I have been reading messages on a number of online bird message boards the last few weeks and since this one seems to have a very active Amazon section I thought I would post this message here. I have an 19 year old Blue Front Amazon that has lived with me for about the 11 years, I also have a 16 year old Congo Grey that I have had since she was a baby. My grey has a reasonable vocabulary, but will only speak around people she knows, my BFA also talks, but ulmost never talks when humans are around. I catch him talking sometimes when I walk into the room and am still around the corner, on rare occasions he will talk when I am in the same room with him, but looking another way. I had always thought this rather odd, however I have ran across a handful of messages lately where owners of other BFA's describe the same sort of thing. So for the BFA owners out there, are your birds shy about talking?

Thanks Ike

Heavens no! Liza Loo talks a lot. It doesn't seem to matter if strangers are around or not or if anyone is in the room with her. She's a regular Chatty Cathy.

Baby doesn't talk a lot yet. She says "aweee" VERY plainly anytime. and HI! very plainly anytime. She'll sometime say "uh oh" if she drops something.
But, she does sort of sit and mutter to herself like an idiot sometime if nobody is in the room and it's quiet. That's funny. The words are not intelligible, it sounds like she's imitating a conversation..like silence is making her uncomfortable.