Beautiful, intelligent and friendly, parrots are one of the most popular pets. Many people value them not only for their bright colors, but also for their high intellectual abilities. Different types of parrots have certain abilities. Some are more predisposed to copying sounds, while others are able to clearly reproduce human speech.
Among all the breeds of parrots, one species can be distinguished, which differs significantly from its feathered counterparts. This type of domestic parrot is capable of not only copying human speech and imitating intonation, but is also capable of conducting a meaningful dialogue and distinguishing colors and objects. Who claims to be the smartest parrot in the world and which species of parrots have the most developed mental abilities, we will consider in the article.
The smartest parrot in the world
At the University of Arizona, Irene Pepperberg studied the abilities of parrots. As a result of research, the African gray parrot distinguished itself due to its high mental abilities. He learned more than 80 words, as a result of which he could correctly answer various questions, accurately determine the shape of objects, the number of objects and distinguish colors. He was also able to express his wishes, for example, asking not to be left alone in the room or asking to be carried back.
A gray parrot named Alex lived for 31 years and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the smartest parrot in the world.
Among all types of parrots, the Gray is considered the most intelligent. Also considered smart breeds are cockatoos, Amazons, macaws, corellas, monks, keas, budgies, rosellas, and lories.
Each species of parrot is predisposed to certain abilities. Some parrots quickly remember words and pronounce them clearly, others sing well, imitate sounds, or perform tricks well. A parrot's skills and abilities depend not only on the specific species, but also on various other factors such as gender, age and individual capabilities.
How I chose
My favorite topic, let's separate "mind" from "mind". I introduce such terms simply for understanding, they do not mean anything beyond the scope of this article.
In nature, all birds are “intelligent”, because they protected themselves from predators and bad weather for millions of years, and also obtained food and reproduced. “Intelligence” for a person means the ability to learn, obedience and simply a comfortable existence in an apartment.
The more intelligent the bird, the more problems it will bring to its owner. If she doesn't like the cage, she will figure out how to open it. He will figure out how to get the fruit out of the box. Or how to get to the wires. No, we don't need that at home. Please give us a bird that is “smart” according to human preferences.
This also has its reservations, but I still chose for you not very independent and intelligent birds. Criteria: the bird can be taught to speak, it is capable of learning commands and is human-oriented.
Smart gray parrot
The second name for the gray parrot is the African gray parrot. Grays have a rather dull gray color; only the tail feathers stand out with bright color. The gray parrot is often kept as a pet. They attract attention with their outstanding mental abilities.
In terms of intelligence, Grays can be compared with a 5-year-old child, and in terms of emotional state with a 3-year-old. They are able to copy intonation and reproduce human speech. Unlike other species of parrots, grays are capable of conducting a meaningful dialogue with humans.
By nature, Grays are very stubborn and touchy. These are very demanding parrots in terms of care and living conditions.
Lovebird
Another small parrot, but still larger than a budgerigar. This is more of an ornamental bird; if you keep them in pairs, then they will have enough communication with each other. It is almost impossible to persuade a couple of lovebirds to communicate with their owner, much less learn a few words.
It's another matter if there is only one parrot. Then you become his couple: get ready to communicate with him all your free time. They can be taught 50-70 words, simple commands and rules in the apartment. You can then place a couple with an already trained parrot, but be sure to place a girl with a boy.
Small parrots live up to 15 years, are easily accustomed and live happily in an apartment if they are provided with comfortable conditions. These birds prefer to live in a flock, but are able to communicate only with humans.
Smart parrot Amazon
The Amazon parrot also has good mental abilities. He is able to learn about 80 words, imitates human speech, copies intonation, and can also imitate various sounds. He is able to pronounce not only words, but can also produce entire sentences.
Amazons are also quite artistic. They funny parody other pets, remember melodies, can sing, and perform various tricks.
Amazons are easy to tame and are very sociable birds. They remember and easily recognize the owner among all family members. Amazons are friendly birds and easily learn new things.
Cockatoo
Cockatoos are famous for their sense of rhythm, cheerfulness and artistry. The birds have gorgeous plumage, they are active and affectionate. Learning to talk is not difficult for these parrots; they can easily remember a couple of dozen words, can imitate the timbre of several people’s voices and whistle the tunes they like.
