How to Select a Good Talker

Choosing a Future Talker

If you wish to teach your budgerigar to talk, you must buy a bird straight from the nest, but old enough to feed itself.

There is a lot of casual talk about a strain of talking budgerigars, but it is doubtful if such a thing exists. It is true that some budgerigars talk better than others and learn faster, but this may be the result of their having been bred by a fancier who is interested in this aspect of training and so is able to give definite advice on teaching them to talk. Almost any young budgerigar can be taught to talk if it is bought at this stage, and if the owner will follow a few simple rules.

There is a popular misconception that only male birds talk. In fact, almost any young budgerigar can be taught to talk given the right conditions. There is little doubt, however, that cock birds learn more quickly than hens, so, if you have your heart set upon owning a talking bird, it is wise to choose a male.

Budgerigar Age

Breeders who specialise in selling budgerigars at the right age for them to be taught to talk will normally exchange the original bird you bought. if you have not been able to teach it to talk within six months. If you are given this assurance, make sure to get the guarantee in writing when buying the bird.

The ideal age at which to get a budgerigar that you are going to teach to talk is about five weeks. You can distinguish the younger bird from one that is twelve or more weeks old by the markings on the forehead and by the pupil of the eye.

A budgie under 12 weeks old will have bar-like markings on the forehead right down to the cere (the fleshy pad containing the nostrils and situated just above the beak). At about twelve weeks, budgerigars moult and the marked forehead feathers, known as the cap, are replaced by their adult plumage. The adult cap will be of one colour without bars, yellow in Green budgerigars and white in Blue budgerigars.

The older budgerigar will also have a white iris around the pupil of the eyes, while the black pupil in the eye of the chick will appear to fill the whole eye.

As a general rule, a budgerigar of eight months or older that has been kept in an aviary without any training will never become finger tame.

Left to their own devices, budgerigars will breed the whole year round, but in the southern hemisphere the best young stock is available each year from May to October (winter to spring), and in the colder northern hemisphere during the spring and early summer (pairing up birds no earlier than the beginning of March). Professional breeders may start sooner in the year when they wish to show moulted young budgerigars at early shows, but beginners are advised to follow the suggested breeding seasons, at least until they are more experienced in caring for budgerigars.
 

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