Training birds – how to do it

Are you one of those people who dream of teaching Beo to talk? Training and taming birds requires patience and empathy for your feathered friend. Nothing is impossible, but some species are more talented at speech than others, while others prefer to live their own lives in small flocks and are not particularly interested in "conversing" with humans.

INHALT
First, tame it Fun and games for birds at home Learn to speak easily
First, tame it

Before you start training your bird to perform acrobatics or even just free flight, it is important that your feathered friend is tame. Don't worry, you can still be successful even if you keep a group of budgies – which, incidentally, is very pleasant for the animals. Sometimes birds learn even faster in a group. There is always a brave candidate who will venture forward when you offer some food on your outstretched hand. It's best to call the animal by its name as soon as it moves toward you. The feeding ritual is the key to your later success. Once the bird knows that it can trust you and will be rewarded, it will come back. You will then be its source of food – and, hopefully, its source of entertainment and distraction.

Fun and games for birds at home

There are lots of interesting games for birds. Parrots have to work hard to survive in the wild. Here, they have a relaxed, mostly long life on their perch, but boredom is the order of the day for most of the time. Your pet will therefore certainly be grateful for attention and little learning tasks. Pet stores also sell wonderful toys that, among other things, allow your pet to sharpen its beak and thus also groom itself.

Incidentally, it's not just parrots that like to bond with "their" human and enjoy a challenge: if you've acquired a pair or a small group of birds, you've probably thought carefully about your intentions behind bringing them into your home. Feel free to be creative. Cockatiels, for example, like to push things around and make a bit of noise. And it's not just budgies that enjoy their daily flight. So there are many ways to entertain a bird while taming and training it at the same time.

Woman with petsXL Coco
Learn to speak easily

The same applies to speech. There are real linguistic talents among birds. African grey parrots are considered particularly talented because they can not only understand and repeat sounds and words, they are even able to imitate the tone of voice in which they hear something. This can lead to some fun in the family when it's not the children calling for Mom, but the bird.

It is best to offer the bird "sound training" during its daily rest periods—at midday or in the late afternoon—because this is when it perceives sounds particularly well. Most birds are quickest at repeating vowels. Speak slowly and clearly. The words you want your bird to learn should be easy for it. It's best to use its name as the first word: your bird will soon be able to repeat "Koko" or "Hansi." You can help it learn more vocabulary by playing a word, a song, or something else on a continuous loop. The most important thing is to be patient with your feathered students, and you'll soon see the first signs of success.