In Reply to: Meanings of conure vocalizations posted by Marc on April 28, 2008 at 18:44:15:
: I am looking for some information on the different noises a conure typically makes. We just got our first one and want to make sure we are hearing happy chirps as opposed to a chirp reaction to stress.
: Is there a good book or something online I can use as a guide? The conure book I looked at was pretty vague on the vocalizations.
I haven't found any. My own observations include:
the loud "ACK! ACK! ACK!" is an alarm/startle cry. I hear it from other birds in the wild, too. My GCC did this the other day when the dog emerged from foraging beneath his cage stand. He screamed, ACK!, ACK!, ACK!, fluttered and fell off his perch, scurried back up, looked at the dog, said the dog's name as if to recognize the source of his alarm, then "with me," then started preening himself.
A "purring" sound seems to indicate they are paying attention,very alert, taking it all in, especially when outside my GCC produces this sound that is almost like a cat purr. I have read here that it is not the same conotation as that of a cat purr.
Before my bird used words he screamed "EE! EE! EE!" when I walked out of the room. Now he says, using the exact same tone "BE WITH ME!" So, I think we can all figure out what THAT one means.
I observe my bird talks very rapidly and loudly when excited, when for instance he sees birds out the window. I think this is him telling me there are birds out the window and he's excited or wants to let me know his yard is being invaded, even though the words he uses are "Beautiful!" "Eat!" or "Be with me!" The pitch, force and volume he uses seem to convey more meaning than the words.
whirrs, clicks and blown kisses he emits from his cage or in his back pack carrier seem to me to be contact calls to me or other birds. I answer him back when he emits them. And he answers me when I initiate. It's the bird equivalent of " are you there?" and "what cha doin?"
I can tell right away the difference between a demanding call and a startle alarm, even though the volume might be the same. The first I ignore, or answer from a distance,( he just wants to know where I am and why I am not with him), the second I come running.
My GCC is very fond of rapping on cups, cage bars, and so forth to tap out a beat. He does this first thing every morning when he hears me coming, and throughout the day ( followed by, "Ya like the beat?") It is the polite thing to answer in kind. I think conures must do something similiar in the wild, like woodpeckers, maybe to announce their territory or as another way of keeping contact with the flock.
These are some of the sounds of my bird companion. Mine also imitates the microwave alarm with annoying accuracy.