Females don't talk?

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holesinmyshirt
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Females don't talk?

Post by holesinmyshirt »

Is it true? ... I have a 10 month old female ( I believe .. no dark neck ring) and she is quite vocal .. mimics our other birds, just not us.
sanjays mummi
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by sanjays mummi »

Although I am starting to think sanjay may be female, he/she does say words, but loves mimicking toons
ellieelectrons
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by ellieelectrons »

Females can talk. Neither of my birds talk really well but they talk a bit and I've never really tried to teach them to talk. Our male does talk better than our female.

Ellie.
sheyd
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by sheyd »

yes, females can talk (as has been mentioned) some talk, some don't. I have a female that was never taught to talk- by us, but she's copied everything she knows from one of our pet cock birds- she's even gone on to mimic my toddlers whiny cry---she's that good, that you don't know if it's her or the child- or if it's her or the cock bird. I've also had a mature h/r cock that I'd owned since a baby that never uttered a single word. They're all individual :)
zentoucan
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by zentoucan »

my understanding is that not all birds will talk whether they are male or female. one of the reasons I got a bird. they seem to be more intelligent than a cat or dog. if they talk, it a bonus. another reason is, I just like birds
sanjays mummi
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by sanjays mummi »

Depends what breed of dog or cat you own, :D
zentoucan
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by zentoucan »

I yet to see a cat or dog have a conversation with it companion like Alex the African Grey.
MissK
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by MissK »

-MissK
sanjays mummi
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by sanjays mummi »

My understanding, is that birds mimic, they do not "hold conversations", we understood our dogs body language, and they understood a vast range of words. We also appreciated their quiet companionship, conversation is not necessary or desired 24/7. Each to his or her own.
MissK
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by MissK »

Hi.

It really seems as though Alex did rather a bit more than mimic. If you get the chance you should try and see some video of him being questioned about the attributes of the objects used in Dr. P's research. You'll maybe see him selecting items like the "five corner blue" or showing "which one blue and wood and five corner?" You may also see him saying "want a nut" or whatever.

Is that conversation? Sure, I guess it could be seen as a conversation. But if it is, then I think people would have to agree that when I tell my dog "Go get your Squeaky" and she returns to me, waving it, that is a conversation, too. She may not be physically able to say "Here it is" in English, but the response is hard to miss. Likewise, as my other dog is standing here barking in that particular way at me, I know she is saying "stop doing that and take me out! I gotta PEE! I want to do it outside, not here." Excuse me.

Now I'm back from the yard, and the dog has moved on to chewing her bone. I suggest if using the same words that you use is a criteria of having a conversation, then I would make a case that set of criteria is faulty. Just think of the last time you managed to communicate with another person who didn't speak your language nor you theirs. Didn't share a language, but did exchange thoughts, and probably take appropriate action.

More food for thought would be the way we are sometimes conditioned to respond in a certain way. Ever answer your home phone with the work phone greeting? Ever say "You too!", without really registering what was said first to you? How about "Have a Nice Day!"

My point is that there is a lot of communication available for those who are sensitive enough to pick it up, in many more places than one might casually imagine. To say that another particular species definitely can't communicate or "have a conversation", I think, simply points to the limitations of the one who made the statement. Do I think every other species can communicate with us? Probably not, no. But is it because of them, or is it US?
-MissK
InTheAir
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by InTheAir »

Nila seems to be putting words into context, slightly.
The other day a friend of mine turned up at our door at the time Dave usually comes home from work. Nila did his natural contact call that he greets either of us with, my friend walked into the room and Nila flew to the other end of the room and started calling "David, David?" until Dave got home. Nila doesn't usually talk at that time of day.
When he learnt to say "David", he used to call me David, now he's realised it is not the right label and calls "aaaaiir" when he wants me.
It's not exactly a conversation, but it is the correct use of labels.

If you want an animal that you can have a conversation with about your feelings, chimps are probably the way to go. Project washoe. :wink:
zentoucan
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by zentoucan »

we don't have chimps has pets in Australia. and I wouldn't have one, too dangerous and I don't think it would like my feelings
missk
I know what the limitations of cats, dogs and birds are, as I have shared my life with a few. telling your dog to go and get it's squeaky is not quite the same has putting a handful of yellow and red blocks on a tray and asking a parrot "how many yellow Blocks ?" and getting the correct answer. then asking "how many green blocks?" and again getting the correct answer. but human nature being what it is, we humans are prone to wishful thinking, and therefore have an enormous capacity for fooling ourselves. it's one thing to read the doctor Dolittle story, it another to believe it's true. This was indeed the case with Clever Hans, as was shown by the careful study of psychologist Oskar Pfungst, who reported his results in 1907.

you should read the 1907 clever Hans commission.