Photo: Bryan Danger Wheeler
Cockatoos build a very affectionate relationship with their owner. They literally become dependent on his attention. They are very sensitive to separation and neglect, and can get sick if they do not receive enough warmth from the owner. You will immediately notice that the parrot is trying to attract your attention: the bird can scream for a very long time and loudly until you approach it. Cockatoos are focused on their owner and require increased attention.
You need to have enough free time to devote it to this eccentric bird.
Smart macaw parrot
Among the macaw parrots, there are the largest and most expensive varieties. They are able to remember about 20 words. The macaw has a well-developed intellect. Just like gray parrots, macaws pronounce words quite meaningfully.
Macaws are very artistic parrots. They imitate pets and imitate the sounds they hear. The macaw can also be taught to perform various tricks and play games.
But smart macaws have a complex character. They are touchy and jealous. If a parrot is offended or in a bad mood, it can become aggressive and even bite.
The macaw's voice is sharp and shrill. These are noisy and loud parrots.
Budgerigars
These are truly the most popular chirping talkers in the territorial expanses of our country. Wavys have earned everyone's love for their cheerful and mischievous character; they chirp cheerfully all day long and seem to never lose heart.
Photo: Chandan Kumar
They buy a young male for conversation. Budgerigars have an amazing vocabulary but speak with a clear bird accent.
They modify more complex words and phrases; they can “mock” any word by swapping syllables or adding the ending of another word. Also, the wavy children can be taught easy children's quatrains, which, memorizing, they tell either sequentially or shuffling the lines, which cannot but amuse.
Corella
Corella is already an average parrot. This means that he can please his owners for up to 20 years. Their behavior is reminiscent of a dog's: cockatiels easily become attached to people, love spending time together and can be kept alone; communication with their owner is enough for them.
Cockatiels are well trained, sing well and imitate sounds, but words are not their strongest feature. With due diligence, you can learn 50 words, but with a high probability the pet will speak without realizing the meaning of the word, just everything in a row.
Crows
There is reason to believe that these birds may be among the most intelligent animals on Earth.
They can HM Ditz, A. Nieder. Neurons selective to the number of visual items in the corvid songbird endbrain / PNAS count to five. Use tools, such as sticks, to pick out insects from rotten tree stumps. Create AMP von Bayern, S. Danel, AMI Auersperg et al. Compound tool construction by New Caledonian crows / Scientific Reports complex tools - increase the length of the same stick in order to reach a piece that is too far away. See what it looks like.
The crows' skills impressed scientists, since previously it was believed that only humans and apes were capable of inventing multi-part tools.
And these birds can also SA Jelbert, AH Taylor, LG Cheke et al. Using the Aesop's Fable Paradigm to Investigate Causal Understanding of Water Displacement by New Caledonian Crows / PLOS ONE establish cause-and-effect relationships as well as 7-year-old children. And in general, it seems that they are studying us, homo sapiens, with no less interest than we are studying them. At least KNSwiftJohn, M. Marzluff knows. Wild American crows gather around their dead to learn about danger / Animal Behaviour that crows have an excellent memory for faces and are able to get angry at specific people.
Kea
This is a special species of New Zealand parrots because it is not a domestic parrot. This bird, living in nature, is considered not just curious, but even impudent. What did she do to deserve such an opinion of herself? She is very interested in the contents of garbage cans, houses, apartments, cars, and besides, she causes significant harm to the agriculture of the local population of New Zealand. For this reason, they were shot for a long period until their numbers were reduced to catastrophic numbers. In 1970, they were banned from shooting and included in the Red Book.
These individuals live at an altitude of 1,500 m and perform incredible tricks there, showing their intelligence and intelligence, which is why most tourists love kea.
Pigeons
Photo: korczag1 / Pixabay
These plump and overfed city birds are usually considered stupid. And in vain. Pigeons exhibit a variety of intellectual abilities The Surprising Neuroscience of Pigeon Intelligence/Psychology Today:
- They are able to recognize words and distinguish them from meaningless combinations of sounds and letters.
- Count to nine. This result is even steeper than that of the recognized “intellectuals” - crows and many primates.
