You're joking, right? When I was a kid, my parents always had a parakeet. It talked, saying "pretty boy," "Wino" (its name), other words and phrases; and noises, like car doors and traffic. It also mimicked the birds outside, and it continuously "sang" during daylight hours, one birdsong after another.
It's sad that your bird never spoke anything but cattish. You must have had a very quiet house.
My younger sister had a parakeet when her kids were all at home. The ‘keet’s name was “Oscar” because he was green, and Sesame Street was big. When my youngest niece (she was 4 years old) got bronchitis, she would have these enormous wet coughs and all we could do was try to make sure she was comfortable.
When she recovered, we soon realized that she was coughing again. Mom would go down the hall to her room to see her playing quietly, or realize that she was outside. And then it became clear: Oscar was coughing!!
One day in the summer, my late hubby and I visited, and it was rather warm in the house. My brother-in-law went outside to fix the evaporative cooler. When he turned it on from outside, we felt the rush of cool air and heard from the bird cage a low whistle...like a wolf whistle! Twice! His cage was across the room from the cooler and he really did appreciate the cool air!
Suffice it to say, I never underestimate the intelligence of any animal that I rescue. They are all unique and awesome!
I honestly never knew they could! I’m not a huge fan of birds, mostly because the ones I would love to have require too much care (on top of having to find someone to inherit the bird when I croak), so I haven’t spent much time learning about them. How sad! If I had known that when I had the bird, perhaps I could have taught it a few words....maybe it’s time for me to get another one, if hubby will let me (he wants a bunny, but I would settle for both).