A border Collie can have a vocabulary of 1022 words at best and this is the smartest of the dogs
Puck the budgerigar had a vocabulary of over 1728 words.

Sanjays Mummi

The belief that parrots only mimic is out of date.
Alex, an African gray parrot, was purchased from a Chicago pet store in 1977. Dr. Irene P bought the one-year-old bird to see if she could teach a parrot to understand language in a similar manner to chimpanzees and gorillas that had been taught American Sign Language.
At the time, it was believed that a large brain, like a primate's, was necessary to acquire language. By comparison, a parrot's brain is about the size of a walnut, so it was believed that mimicry was the best we could hope for. Instead, the work of P and Alex (an acronym for Avian Learning EXperiment) before his sudden death in 2007, has changed the perceptions of many in the scientific community.
According to Dr. P's research, this avian Einstein could identify 50 different objects, knew seven colors and shapes, and many different kinds of materials like wool, paper, and wood. For example, hold up a blue block of wood and Alex could tell you the shape, the color, and even what it was made of.
However, he also grasped more complex concepts that required a higher level of thought and understanding. Put a handful of red and yellow blocks on a tray and ask him how many were yellow, he could tell you the correct answer. If you then asked him how many of those same blocks were green, he would say "none."
Furthermore, hold up two blocks of different colors and different sizes and he could tell you which was bigger. Maybe the term "birdbrained" isn't such an insult after all.
Despite the loss of Alex, the Avian Learning Experiment goes on. Dr. P's latest feathered pupil is Griffin, another African Gray, that was born in 1995. In 2007, Animal Planet tested Griffin against kids at a Boston preschool on the basics of object recognition, colors, and shapes.
It was determined that Griffin was about as smart as a three-and-a-half year old human. Not bad for having a brain the size of a walnut.
MissK
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by MissK »

Thanks for sharing.
I remain unconvinced.
-MissK
AlphaWolf
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by AlphaWolf »

I never had a dog but a cat is a more intelligent creature than you think. They know when you are angry, Me and Felix made a one-way contact call and a come-here call. She knew what to do and what not to do. Yes there maybe not like parrots but zen I go with Missk on this one. Maybe it is because you never had any to understand :D But cats and dog do have conversations and i testify to it, no Dr doolittle garbage here :) :) .
"Live with parrots and you learn to panic"

AlphaWolf
InTheAir
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by InTheAir »

It's probably a good idea to provide credits for articles you paste on here. It's good manners towards the author, and some writers do get upset when you don't.
AJPeter
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by AJPeter »

When l first got Billie 3 months ago she would say "Hallo" several times but she stopped after l repeated Hallo to her, strange also she copied ths squeaks make R2D2 in Star Wars. But she does not need to speak for me to know what she wants l can tell from the expression on her face what she wants.
AJPeter
zentoucan
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by zentoucan »

I have had cats, dogs and birds and like my original post, I believe that birds are more intelligent and you can hold a higher level of communication with them than cats and dogs. I never said that you couldn't communicate with a cat or dog.
it seems that when thing don't go their way, people either dismiss, demand facts or indicate that you don't have any experience.

credits from Google
The clever Hans Commission 1907
Dr Pepperberg and Alex the African grey
Puck the Budgerigar
top 25 smartest animals
ringneck
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by ringneck »

Hello holesinmyshirt,

I'm here to testify that female ringneck's do talk. Have you seen my bird Devri? She is a female ringneck that says "hi baby, yeah, pretty bird, you want a tickle, and other things i can't make out. She also does a lot of whistles. :)

Here is the video of her talking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HmHJ1jYB3k

Best Wishes, IMRAN-C
Little Buttercup
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Re: Females don't talk?

Post by Little Buttercup »

My cockatiel is female and can say her own name and kiwi, but did'nt pick up more words so far. But I don't spend time teaching them to talk.

Everyone can have their own opinion and likes and dislikes. We have a cat, but I just prefer birds, like birds better than cats. I would'nt keep dogs, just not my type of animals. And all animals are intelligent in their own right, no need to compare. Some talk with body language and some talk with mouths.

Ash
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