Do some macaws not talk?

[Lesleybird]

I am the proud owner of a new 8 month old Harliquin macaw named Marley. We have had her for two weeks and she has gotten really comfortable with us and is very sweet but she does not babble at all and I am thinking that she may not become much of a talker. I have a 15 year old Moluccan cockatoo male and an 18 year old yellow nape amazon female, and both of them are great talkers and I raised them from babies so I must have done something right. The thing is that both of these other birds babbled as babies and my new macaw does not babble at all.

Does anyone know when macaws start to speak? Do some of them not talk? The Harlequin is a cross between a blue and gold and a greenwing macaw. Lesley

 

[MikeyTN]

He's probably just being shy.... Long time ago my macaw stays very quiet when there's strangers in the house, but now does he care...nope he yaps away....I can hardly keep his mouth shut....lol

 

[JJones1719]

I have a 2 year old GW Macaw at approx 7 months said hello as his first word. Some macaws are natural born talkers and some only utter a few words or none at all and find making sounds more interesting. Not all parrots and Macaws talk. My GW neleno is up to 20-25 words and along with the words, he uses them in the correct action. For example, When i cover him at night to go to sleep, he says either night night or good night. When hand feeding him he says mmmmmmmmmm or is it good? Keep working with them and reward them when they make their first word or something that might sound like a word. Sometimes Macaws pick up words from the T.V, radio, or other birds in the house. Since you have one bird who talks, there is a great chance your Macaw will also talk. Best of luck. Joe

 

[Spiritbird]

Have faith 8 months is very young. While I do not have a Macaw, I do have a grey and she did not talk until almost 2 years of age.

 

[MikeyTN]

Some are early learners while some are late bloomers....The Quaker that I had before started talking when I was still handfeeding him at 5 weeks old. He shocked me when he said Hello.

 

[patterson]

Don't worrie bout it our Vincent is 9 months coming and started talking not that long ago

 

[willist]

I hand raised my Greenwing from 5 weeks old. He probably started speaking at about 7 or 8 months. Until he started talking was was very quiet. My 16 year old Yellow Collar (adopted at 11 years old) says only his name and not very often. A re-homed bird may not talk right away. Be patient. And, yes some Macwas never talk.

 

[mellykyitus]

angel said hello at 3 months old but nothing else. she's now 8 months and has just started to say a bit more and babble alot. my friends macaw didn't say a word til he was a year old! so they go at there own pace x

 

[antoinette]

A friend of mine's African Grey is 17 years old, Jessie only started talking last year.
Never give up, time, patience and lots and lots of repetition

 

[Alwese]

It is a good thing that you have two other birds, hopefully in close proximity, that DO talk. You will be surprised how much they can learn from each other. My Scarlet started talking at 7 months, but much later began saying things he could have only learned at the pet shop, so he WAS listening. I have heard that most males will talk and some females do not talk. The first Scarlet I saw for sale was a very small hen which had never spoken and was 3 years old, so I see some truth to that. You may have a hen. Send a couple of chest feathers off to Avian Biotech for a DNA analysis and find out what sex you have. Being a Harlequin wouldn't change anything. I have a 16 year old Catalina who even now is learning new and different things to say. They all have very different personalities and traits; it is part of the joy and mystery of being caregiver for these magnificent creatures.

 

[MikeyTN]

My macaw will sometimes blur out something he learned from watching tv. And then he wouldn't say it for a very very long time. Then one day he would just start saying it again. It's been about 6 years ago when he said "Im a bad bird, BADDDD BADDDD bird" He said I'm a bad bird last year. He waited that long to say it again, but who knows what he says while I'm at work....lol

 

[Lesleybird]

Thanks for all of the replies. Marley is a DNA sexed female Harlequin macaw. She finally said hello for the first time this week. I don't know if sex has anything to do with talking ability in macaws, but my yellow nape amazon is a female and is a good talker. My Moluccan cockatoo male is maybe my best talker even though his speech is not as clear as the amazons he makes up his own sentences and says things at the proper times.

One day I went into the bird room and took the amazon couple's water dish out through the food dish door. I walked back into the room and was bending over to put the water dish back in the amazon cage and my Moluccan yelled "watch out" "watch out", I looked up and the mean untamed male amazon had gotten out of his cage and was on top of it about ready to pounce on me. I had never heard my moluccan say this before, and had not trained him to say this. Don't know when he had heard us say this or how he knew to say it at the right time! These birds really are smart!!! Lesley

 

[aasaucier]

Take everyone's advice and give him/her time. Macaws generally are not great talkers as a species, especially compared to Amazons and Greys, but they all generally pick up some words along the way.

 

[crgansonia]

If you have babies they will probably talk. I have a blue and gold and a green wing that I have had for 25 years and neither has ever uttered a word. I think they were both wild caught birds imported.

I have a male scarlett that is 8 years old that talks like a fool and a female scarlett that talks also not near as much but talks plenty.

I also have a male harlequin that has a huge vocabulary that is 14 and this bird will repeat just about anything you say to it and its clear. It will even whisper to you clearly.

Some are great talkers believe me.

cs