While they don't have the melodic singing ability of the canary, budgies can make a lot of wierd noises. Among other things, they can chirp, tweet, warble, squawk, cough, trill, beep, whistle, and talk!
That's right, they can talk! It takes takes a long time to teach them, but in the end it can be very rewarding to hear your budgie greet you with such phrases as, "Off that lampshade, you @#%$ bird!" or "Shut up, birdbrain!". Like people, birds vary in their ability to learn new concepts. Some budgies are the avian equivalent of Einstien, or Shakespeare, while others may be politician material. Birdbrain I used to perch on the phone handset, listening, and would sometimes spontaneously say things he heard on the phone (the latest gossip, for instance). A bird will talk only when he feels like it. He'll start chirping, making all the wierd noises he knows, and occasionally say a few words mixed in with the garble.
Speech isn't the only thing budgie's can imitate. Everytime the microwave beeps, Birdbrain will beep along with it. And he has the smoke alarm learned perfectly.
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Here are some sounds in Microsoft Windows .WAV format to
give you an idea of what a speaking budgie sounds like. Can your budgie talk? Submissions are welcome. Record a phrase in a small wave file and send it to Steven Hanov. It will be listed here. |
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