# What language is this man speaking to his pet hummingbird? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2015, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471 "2015-02-12T13:48:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/1 "2015-02-12T13:48:47Z")
[See subject.](http://youtu.be/bRQY43qwICo) And a summary, if possible? It’s kind of magical somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Apollon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/2 "2015-02-12T14:14:29Z")
Sounds a bit like Romanian, impeded by the lack of teeth. But my guess is it’s a south Italian dialect. Neapolitan, Calabrian, Sicilian… ---
**Author:** ![lilihob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a9adbd/32.png) [@lilihob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilihob)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/3 "2015-02-12T14:24:06Z")
Portuguese. Come here, come here. He is usually in my balcony, he comes through the window. Talks to the bird. Have some, enjoy some (about the liquid in the flower thing) He loves this machine. Look he sits on my finger. Repeats himself about how you should watch this bird. Bird leaves. It is very sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/4 "2015-02-12T14:44:16Z")
Note that hummingbirds are found only in the new world. My guess is that this is from Brazil. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/5 "2015-02-12T15:58:15Z")
That is a really big humming bird. Much bigger than the ones that I see in southern California. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/6 "2015-02-12T18:25:47Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > That is a really big humming bird. Much bigger than the ones that I see in southern California. Looks like it could be [this one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallow-tailed_hummingbird). Colibri is our resident expert, and should soon be along to enlighten. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/7 "2015-02-12T19:43:27Z")
Does it matter? Clearly the humming bird still hasn’t learned the words. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/8 "2015-02-12T20:25:00Z")
The man is speaking Brazilian Portuguese, probably near Rio de Janeiro. He sounds exactly like one of my wife’s cousins talking. Here is what he is saying (more or less): > [@](#): > > Here, here, come here. > > Let’s do a video here. > come here. > here > Let’s talk, right here up close. > See? > Like that. > Hey, come here now, > Come drink a little bit. > Like that. Look here. > Come here > Come here > Like that. > Let’s go to the camera again. There there. > It’s filming. It’s filming. > Sit on my finger, like that. > Look here > Shamelessly, stays here all day calling me, flying around me. > It’s already a half hour that I have let him call me. > This is the baby. > His mommy presented him to me. > And left him there on my window out there > See, he’s used to it, all the time, he comes here calling me > So…there…set on my finger. > > Come here! > > Sit here. Come. > That’s it > A little more. > > Let’s take advantage of the video here. Look. See? > Like that. Look. > Just like that. > Much better. > Nice and close to the camera. > Hey, you don’t want any more? > No more? ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/9 "2015-02-12T22:00:16Z")
I believe it is a pidgin language. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/10 "2015-02-12T22:27:59Z")
Oops… I was at work when I answered and was hasty. He’s from somewhere nearer São Paulo than Rio…you can hear it in his R’s (“pertinho”), at least I’m certain he isn’t from Rio. It’s not garbled at all—his Portuguese is very clear…that’s just the way the language sounds. I love Brazilian Portuguese. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/11 "2015-02-12T22:53:44Z")
Yeah, not Rio. I’d guess somewhere central, possibly Goiás. The accent doesn’t sound far (to my ear) from my wife’s. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/12 "2015-02-12T22:55:22Z")
Oh, come on, **jnglmassiv** , it makes no sense to speak pigeon to a hummingbird, they do not understand it. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/13 "2015-02-12T22:57:27Z")
Guess not… [Barretos](http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2014/oct/25/a-hummingbird-and-his-man), reportedly, northwest of São Paulo. **minor7flat5** was correct. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/14 "2015-02-12T23:44:12Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Oh, come on, **jnglmassiv** , it makes no sense to speak pigeon to a hummingbird, they do not understand it. What language would you speak to the canaries in the Canary Islands? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/15 "2015-02-12T23:57:08Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > What language would you speak to the canaries in the Canary Islands? Budgerian? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-is-this-man-speaking-to-his-pet-hummingbird/712471/16 "2015-02-12T23:59:35Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Note that hummingbirds are found only in the new world. My guess is that this is from Brazil. From Wiki: Trinidad and Tobago is known as “The land of the hummingbird,” and a hummingbird can be seen on that nation’s coat of arms and 1-cent coin as well as its national airline, Caribbean Airlines. They’re everywhere. There’s googols of them. OH, they’re climbing up m’leg. I can see ‘em peepin’ out of me wife’s blouse. Why doesn’t Mr. Maudlin do something before it’s too late? Oh, God!