Blue Crown hissy-speak?

JamesC

Active member
Sep 3, 2011
591
41
Knoxville, TN
Parrots
Blue Crown Conures: Tootsie and Rosco.
Senegal Parrot: Sidney.

Feathers of the past:
Budgies: Sunshine, Digit, Kiwi, and Yahto.
Senegal Parrot: Kelly.
"Fly free, little ones. Love and miss you."
My old girl Tootsie has never said a word in the 25 years that I have known her. However, she has always responded when you talk to her with a breathy and active hissy-speak. I thought that she was talking but just doing it in a way that was not understandable.

Not too long ago, the much younger Rosco started talking for the first time and we have been working on improving his abilities since. He has been doing very well. But just recently he started doing the same hissy-speak as Tootsie. Not too often but it is an identical sound.

When Tootsie does it, her eyes pin and her beak and tongue are very active. It would look as if she is talking up a storm were it not for the hissing noise. I always thought that the hissy-speak was a Tootsie thing and was quite surprised to hear Rosco do it. So I became curious if other Blue Crown companions have heard the same thing from their birds.

I wish I had a video of it but she has always stopped if I try to get a video of her doing it.
 

RavensGryf

Supporting Member
Jan 19, 2014
14,233
190
College Station, Texas
Parrots
Red Bellied Parrot /
Ruppell's Parrot /
Bronze Winged Pionus /
English Budgie
I don't have a conure of any type, but interesting now that you describe it I want to hear it!
 

Kiwibird

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
Parrots
1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Parrots who are "talkers" by nature will imitate other bird noises just as easily as human noises. I think if Rosco is a talker, he probably also picked up on Tootsies "talking" too:D

My parents have had their 3 parrots for 40 years, and not a one utters a human word. But the one cockatoo makes perfect amazon noises, probably because he's been around the 2 amazons so long. Alfie the too' might've been a talker if he had been in a single bird home, but instead he decided to mimic the other birdies:).
 

pacoparrot

New member
Jun 7, 2012
195
Media
1
0
Scranton PA
Parrots
Darwin- Male Ekkie
Charlie- Cinnamon GCC
Twiggy- Cockatiel
RIP Paco, Jack, and Echo </3
I agree he is probably mimicking your older birds "Jarble". None of my birds talk but I have fostered a few that did and they learned all of my other birds sounds. You are so lucky to have blue crowned conures! They are a personal favorite of mine.
 

EnglishMuffin

New member
Mar 1, 2014
328
0
Vancouver, Canada
Parrots
Sootie- Yellow-sided GCC
This is interesting because Sootie my YSGCC makes a noise exactly like you are describing. Like a breathy hiss or whistle. We actually had a theory that she is trying to mimic the noise my brother makes to her (which is kind of a whispery, breathy whistle) because she always does it when he speaks! I will try to video her doing it
 

TessieB

New member
Nov 3, 2013
1,230
Media
6
2
Upstate, South Carolina
Parrots
1 Blue Front Amazon, 1 Yellow Head Amazon, 4 Cockatiels, 2 Parakeets
I call it whispering, and once a bird learns whispering will get your attention she/he will do the noise on a regular basis.
 

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