How to Teach Birds to Sing

Birds that are bred specifically to be pets often do not gain the ability to sing. Birds naturally learn to sing through hearing other birds sing. Through proper training and repetition, certain birds can learn how to sing. Bird owners can buy commercial compact discs that are designed to help with the training process of teaching birds how to sing. The CDs feature birds singing their songs and each CD is designed for a specific breed of bird. However, CDs alone will not train a bird to sing. With patience and practice, many birds will eventually respond to the CDs and their owners.

Things You'll Need

  • CD player
  • Cage cover (optional)
  • Treats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the bird cage and CD player in a quiet room without a lot of distractions.

    • 2

      Situate the bird. Keep the bird in its cage. Some bird owners recommend placing a cover on the cage during training sessions. This helps keep the bird focused to what you are playing. Other owners prefer face-to-face time with their birds during training sessions. Try both ways to see which one is most effective for you.

    • 3

      Turn the CD player on. Press play and allow the bird to listen to the sounds. The type of singing that your bird will learn depends on your bird's breed. For example, if you want to teach your canary to sing, you would play a CD that features the sounds of canaries singing. Stop the CD and encourage the bird to repeat the sounds. Play the audio again and encourage the bird to repeat. Continue this process every day for 10 minutes a day. Reward the bird with a treat any time it responds to the training. If the bird begins to show signs of distress, stop the session and attempt another one after a couple of days.

    • 4

      Encourage the bird to sing without the training audio. Speak to the bird just as you do during the training sessions. Use a calm, gentle voice. Eventually, the bird should begin to respond to the training, as well as your voice, and start to sing. Continue the training sessions even after the bird has begun to sing on its own.