adorable, intelligent creatures that make great companion and are fun to be with. Don’t always expect you bird to mimic or utter words with the same eloquence as the common parrot movies characters. Her are different species of parrots and some are more responsive and intelligent than others and thus are more likely to speak with time. For instance the African Greys parrot stands out as an intelligent bird capable of learning language within a short period of time. However remember that you will need to be patient with your bird. Here are some useful instructions on teaching a parrot English.
Instruction
·         Just like in any learning situation begin from simple to complex. In this case parrots will learn quickly short words and words you use commonly around the parrot. It is always advisable to avoid words with letter p or long words. These words are difficult for the parrot to pronounce and will only make the parrot confused. Begin with the birds name and words such as “hello”. Within no time, the parrot should be able to start uttering such words. You will also notice that the parrot has some words she has taken interest in. Note the words and let those be your point of start in teaching the parrot.
·         Relate the words with an action. This is the basic of learning among small kids and will definitely apply with parrots. For instance, whenever you give your parrot cereal, you can say the word cereal followed by handing cereals to the parrot. Also whenever you say up, you can lift your bird to relate the words with action.
·         Repeat the words constantly until the bird has mastered them. Repetition is a good way to enforce learning. Make sure whenever you teach your bird words she is straight in front of your face. This is a sure way to enable the bird concentrate and to associates emotions with words.
·         Positive reinforcement. In dogs training, positive reinforcement has been proved as a successful way of training dog’s new behavior. The same with parrots, you can use such approach. Whenever your bird learns a new word or behavior you must give her a treat. For instance give nuts whenever she gets a word right. Repeat this constantly until the bird has mastered all the words.
·         Once the bird has mastered the ward now you a slowly start withdrawing the treats. This will be instrumental in reinforcing the learning outcome.
Note
·         Always be patient with your parrot.For your parrot to master language it might take some time.
·         You can also use recorded video cassettes to teach the bird but the cassettes should not be more than 15 minutes to avoid loss of concentration.