Alex was truly a marvel. Many things he learned because people would tell his owner “Oh, but I bet he can’t do...!” So, with teaching, he learned many concept thought unknown to birds like colors, shapes, sizes, etc. and use them correctly in sentences. He had a group of college kids teaching him all day, something most parrots can only dream of.
A friend of mine had an African Gray. They were constantly answering the doorbell or the phone or she would hear her husband calling her name. It was the bird every time.
Indeed. They are very social animals, and thrive on attention. I thought the vids of him were truly fascinating. He wan't guessing or just 'parroting' the answers. It was pretty clear that he knew and understood some pretty complex things. I sometimes thing we vastly underestimate what animals are capable of. I'd really love to see more experimentation along these lines.