There are three species of parrots that talk well, and the Eclectus parrot is one of them. In fact, it is believed that the Eclectus parrot is the best talker of all talking birds. He has the ability to repeat words and phrases, sing entire songs, and do a variety of sound effects.
One of the nicest things about the sound of an Eclectus parrot talking is that the males sound very masculine, and the females sound very feminine. The sound effects are very interesting because these birds actually imitate sounds that they hear and enjoy hearing. Potential sound imitations include doorbells, phones, microwaves, and running water.
As stated, the Eclectus parrot will build a wide variety of words and phrases, as well as songs. You will enjoy talking with your parrot, and it is essential that you talk often. You must repeat yourself over and over when you are teaching your Eclectus parrot to talk. Some people have tried using tapes that repeat and such, but this doesn't seem to work. It requires human interaction. When you are talking to your parrot, make sure that you are speaking in a clear, calm manner.
It is important that when you are training your parrot to talk, that only one person is around the bird, and that only one person is talking. Otherwise, the Eclectus parrot may become nervous, and at best, he will become confused.
The best thing to start with is your bird's name. You need to repeat his name often, and make sure that he kind of gets the idea that you are referring to him. Repeat his name often when you are hand feeding him. Remember that the bird has a short attention span, so don't plan to spend hours at a time talking to your bird. Instead, plan fifteen minute training sessions, but settle for five or ten minute sessions if your bird seems to lose interest quickly.
Experts advise that you should give the bird an easy name that has the ee sound with hard consonant sounds, such as Peter. Once your parrot has learned his name, and says it, you can move on to other words and phrases. Remember that the more you talk to your bird, the faster he will learn to speak.
While repetition is important, it can also bore your Eclectus parrot quickly. Repeat the word or phrase repeatedly during one training session, but then wait a while between sessions. Also, once your parrot is getting the hang of talking, and he has learned a few words or phrases, you should still use repetition, repeating the same word or phrase in a single training session, but at the next session, use a different word or phrase so that the parrot doesn't become bored with the sessions.
Finally, realize that Eclectus parrots are much like small children. They repeat what they hear - even if it isn't heard during an 'official training session.' Therefore, if you don't want your bird repeating certain things, just as you wouldn't say things you don't want repeated around a small child, don't say those things around the bird.