Are birds trying to tell us things?

Are birds trying to tell us things?

Owner spends years deciphering budgie's `words'
Research does suggest birds have cognitive ability
Mar. 23, 2006. 01:00 AM by ELVIRA CORDILEONE, STAFF REPORTER

Ryan Reynolds is a psittalinguist - a person who interprets budgie-speak.

Since 1999, he has invested thousands of hours slowing down and deconstructing recordings of his beloved budgie, Victor, who died five years ago at the young age of 3, as well as other talking budgies.

Victor had a vocabulary of 1,000 words, which he used in context, Reynolds says.

([Actual link is on www.parrotresearch.com..., which may or may not be credible.])

This sounds plausible to me. I'm going to listen more. I'm a amateur-birder and I always marvel when I see raptors perched on trees and cranes flying near where I live. These can't talk, can they? Why does the budgie have such a large volcabulary?

Anybody else think birds can talk? I wonder if they might say, "I have avian flu, it's been nice knowing you." Let's get some researchers on this pronto. Put budgies with H5N1 chickens and see if they start talking.

(mod ed: quote fix)


[edit on 29-3-2006 by Riwka]

Well, this is very interesting. I beleive this is the same person who has been on Coast to Coast, and talks to parakeets. He's had their recordings on and they are eerie.
They played a clip of one parakeet saying to another in a whisper: "earthquake" It was hard to make out a lot of this stuff..they sound like gossiping hens at a pta gathering.

I am not convinced even though i did make out a couple of words.

Another thing, they did put a third parakeet in a cage and the other female went berzerk.

Without a doubt, birds do relate to us. I have around 3 barn? owls who live in my land, one in an unused chimney,one is almost solid white, so I do not know what kind it is for sure.I have lots of ravens as this are virgin woods.
If you listen really close the owls will hoot in a different way if there is weather coming, as do some of the tinier birds.
They come to the window which is close to my puter and will screech and hoot wildly if there is a big change in barometric pressure.His eye is on the sparrow, so I know He watches me..
Fascinating topic.They all know they are safe here.

Well. o_o; Thats quite interesting...

I find it hard to believe though, because how exactly do you decipher a budgie's speech? How? Last time I checked only parrots are able to talk.

Did they learn the bird's own language? If so, how? I don't get it.

Originally posted by dgtempe
Well, this is very interesting. I beleive this is the same person who has been on Coast to Coast, and talks to parakeets. He's had their recordings on and they are eerie.

From what I read on the parrotresearch site linked above, you have to teach the budgie to talk. The site seems to suggest saying a phrase to your budgie over and over. Eventually, the budgie will learn the context. The site says most budgies do not speak. Some that are especially alert seem to be better choices for teaching language to.

I tried to join the parrotresearch site so I could download the clips, but they've yet to give me my password. Strange that a password is needed to download bird-audio. If I get a budgie and record his speech, I'll surely make it publically available!

Originally posted by siriuslyone
Fascinating topic.They all know they are safe here.

Thanks for replying, siriuslyone. I enjoyed your imagery there. I love owls, and have never understood the connection with death or bad omens. Also, I have heard of people training crows and ravens to perform tasks or to gather information. I wonder if this sort of thing is hard to do? I guess if it's reward or food-based pretty much any being can be trained to do some things, but I'm thinking more of complex, goal driven tasks. I wonder how smart the smartest crow was?

Originally posted by Kacen
Did they learn the bird's own language? If so, how? I don't get it.

As described above, I guess they teach them english words, and then the bird grasps the context. Like, I will have my budgie on my finger and I will tap on the keys of the piano and say, "Peeps plays piano" or something like that, and then the bird would grasp the structure of the words and realize that "peeps" is me, the human, and "piano" is the music it hears.

But then, if the owner of the bird teaches the bird the words it uses to communicate, then doesn't the owner determine what words the bird knows, and therefore the sentences the bird says? Like, maybe the budgie just learns to mimic like a parrot does?

Anyway, when I get a link to something we can listen to, I'll post it here.

Thanks for replying, siriuslyone. I enjoyed your imagery there. I love owls, and have never understood the connection with death or bad omens. Also, I have heard of people training crows and ravens to perform tasks or to gather information. I wonder if this sort of thing is hard to do? I guess if it's reward or food-based pretty much any being can be trained to do some things, but I'm thinking more of complex, goal driven tasks. I wonder how smart the smartest crow was?

IMO, fear of owls is a leftover from the Jewish Lilith whom is portrayed as female on Earth with Adam, but she wanted her freedom and called out the real name of G-d, I have a cameo with her and the white owl, always white.
When she left Eden she became the Goddess of childbirth and has/had thousands of lovers.
Probably ravens are trained like messenger pidgeons?

Interesting Lilith site-seems white owl was/is her totem

ccat.sas.upenn.edu...

Hay SIR, Birds talk, as a many year sailor I learned to descifer the behaviour of our feathered friends, they would predict the weather very accuratly. How I don't know.
Now as a "land crab" I "hear" them "speak" but not in actual human words, this is in a spiritual manner or what ever one may call it, a forgotten tongue?
I have wondered though what the "Flu" is trying to tell us, along with other animal born infections. Lhymes? (spelled right?) a tiny insect carrying a deadly virus. Is this more suteable for Paranormal Studies?
Take Care
WIS

Originally posted by WalkInSilence
Hay SIR, Birds talk, as a many year sailor I learned to descifer the behaviour of our feathered friends, they would predict the weather very accuratly. How I don't know.
Now as a "land crab" I "hear" them "speak" but not in actual human words, this is in a spiritual manner or what ever one may call it, a forgotten tongue?
I have wondered though what the "Flu" is trying to tell us, along with other animal born infections. Lhymes? (spelled right?) a tiny insect carrying a deadly virus. Is this more suteable for Paranormal Studies?
WIS

Perhaps they are aware of the bird flu? I have always thought they come to warn me of danger, and their 'talk' is different, but perhaps it is fear of the flu?
Sometimes they are telling me they need food or water.
It is an awesome experience to see that owl from my chimney when she leaves after sundown to go feed.
I have too may blue jays, but I love all the other ones..Blue jays are bullies
How have you been?

Too many Blue Jays ha, yea they are bullies, but sooo pretty.
I'm OK in a void, SIS, spring energy is pulling me in every direction.
The birds? ( Our talk belongs in Paranormal, you know?)
But perhaps the birds ARE aware, perhaps within years we can see it on the way they migrate, perhaps the migration patern will change.
WIS

(edit spelling wis)

[edit on 29-3-2006 by WalkInSilence]

[edit on 29-3-2006 by WalkInSilence]

I have frequently spoken with birds, although I admit the range of our "conversations" was generally limited to how pretty the bird was, and how it desired some type of cracker.

Birds, as a rule, don't have the cognitive ability to use language like humans. Some of them are remarkable mimics and given the right stimulus can seem to be communicating. Parakeets, budgies, parrots, etc. are the most commonly known avian mimics. Mynah (sic) birds are classic examples. Mockingbirds, generally known as good mimics of other birds, have been known to mimic artificial sounds and human speech. Jays, crows, and other covids are also relatively good mimics.

That's not to say birds can't tell us something. The common red-breasted robin never left this area all winter. I read that as an obvious sign something's up with the weather.

I noticed the article described the rate of speech for a budgie as 150-200 words per minute. That's not much different from human rate of speech. Why would it take some particular skill to decipher?

But actually speaking? My vote? Nah.