Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!samsung!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!uoft02.utoledo.edu!desire!sbishop
From: sbishop@desire.wright.edu
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Northern Mockingbird (I think)
Message-ID: <470.26650e30@desire.wright.edu>
Date: 31 May 90 17:29:35 GMT
References: <976@soleil.UUCP> <832@fsu.scri.fsu.edu> <1990May30.224659.24948@cbnewsd.att.com>
Distribution: na
Lines: 25

In article <1990May30.224659.24948@cbnewsd.att.com>, jlevy@cbnewsd.att.com (janet.levy) writes:
>>In article <976@soleil.UUCP> mcaloon@soleil.UUCP (Barbara McAloon) writes:
>>
>>At times, I have opened the window and made my own sounds -- "cheep, cheep,
>>birdeeee, birdeeee, birdeeee" and to my amazement, it repeats what I say.
>>
> 
> I have tried this with mockingbirds when I am visiting in the Carolinas.
> They really do try to copy your sounds moments after you produce
> them.  It seems amazing to me since my experience with mimics is with
> psitticines who often only learn to speak after a million repetitions.
> By the way, I once had a pet starling who learned many bird songs and people
> whistles.  He tried to do human speech, but only I knew what he was
> saying.
> 

I have a problem with you saying it takes a million repititions to get a
psitticine to talk.  It just depends on the bird.  I have a parakeet who picked
up sneezing from me.  (I have allergies)  He also coughs and blows his nose,
calls the dog, and it only takes about a week of brief repetitions to learn a
new phrase.  His vocabulary is quite large and expands very often.  I have also
caught him mimicing the microwave oven noise, the phone ring and the oven timer
buzz.  While his voice is (understandably) not very loud, he says, "Hi,
Stupid!"  Everytime I walk into the kitchen.  My kids taught him that!  I
really don't know how much he can learn to say but he is a real talker!