Oscar scared the heck out of me yesterday. Not because of Halloween, actually, it was even spookier.

He does most of his talking in "my wife's voice". He does some in mine, but it sounds a bit off as I have a very low voice. My "shouting" works better as it's slightly higher pitched.

Yesterday we were talking, I was 10cm from him, he said stuff, giggled, and suddenly ... I thought my mouth spoke without my knowledge.

"Like that, yes". Something I often say when the pets do something right.

Except it wasn't me.

It was him, somehow managing to imitate *exactly* the same frequencies, although it's technically impossible. Only works at a very close distance (a bit like headphones producing bass despite small speakers, but only when over/in your ear)?

I thought I was hallucinating, but no. It was him just giving us one more surprise. I praised him like there was no tomorrow, but he was just happy to have me close, he wasn't impressed with himself.

These animals are mind-blowing.

Way to go Oscar! That would have seriously thrown me.....my own voice, when I’m not speaking. Sometimes I’m very thankful that conures are not good at imitation

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Jen
Baby (Sun conure adopted in 2016, hatched approx 2011, female)
Tango (GCC adopted in 2016, hatched approx 2014, female)
Bindi (Sun conure adopted Jan 2018, hatched approx 2011, female)
Screamer (Cockatiel adopted April 2018, hatched approx 2012, female)
Stanley (Pineapple GCC adopted Aug 2018, hatched approx 2014, male)
Tee (Pineapple GCC adopted Jul 2019, hatched approx 2015, female)
Jimmy (Cockatiel adopted Jan 2021, age 21?, male)

Neat!! My Penny has only cussed twice came to me knowing it. Both times in a gruff smokers woman's voice lol!!!!

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"When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. "Thomas Sowell

My Levi does that. So far he has 3 different voices.
What is Oscar? I can't make it out from your avatar image.

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~Tami & Levi

He's a male Senegal, now 6 years old. They usually aren't known to be talkers, but single males sometimes do talk a bit.

He doesn't shut up heheh. I have a list of 80 words/sentences/noises that he does, most of them in context.

He has favorites that change every week. Today - my wife who worked from home counted - he said "spaggie spaggie" (spaghetti) 89 times... I think he's addicted to pasta now and we need a rehab for him.

He also does minute long conversations with himself in a language that sounds like real Dutch, but is just like an 8 year old kid who would pretend to speak Spanish or something, know what I mean? He does interject "real" words in that too. And laughs, coughs, giggles, silences... raising his voice, whispering again.

I was used to hearing my wife's voice through him, especially her laughs and giggles, so I knew his imitation capacity was beyond what we ever would have expected - even from an African Grey.

But my voice? I mean, it's not Lurch from The Addams Family, but close. "You rang", you know the one?
Seriously, I stood there for 5 minutes, struck by lightning. He does the "Birdy Nom Noms" in my voice - from a scene from The Pink Panther - but this was ... 100% perfect.

Other examples: in Italy there is a specific type of owl that has a lovely sound. He was there one night, and the next day did a pitch perfect imitation. No practicing, nothing. Just suddenly "wooohho".

Love the gruff smoker's woman voice LOL!


Oh, and I forget: he has one voice I don't know, probably the lady who bottle fed him? "Step up" is in her voice, so he learned it early on.

I know we all like to think our baby is special, and they are of course, but I'm beginning to wonder if he actually isn't a bit "special special". His verbal skills, his playing with his own sounds, almost like he's making music. He has 12 ways to say "Oscar".

Such a tiny brain in a dinosaur... humbling experience to be honest.

Our Julio is a traveler, as he loves to ride high in the SUV -- its a window thing...
He will provide occasional comment, but 'always' as we pull into the Vet Clinic's parking lot, he will say: no, No, NO! He does it in a female's voice.

It is amassing what comes out and when!

Thanks for the reminder...

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