Bird Brain!
You used to think that everyone was as dumb as a chicken. Some of you probably thought those crows have to be pretty smart for instance: a raven was observed putting a cork in a tub’s drain, so that water pooled up for a bath. A group of crows in Japan put hard-to-crack nuts out on the road, so that cars can smash them open. Even smarter than the crow are parrots and the smartest parrot of all is the African Grey Parrot. Among all birds and across multiple research and studies, the African Grey Parrot is considered a genius. This parrot is said to have an intelligence equivalent to a 5–7-year-old child and can have a vocabulary of up to 100 words! Although socially awkward, these genius parrots are known to be “vocally intelligent.” Not only can they mimic, but they can eventually understand the words and speak in sentences meaning they actually think about what they are going to say! They can also ask their owners questions and express how they feel. These birds have a life span of up to 50 years so with enough love and care, you might hear the touching words of “I love you” from your African Grey Parrot.
Researchers (and parrot owners) consider parrots to be the most intelligent of all the birds. In the wild, they need to be smart. They must remember the locations of many different fruit trees and know when the trees will be fruiting. They also need problem-solving skills to pry open difficult seeds. This tendency for problem-solving makes them entertaining pets- they are constantly playing with new objects and learning new words and songs. One researcher studies the remarkable intelligence of African Grey parrots. One particular African Grey, Alex, can identify and name over 40 objects, seven colors, and can count up to six. He uses 100 words to answer questions, or ask for what he wants.
In the video below a famous parrot from Florida earned a Guinness World Record by successfully identifying 12 objects in three minutes. Apollo, the 4-year-old African gray parrot belonging to Dalton and Victoria “Tori” Mason, identified objects including a bug, a book and socks by name. The Masons said Apollo’s training is inspired by the methods outlined by Irene Pepperberg, an animal psychologist who spent 30 years working with a parrot named Alex. “Once he started to learn his first object labels, colors, and materials, we knew that he would be able to achieve many of the incredible things that Alex did and potentially much more,” the Masons said in a statement to Guinness World Records. Apollo is a social media star, with 2.8 million followers. “Our mission is to spread awareness of the natural intelligence found in animals. We hope that our title can change the meaning behind the phrase ‘bird brain,'” they said.
Parrot puns
What do you call a bird that’s afraid of heights?
A chicken.
One bird can’t finish an entire bowl of Fruit Loops…
…but Toucan.
I used to work at a parrot training facility, but I had to quit.
I couldn’t take all the talking behind my back.
My obese parrot died today…
Sad, but it’s a huge weight off my shoulders.
August 8th Birthdays
1997 – Dani Dyer, 1987 – Peyton List, 1979 – Counters Vaughn, 1938 – Connie Stevens
1993 – Casey Colt, 1950 – Keith Carradine, 1981 – Roger Federer, 1937 – Dustin Hoffman