Posted on 01/26/2004 8:36:46 AM PST by aculeus
The finding of a parrot with an almost unparalleled power to communicate with people has brought scientists up short.
The bird, a captive African grey called N'kisi, has a vocabulary of 950 words, and shows signs of a sense of humour.
He invents his own words and phrases if he is confronted with novel ideas with which his existing repertoire cannot cope - just as a human child would do.
N'kisi's remarkable abilities, which are said to include telepathy, feature in the latest BBC Wildlife Magazine.
N'kisi is believed to be one of the most advanced users of human language in the animal world.
He uses words in context, with past, present and future tenses, and is often inventive.
One N'kisi-ism was "flied" for "flew", and another "pretty smell medicine" to describe the aromatherapy oils used by his owner, an artist based in New York.
When he first met Dr Jane Goodall, the renowned chimpanzee expert, after seeing her in a picture with apes, N'kisi said: "Got a chimp?"
He appears to fancy himself as a humourist. When another parrot hung upside down from its perch, he commented: "You got to put this bird on the camera." Dr Goodall says N'kisi's verbal fireworks are an "outstanding example of interspecies communication".
In an experiment, the bird and his owner were put in separate rooms and filmed as the artist opened random envelopes containing picture cards.
Analysis showed the parrot had used appropriate keywords three times more often than would be likely by chance.
Captives' frustrations
This was despite the researchers discounting responses like "What ya doing on the phone?" when N'kisi saw a card of a man with a telephone, and "Can I give you a hug?" with one of a couple embracing.
Professor Donald Broom, of the University of Cambridge's School of Veterinary Medicine, said: "The more we look at the cognitive abilities of animals, the more advanced they appear, and the biggest leap of all has been with parrots."
Alison Hales, of the World Parrot Trust, told BBC News Online: "N'kisi's amazing vocabulary and sense of humour should make everyone who has a pet parrot consider whether they are meeting its needs.
"They may not be able to ask directly, but parrots are long-lived, and a bit of research now could mean an improved quality of life for years." © BBC MMIV
If 3 walk into the field and 2 walk out, supposedly the crows can't count that high (they get "1" and "many").
If this seems far fetched, the concept of zero was reportedly missing from many "advanced" cultures.
It would attempt to open the front door but couldn't because that had a release latch built into the door handle on the inside. Could always know when he wanted out by seeing him try to open that door.
I chalk it up to a survival instinct.
I hope you are not serious with this. Most parrot owners see their pets as distinct individual personalities, demanding and entertaining. I am "owned" to the extent that his care and attention consume a measurable amount of my time. Parrots are not the kinds of pets you get and ignore. At any rate, it's a figure of speech, and merely illustrates the extent to which Buster affects my daily life. I'm sorry if I offended or confused you.
I love it!
Beats me. My bird is domestically bred.
Most large pet stores have contact with good breeders who are ethical and have their parrots' best interests at heart. Find out through them if they reqire that you use them as "middleman".
Decide what kind of parrot you want to bring into your family. Macaw? Lots of sizes and colors and temperaments. Conures? Little, peppy, and adorable. Cockatoos? very needy in the hugs and loves department. If you can't spend a lot of time interacting with a cockatoo, it's better to get a different breed.
Talkers are Amazons and African Greys (although all will talk to a point). Amazons are green, with varying colors around head and neck. African Greys have two races: The Congo, which is a little larger, has a black beak, and bright scarlet tail feathers. The Timneh is a bit smaller, has ivory color in its beak, and the feathers are more of a maroon color.
The large birds are expensive. AG's run around $1,000. I don't know how much Macaws are, but I presume they are at least that much, if not more.
Be sure you are READY for a large bird in the house. They require considerable space. They are also very messy eaters, leaving shells and crumbs everywhere. They can also be destructive, as those beaks are very strong. So you may want to ponder whether to leave your bird at large or confine it. If you decide to confine it, be sure you get it the biggest cage you can afford, and plan to upgrade every few years.
Large birds live a long time. Their lifespan is roughly the same as a human's, so if you decide to take a parrot, decide also to whom you plan to leave it in your will should it survive you.
If you want to know more, just freepmail me. I'll be glad to answer questions.
Their nature is to pair off, preferably with a bird of its own kind but, lacking that, it will bond to its owner, a bird of another breed or even an inanimate object (especially one with mirrors). If you've ever met a pair of bonded birds, they typically hang out with each other *all the time* like newlyweds. That's what they want - constant companionship and, unfortunately, we humans want more in life than to make longing looks and share meals with a bird all day. I live in an apartment with just one bird, a small macaw. I know she is bonded to me but I also know someday I'm going to have to break her heart and find her a new home (for her own good). The one thing about my breed of macaw is that they are adaptable and accept change better than some other breeds. She may grieve over it for awhile but hopefully, I'll find her a home where she'll get more attention and companionship than what I can give her.
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