- They have amazing memory. Pigeons can remember 725 random black-and-white images, a task beyond the capabilities of most people.
- Can recognize and differentiate between art movements. For example, Picasso's paintings are unmistakably distinguished from Monet's paintings.
So next time, scattering clumsy pigeons getting under your feet, think: perhaps these are much more subtle and intelligent natures than most of the surrounding bipeds.
Education
Jaco Alex was born in 1976, and immediately became the subject of close examination by Dr. Irene Pepperberg. Irene is an experienced psychologist who has worked at Arizona State Research University, as well as Harvard and Brandeis. She purchased the bird from a regular pet store, and the name was chosen after the name of the scientific program A vian L anguage E x periment (bird language experiment). Irene began her work back in the 1980s: then the doctor of science studied the ability of animals to consume and use sign systems.
Parrot Alex spent 30 long years with her, during which the speaking bird’s abilities grew “by leaps and bounds.”
The basic training system for Grays was also invented by Irene herself. The technique, later called the triangle technique, consisted in the fact that in the process of working with the parrot, 2 people were involved at once. One of them, the main teacher, addresses his students - a man and a parrot. Thus, the bird, looking at the answers of its “classmate,” received the desired model of communication.
In addition, there was competition - the spirit of rivalry between bird and man allowed the Gray to progress much faster.
Monk
The monk parrot (also known as Quaker or Kalita) is a very hardy bird that is resistant to temperature changes. Parrots have adapted perfectly to urban conditions and now they can be called something like a pigeon for South America and even North America.
And they called the parrot a monk because of its plumage on its head. It is gray in color and really resembles a monk's cap.
The Quaker's favorite delicacy is apples. And in some countries, kalita is considered a real pest.
Thanks to their temperature endurance, Quakers take root well in the southern regions of our country. There they are even kept outside in enclosures, allowing the parrots to live as if in their natural environment.
At home, the Quaker is an excellent companion who can be taught a wide range of words. In addition, the bird loves to imitate sounds. Therefore, if you often begin to hear familiar sounds, do not doubt that it is the wicket that is performing its tricks.
The monk is a fairly smart parrot. It can distinguish family members by name and speak directly to the selected person. However, they can be quite fierce in protecting their property. And if you have other breeds of parrots, it is better to keep them separately.
Quakers have a rather unpleasant voice. It's shrill, which some people don't like very much. But if the parrot’s screams do not cause you any inconvenience, feel free to get this bird! And training him to talk will help you minimize the natural bird conversations of the kalit.
Video: monk parrot
Dangerous maverick
Jaco is an individual, and he chooses for himself the one with whom he will be more willing to communicate. This person may well not be you, but another family member. And if you nevertheless become friends with him, know that on his part it will be “love until the grave.” If you are leaving, there should be someone at home with whom the parrot communicates no less willingly. And don't be away for long! Everything is like with a child. Only this “baby,” in addition to the usual whims, can be dangerous. Pecking, pinching, biting is in his nature, nothing can be done about it. Just be more careful. And under no circumstances let him sit on your neck. It was not for nothing that education was mentioned earlier. The parrot must have a routine and rules of behavior that he will get used to adhering to. But it still won’t save you from bruises and bites.
If you decide to get a Gray, get ready for another change in your life. If you like to pamper yourself in bed, he will quickly wean you from it. The first ray of sun can cause joy in a bird, which will be revealed in a loud cry. The same manifestation of emotions can be caused by many reasons. Boredom, if you forgot to communicate with your “tenant”, hunger or thirst. If you constantly hear such screams, think about whether you installed the cage correctly. A bad location can cause stress.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yls9yTPyj-4
Conditions of detention
It is better to keep parrots in a cage most of the day: in an apartment they can get hurt or do something bad. For small parrots, a cage of 50 cm in height is enough; for medium ones, an aviary is needed, and for large ones, up to a whole room. By the way, most parrots are calm towards representatives of their own species, but are intolerant of other species of parrots.
Remember that the parrot came to you from equatorial latitudes; in the apartment they need to be protected from hypothermia, drafts, vitamin D deficiency and dry air. Nutrition and vitamins are selected individually for each species; water should always be available.
