The quickest and most effective way to teach your bird to speak is to understand how birds learn speech. If you utilize the bird's natural inclinations and abilities, teaching your pet will be a much more enjoyable experience for both you and the bird. In the wild, parrots are most vocal during the morning and the evening. This is when they would gather with their flock to feed and roost. Since they are inclined to be noisy at these times, it is a good idea to work with your bird then.

Parrots also pick up words much more quickly during heightened states of emotion. When the bird is excited about you returning home from work, he or she is much more likely to retain the words or phrases you repeat. Similarly, if you speak with emotion, the words will stick in the mind of the bird much easier than if you say something in a monotone, bored voice. This is why so many parrots pick up curse words. These are words that are said with emphasis and gusto and therefore the bird remembers them. It is important to remember when working with your bird, that even if your bird is retaining the words you say, he won't necessarily repeat them right away.

In the wild, birds learn language by listening to other voices that sound like their own. If you imitate the tone of your bird's voice, you will increase the chance that the information is retained. So if you have a parakeet or a cockatiel than speak to the bird in a very high, squeaky voice. If you have a cockatoo, then it would be best to have a woman teach the birds words, since this type of bird has a smooth, female-like voice. Another great way to quickly teach your bird is to put it with other birds that speak. This is the most natural way for a bird to learn speech.

A parrot can learn the whole vocabulary of another bird in one month. If you don't have a neighbor or friend with a bird that speaks, you can purchase CDs that replicate this phenomenon. Use Parrot voices that speak a wide variety of phrases. The phrases are repeated several times for a few minutes at random through out the day, just like a parrot would.

Be wary of CDs with human voices that claim they will teach your bird to speak. These CDs do not match the learning style of parrots since they do not match their tone to the particular bird, they do not speak with emotion and emphasis, and by repeating the same words over and over again, they can actually teach your parrot to hate those words!

Parrots pick up words that intrigue them. This is why two birds in the same setting will pick up different words. Every bird is different. CDs that endlessly repeat words will tire the bird, making those words boring and less likely to be retained.