The size of your bird's vocabulary is entirely up to your efforts, but you should start with short, easy words. While it has been reported to be difficult to train Cockatoos to talk, the birds may merely have a softer, sweeter speaking voice than other parrots. Teaching a bird to talk is a process that requires patience and dedication, but one that can come with a large reward. Natural sounds are more easily mimicked than words, so barking of dogs, laughting of people or the sound of chickens can be mimicked quite accurately. Amazons and African Greys are some of the better talkers in the bird world. DNA Testing: No Guessing Necessary A number of cockatoo species can't be visually sexed, including the Ducorps cockatoo, the Goffins cockatoo, the palm cockatoo and the slender-billed cockatoo. Repetition is Key The reason many birds say the same words -- like hello, bye-bye, or night-night -- isn't because these are easier to say, it's because they hear these words most often and can associate an action with the word. They can be terribly noisy at times that can be subdued by proper training. You can train them, but they would most likely prefer to just cuddle with you. Hello, Charlie! This article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page as Today's featured article on May 16, 2012. Galah cockatoos are better imitators than other species of cockatoo. It uses its beak and its claws to climb with. Cockatoos can mimic almost any sound, including words. They only learn a few words and their voices are very garbled and difficult to understand. Cockatoos are cuddly, but needy friends. Vision of a cockatoo in a tree DON SPENCER There's a cockatoo - high in the treetop, having a look around. Macaws can typically learn to talk quite well. While older birds can be taught to talk or whistle too, it will take much more of your time and continued patience. Cockatoos *can* talk, but not well. All topics considering cockatoos can be found on this website. Cockatoos are not notorious talkers, and some never do talk. But it would be a mistake to think a … Cockatoos are very intelligent. ... Good–They can learn to talk, but most only learn a few words or phrases. It is divided into two categories; dry foods and fresh foods. Cockatoo is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community.Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so. Aren't you, Charlie? These birds are smart, witty, affectionate, inquisitive, active and playful. If you own a Cockatoo, then you know why they are called the “love sponges” of the parrots. You can also learn more about what you will have to do to keep a pet cockatoo happy and healthy.