Blue Crown hissy-speak?

[JamesC]

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]

I don't have a conure of any type, but interesting now that you describe it I want to hear it!

 

[Kiwibird]

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

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]

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]

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]

I call it whispering, and once a bird learns whispering will get your attention she/he will do the noise on a regular basis.