Myna birds, known for their ability to mimic sounds and human speech, have long fascinated humans. Their skill at vocal mimicry leads many to wonder: can pet myna birds actually learn to talk? Let’s take a look at what the science says.
What are myna birds?
Myna birds belong to the family Sturnidae, which includes over 100 species of starlings and mynas. They are native to tropical southern Asia, but some species have become very successful at invading other parts of the world.
There are two main types of myna bird:
- The common myna or Indian myna, known scientifically as Acridotheres tristis. This is the myna species most often kept as pets.
- The hill myna or common hill myna, known scientifically as Gracula religiosa. This species is an expert vocal mimic.
Myna birds are omnivorous and feed on insects, fruits, seeds, and even small frogs and mammals. They are very social birds that roost and breed colonially.
Some key traits of mynas that aid their vocal mimicry skills include:
- A natural curiosity and ability to learn new behaviors.
- Flexibility in the upper vocal tract, allowing them to make a wide diversity of sounds.
- Social nature, meaning young birds can learn vocalizations from parents and others in the colony.
Can pet myna birds talk?
The short answer is yes, myna birds can mimic speech and other sounds, to varying degrees depending on the species and individual bird. However, they may not necessarily associate those sounds with any meaning.
Pet mynas are capable of repeating common words and phrases, but only with dedicated training by their owners. The hill myna is considered the myna species most adept at human speech mimicry.
Some key considerations regarding speech mimicry in pet mynas:
- Young birds pick up vocalizations more easily than older mynas.
- Frequent positive reinforcement helps strengthen the human speech associations.
- They may pick up phrases from household sounds, like a television or radio.
- The complexity of speech a myna can learn is limited compared to a parrot.
- Mimicked speech is not an indicator that the bird actually understands language.
With time, patience, and training, many pet mynas can repeat common words and short phrases. However, evidence suggests mynas lack the neural complexity that enables more advanced speech mimicry and language comprehension skills seen in some parrots, like African greys.
Examples of talking myna birds
There are many anecdotal examples of pet myna birds that were able to mimic speech sounds. Here are a few reported cases:
- A pet hill myna named Cosmo was recorded mimicking its owner asking “What ya doing?” and other short phrases it commonly heard.
- Pepe the myna went viral on YouTube for his renditions of classic pop songs like “Apache” and “Charge!”
- Mojo, a common hill myna, stunned researchers with his ability to mimic the human vocal tract and vowels sounds with a high degree of accuracy.
- A reporter’s interview with a myna named Sadie was disrupted when she began repeating “Hi sweetie!” in the background, mimicking her owner.
These anecdotes help demonstrate mynas’ noteworthy capacity for mimicking speech, especially when raised in close proximity to humans. However, in scientific studies, mynas still show less vocal proficiency and comprehension compared to parrots and other advanced avian mimics.
How do mynas mimic speech sounds?
Myna birds are able to accurately recreate a range of vocalizations thanks to specialized physical and neurological adaptations. Here’s an overview of how mynas produce human speech sounds:
- Syrinx – The syrinx is the avian equivalent of the mammalian larynx or voice box. It has two sides which allow mynas to produce two sounds at once. The muscles controlling the syrinx enable complex vocalizations.
- Tongue – A myna’s tongue is quite nimble compared to many other birds. They can manipulate the tongue to shape sounds.
- Vocal tract – There is flexibility in the upper vocal tract, including the beak, oral cavity, and nasal passages. This allows them to create diverse resonating chambers to filter sounds.
- Brain pathways – Parts of the basal ganglia and vocal learning pathways facilitate vocal mimicry. However, myna brain regions linked to learning vocalizations are less developed compared to parrots.
Researchers continue to study myna vocal mimicry at the anatomical level to better understand their impressive talents. But while they excel at reproducing many sounds accurately, the current evidence indicates mynas have biological limitations that prevent more advanced language use compared to some other mimicking bird species.
Key factors in training a myna to talk
If you want to teach a pet myna bird to mimic speech sounds or other vocalizations, here are some training tips:
- Start young – Young mynas under one year old pick up new sounds more readily.
- Use food rewards – Use a food treat to positively reinforce mimicked sounds.
- Be patient and repeat often – It may take hundreds or thousands of repetitions for it to mimic longer sounds.
- Use high-pitched words – Mynas can reproduce high-pitched sounds better than low ones initially.
- Take advantage of flock influence – Keeping at least two mynas together can encourage them to learn vocalizations from each other.
With young birds, owners should spend time each day on speech training sessions using food-based positive reinforcement. Over many weeks and months, the myna will begin picking up commonly repeated words and short phrases.
Patience is key, as mynas may initially only capture parts of words or garbled sounds before improving accuracy. Their speech skills plateau earlier compared to large parrots, but mynas can still amuse owners with their mimicry talents.
How well do mynas comprehend speech?
While mynas can develop an impressive ability to mimic human speech, the evidence suggests they have limited comprehension of the meanings behind the words and sounds.
Researchers who study myna intelligence and communication note some key limitations:
- They lack the regions of the parrot brain linked to higher-order language processing.
- Their vocalizations are generally simpler in structure compared to those of songbirds.
- They do not appear capable of using mimicry as creative communication with humans.
- Their natural contact calls are relatively simple, used for flock communication rather than conveying complex meanings.
So while mynas may pick up on associations between certain words and outcomes, for example “food” with being fed, experts agree mynas do not understand human language at the level parrots sometimes demonstrate. Their mimicry is best seen as advanced vocalization rather than evidence of advanced intelligence.
Myna speech mimicry vs. parrots
Both myna birds and parrots possess outstanding abilities to vocally mimic humans as well as other sounds from their environment. However, parrots generally display greater proficiency at reproducing and comprehending human speech:
Speech Mimicry Traits | Mynas | Parrots |
---|---|---|
Vocabulary size | Up to 100 words/phrases | Over 1,000 words documented in some parrots |
Mimicking ability | Mostly short words and phrases | Full sentences possible |
Language comprehension | Limited | Advanced in some species |
Use of mimicry | Basic communication | Creative communication |
Key parrot species with more advanced mimicry and comprehension than mynas include:
- African grey parrot
- Yellow-naped amazon
- Indian ringneck parakeet
Researchers believe parrot brains contain specialized regions enabling higher-order processing of sounds and language meaning. Mynas lack these same neural adaptations.
Conclusion
Myna birds have a natural vocal talent that enables them to mimic human speech sounds when kept as pets and trained consistently from a young age. With time and positive reinforcement, many mynas can reproduce common words, phrases, and songs.
However, mynas likely only associate these vocalizations with outcomes rather than having an understanding of the meaning behind the words. Their mimicry skills are an example of advanced birdsong rather than human-like language use.
Comparisons with parrots demonstrate mynas have limitations in both their capacity for speech mimicry and comprehension. Parrots with greater cognitive skills are able to learn much larger vocabularies and even use mimicry creatively to communicate with owners.
The myna’s ability to “talk” can delight owners, but does not necessarily indicate advanced intelligence comparable to the most skilled parrots. Their vocal mimicry should be appreciated as an adaptation to flock communication, rather than evidence the bird can converse like a human. With the right training, however, mynas can still amuse owners with their mimicry – even if they don’t actually understand what they’re saying!