Instructions
Give your bird time to settle into its surroundings, if it is a new bird. If your bird is an existing flock member, consider the location of its cage. Birds that are in high traffic areas in the home will be more exposed to potential prompts, such as human conversation, television, and radio.
Select a phrase you wish to learn and begin repeating it around your bird. You can choose to associate a phrase with an action, such as saying 'food' or 'yum' every time you put food in your birds dish or give it a treat.
Say your phrase with enthusiasm. Birds respond to the excited pitch of a human voice.
Observe your bird as she attempts to talk. Many birds will practice their words before actually speaking them in front of you. The practice may appear mumbled or garbled. If you hear your bird practice the phrase, praise it. You want your pet to associate positive reactions with their words--they will be more apt to talk in front of you and others as a result.
Repetition is key. The amount of time it takes for your bird to learn its phrase will vary from bird to bird, so don't give up.
How to Train a Bird to Talk
Birds, and parrots in particular, are skilled mimics. Certain species of parrots, such as the African grey parrot, are known to possess extensive vocabularies, and can even be trained to respond to voice prompts with a certain sentence or phrase. Teaching a bird to talk can be a time-consuming and extensive endeavor, but will pay off when your feathered friend utters their first word. Remember that each species of bird is different, and their ability to talk will vary with each bird and how much time you invest into their training.