There are 13 surviving species of Psittacula parakeets, most of which aren’t kept as pets. Wild ringneck parrots imitate the calls of other birds and mammals but not human speech.
Captive ringneck parrots can develop a vocabulary of up to 250 human words. They’re skilled mimics, entertaining their human owners with various English words and phrases.
Ringnecks need training to talk. Without reward-based training, wild communication styles like whistling, chirping, squawking, and screaming will be the default communication method.
Types of Ringnecks That Talk
The Alexandrine parakeet, named after Alexander the Great, can mimic human speech.
Mallee ringneck parrots are rarely kept in captivity in America. They hail from Australia and are found in the U.K. and Europe. After receiving training, they can learn to talk.
Indian ringneck parrots and African ringneck parrots are among the most gifted talkers.
Both subspecies are skilled mimics, regularly communicating with their owners once a bond has been established. Indian ringnecks are more vocal and chatty than African ringnecks.
Ringneck Parrots Are Good Talkers
Ringneck parrots, especially Indian ringnecks, are good mimics. The International Journal of Speech Technology explains how they frequently imitate the sounds of other wild animals.
A ringneck will frequently repeat words and sentences that it hears from humans. If a parrot masters a word or phrase, you’ll hear it repeated for the foreseeable future.
To maintain a dialog with a ringneck parrot, you must interact daily. They commonly revert to communicating exclusively in chirps, whistles, and squawks if left alone for too long.
Female Ringneck Parrots Can Talk
It’s a myth that only male ringneck parrots can speak. No difference in communication skills and vocabulary between the sexes has been noted in scientific circles.
Claims that female ringnecks can’t speak may have arisen due to anecdotal claims that female ringnecks prefer male humans. This may mean they talk less when female owners are present.
This is likely a consequence of ringneck parrots bonding intensely with one human and rejecting all others, as ringneck parrots are often considered one-person birds.
Ringneck Parrots Are Loud
Once a ringneck parrot starts talking, it’ll chatter and talk near-constantly.
A ringneck won’t necessarily be addressing you when it speaks. The more time you spend talking to the parrot, the more words it’ll learn, and the stronger the bond will become.
The vocal pitch of a ringneck, especially an Indian ringneck, is quite shrill and high-pitched. Many owners find the voice of an Indian ringneck amusing, but it can be loud.
Ringneck parrots also like to whistle. They’ll whistle near-constantly if you don’t teach them to speak.
Ringneck parrots are prone to screaming, especially early in the morning. Their volume can reach 110 decibels, comparable to that of a chainsaw.
How To Teach A Ringneck Parrot To Talk
Adopting an older ringneck parrot that once lived with humans will likely be skilled in speech. If not, how do you get a ringneck parrot to talk? The first step will be building a bond of mutual trust.
When a ringneck parrot enjoys your company, commence daily speech training.
This involves talking to the parrot directly, encouraging it to repeat your words, and congratulating and rewarding your bird every time.
Talk to the parrot throughout the day, even if it’s a running commentary on what you’re doing. Dedicate 15-20 minutes twice daily, where you encourage the parrot to repeat simple, one-syllable words.
Don’t expect a ringneck parrot to master a word the first time they hear it.
Training sessions will involve lots of repetition. If you remain consistent and enthusiastic in these lessons, the parrot’s imitation will become increasingly clear until it speaks fluently.
Ringneck parrots respond better to one-on-one vocal interaction than recordings but can also learn song lyrics and TV and movie quotes.
Don’t be surprised if a parrot regularly sings the chorus of an often-played song or repeats a catchphrase from a syndicated sitcom.
Number of Words A Ringneck Parrot Can Say
Ringneck parrots can learn and repeat 200 to 250 words and phrases.
Common words and phrases ringneck parrots can learn include:
- “Hello, you look nice today.”
- “What a lovely day.”
- “What is the time?”
- “I can see you.”
- “I love you.”
Once you have mastered basic words and phrases and have formed a strong bond with a ringneck parrot, you can attempt more complex or funny phrases to amuse yourself and visitors to your home.
Age Ringneck Parrots Can Talk
The International Journal of Scientific and Technical Advancements stated that ringneck parrots can imitate human speech at 4 months of age, but most begin talking after 8-12 months.
If you’ve adopted a ringneck parrot from a young age, speak to it regularly, even if you only receive garbled responses. You’ll eventually be rewarded with human words.
How Long It Takes for a Ringneck Parrot to Talk
Ringneck parrots won’t be fluent conversationalists after saying their first word and early attempts may be garbled. That said, always praise efforts to communicate in human language.
The more you converse with a ringneck, the more precise its use of language will become. By the time the parrot reaches the age of 18 months, it should be capable of speaking in understandable sentences.
A ringneck parrot will continue learning new words and phrases, so you may find that some oft-repeated dialog falls out of circulation and is replaced by alternatives.
Ringnecks are most likely to imitate words they find enjoyable to say.
Ringneck Parrots Don’t Understand What They Say
As ringneck parrots learn to speak through repetition, they won’t understand the meaning of language.
For example, if you teach a parrot to say “Happy Birthday” or “Merry Christmas,” don’t expect to hear these words only once a year based on the calendar.
The intelligence of ringneck parrots means they may start associating language context with reactions.
If a ringneck parrot says “I love you” and you respond by offering a treat, it’ll be encouraged to repeat this proclamation of affection regularly, but not necessarily with context.
Ringneck parrots can be trained to stop using unwanted or bad language (profanity). If a parrot has taken to repeating profanity or insulting words, don’t react to its usage. Eventually, it’ll grow bored.
The talking ability of ringneck parrots is lauded. If you have the know-how and time to care for a ringneck, you’ll benefit from the company of an intelligent and skilled conversationalist.
