I was chatting with a friend the other day about how we deal with the noise levels from our parrots.
I’ve always had big, noisy parrots that can produce a lot of decibels, and I’ve frankly just gotten used to the noise levels over the years.
I barely even notice it anymore, I told him!
Even the talking just washes over me.
My friend, though, owns smaller parrots, like lovebirds, and says he can’t help but notice it most of the time.
I realized I didn’t know what kind of noises lovebirds make, so I asked him if they sing.
So, do lovebirds sing?
Yes, lovebirds sing. They will spend virtually all day singing and whistling, and since they aren’t big talkers, this is mostly how they vocalize. Singing is a key part of any lovebird’s communication ritual, so if you are thinking of getting one, be prepared for chronic, incessant singing!
If you want any kind of parrot, you’re going to need to be prepared for how much noise they make.
Despite their small size, lovebirds are no different and will spend all day singing even when you aren’t there.
If, as you probably ought to, you have two, then you will have double singing as they chat with each other all day.
Let’s look further into this.
Can lovebirds sing songs?
Yes, they can—although it depends what precisely you mean by that.
They have their own songs that they sing throughout all the day.
In the same way most similar birds do, song is how they communicate.
It’s a collection of whistles, chirps and other vocalizations to produce a song.
They cannot sing songs in the sense that they will learn the words to songs you play them.
At least, this is extremely uncommon.
They may often pick up songs they hear and start whistling the tunes or melodies, but they won’t learn the words to songs.
The songs that they sing are their own, and part of how they communicate with one another.
You’ll notice a marked difference between owning one lovebird and owning two. Ideally, you really should have two together.
This keeps them social and happy.
When you have two together, their songs will start to sync up, and they will sing at each other a lot more than they otherwise might.
Either way, they will sing a great deal.
What about talking?
Are lovebirds talkative?
No, is the short answer.
Lovebirds are not especially talkative, and are really not known as big talkers.
They possess the same ability to mimic human speech that all parrots do, but they just don’t seem to have much inclination to do so.
They prefer to sing and whistle, and don’t generally have much desire to mimic sounds they hear.
There are certainly some lovebirds that do talk.
These are very uncommon, though, and are often conditioned from the earliest possible point in their lives to do so.
Left to their own devices, lovebirds prefer to just sing and chirp and whistle, rather than to talk and mimic human speech.
As I mentioned, they can’t sing songs in the sense that they can learn the lyrics.
They can only whistle or chirp the melody.
Can lovebirds whistle?
Yes, they can, and it’s one of their favorite things to do.
It’s a simple noise that can cut through and over everything, and can be heard throughout their environment.
They also simply seem to do it for fun, as humans do!
Whistling a tune keeps them entertained during downtime.
They certainly can whistle, then, and have a huge desire to do so.
One of the best ways to bond with your lovebird can be to whistle to them, mimicking any particular noises they make, and letting them know you are bonding with them specifically.
Again, they will whistle a lot more if you have a pair.
Whistling is a really easy and simple way to communicate with one another, and so it’s something they do commonly.
Do lovebirds chirp a lot?
Yes, they do.
All parrots are noisy to some extent, but lovebirds are no different.
They will chirp pretty much all day, and there’s nothing you can do to stop this—it’s entirely normal behavior!
Again, chirping is one of their key tools for communicating with you and with other parrots, and communication is a constant thing for lovebirds.
Why do lovebirds sing?
There are a lot of reasons lovebirds sing, but the main reasons are simple communication.
Singing is a way to keep a constant check on themselves and their partner.
If you can always hear the partner singing or otherwise vocalizing, then you know they are there and not in danger.
On a more complex level, it’s a unique system between two parrots, even a language almost.
They know their own individual songs, and again, since they mate for life, this helps them identify one another.
Singing is a complex ritual, but birds are nothing if not the ultimate complex ritual of the animal kingdom.
Conclusion
One way or another, then, lovebirds are highly vocal parrots.
They will sing all day, and make lots of noise.
They won’t talk, generally speaking, but they nonetheless love making noise and chirping away throughout the day.
They will whistle as well, and make all of their noise in a highly melodic way.
If you want a little sing-song creature flapping around your house, then a lovebird is a great fit!