# Practical uses for parrots? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822 "2011-01-08T01:52:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/41 "2011-01-14T22:15:22Z")
I wonder why the parrots engage in mimicry at all, in the wild parrots are never heard to imitate other birds or other sounds they hear (like the lyre bird) but once they are captive they start their mimicry. Perhaps it is an attempt of some sort to communicate or more likely an attempt to gain acceptance by copying the behaviour of the ‘pack leader’. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/42 "2011-01-14T22:27:17Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > I wonder why the parrots engage in mimicry at all, in the wild parrots are never heard to imitate other birds or other sounds they hear (like the lyre bird) but once they are captive they start their mimicry. Perhaps it is an attempt of some sort to communicate or more likely an attempt to gain acceptance by copying the behaviour of the ‘pack leader’. I’m sure you meant to say “flockmeister”. ---
**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/43 "2011-01-15T03:11:11Z")
I recently read of a pet parrot that escaped. A couple of days later the owner got an unusual phone call – Apparently the parrot had been saying, “Hello, this is Max: 5551-2345. Leave a message after the beep.” Owner and parrot reunited. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/44 "2011-01-15T03:25:35Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > I wonder why the parrots engage in mimicry at all, in the wild parrots are never heard to imitate other birds or other sounds they hear (like the lyre bird) but once they are captive they start their mimicry. Perhaps it is an attempt of some sort to communicate or more likely an attempt to gain acceptance by copying the behaviour of the ‘pack leader’. Actually, wild birds DO mimic sounds in their environment - cell phone noises and car alarms are apparently frequently reported by those who follow such things but in the natural habitat of, say, the Scarlet Macaw there aren’t a whole lot of people and electronic gizmos to imitate. Feral parrots in big city _do_ pick up on ambient sounds. One thing people don’t realize is that human speech is _hard_ for birds. Imagine trying to make sounds like “P” and “B” when you don’t have lips. I don’t know how my conure manages to say something like “Hey there, baby” and make it understandable given how different our vocal apparatuses are. I doubt I can imitate him as well as he imitates me. Birds do find it much easier to imitate things like whistles. Wild birds will tend to pick up the easier for them sounds because they also have to do things like find food and a mate and raise chicks. Captive birds have the leisure time to work on communicating with the the featherless bipeds who bring the food and water to them. Particularly when those big bipeds give them _extra_ goodies, and _extra yummy_ goodies when they make those noises. Wild parrots engage in mimicry. I’m not sure if it’s somehow connected to courtship rituals or the level of communication naturally found in the species or just a side effect of having sufficient animal intelligence plus a flexible vocal system. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/45 "2011-01-15T14:25:18Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Wild parrots engage in mimicry. I’m not sure if it’s somehow connected to courtship rituals or the level of communication naturally found in the species or just a side effect of having sufficient animal intelligence plus a flexible vocal system. I suspect it’s partly driven by some advantage of having dialects - I believe bird song tends to be partly innate, partly learned/cultural and partly innovative - introducing variables that affect mate selection. ---
**Author:** ![billigan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a4c791/32.png) [@billigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billigan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/46 "2011-01-15T21:47:47Z")
> [@goodie](#): > > Parrots can dance, parrots can talk, parrots can love you…useful? Hell yes! WTF do I need a man for? beak ≠ pecker ---
**Author:** ![alindallas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@alindallas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alindallas)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/47 "2011-01-16T06:26:29Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > No no, h-he’s not dead, he’s, he’s restin’! First thing I thought of when I saw it was a parrot thread! ---
**Author:** ![ratmanizhere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5ac83/32.png) [@ratmanizhere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratmanizhere)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/48 "2011-01-16T18:46:11Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > Anyone remember the juvenile detective book series "_Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators"?_\* In one of these, the intrepid youths had to track down the owners of several parrots. Each of the birds had been taught to repeat part of a cryptic clue to the location of the treasure…or whatever it was they were looking for, I forget. > > SS > \*Afraid I may be dating myself here…does anyone actually read juvenile detective books any more? Gee, thanks for making me feel old!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/49 "2011-01-18T17:53:59Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I thought Catholics were opposed to anointing birds as priests? Ouch! Bad pun. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/50 "2011-01-18T18:03:00Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Actually, wild birds DO mimic sounds in their environment - cell phone noises and car alarms are apparently frequently reported by those who follow such things but in the natural habitat of, say, the Scarlet Macaw there aren’t a whole lot of people and electronic gizmos to imitate. Feral parrots in big city _do_ pick up on ambient sounds. When we got our first electronic phone after the rules allowed it, a bird that dwelled in the trees behind our house started imitating it’s chirpy ring tone. After that ‘Answer the bird George’ was frequently heard around our house. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/51 "2011-01-18T19:01:36Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > When we got our first electronic phone after the rules allowed it, a bird that dwelled in the trees behind our house started imitating it’s chirpy ring tone. After that ‘Answer the bird George’ was frequently heard around our house. Ah, yes, the Tookie-Tookie Bird. 🙂 I love the old George of the Jungle show. ---
**Author:** ![Klytus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Klytus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klytus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/52 "2011-01-18T20:22:37Z")
I used to have a cockatiel named Loki who, whenever the phone rang, the second you picked it up, he would say “Hello.” He also learned the wolf-whistle in an unusual way. If you did the first part of the whistle, he’d finish it. Or, he’d do the first part of it, and wait for someone else to do the second part. If no one replied, he’d keep doing the first half for a while until someone “answered” him. We think that was his way of asking for attention. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/53 "2011-01-19T21:56:18Z")
My mom had a friend who had a super smart African Grey. The bird could correctly identify the different pets in the house by name (if you pointed to the animal in question) and would sing songs, humming the parts where it didn’t know the lyrics. It would also yell, “WHAT, WHAT?” if you were speaking in another room. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/54 "2011-01-20T18:55:10Z")
There was a case I saw on the HBO show Autposy where they were able to convict the murderer partially due to the bird. The police had found both man and bird dead at the scene, but the bird had attacked the killer and had his DNA under his claws. When they caught up with the suspect, he had the scratch marks to match. ---
**Author:** ![Connecting\_Rod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Connecting\_Rod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Connecting_Rod)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/55 "2011-01-20T19:58:19Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I thought Catholics were opposed to anointing birds as priests? I think they’re just opposed to chicks. ---
**Author:** ![DORFMONT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@DORFMONT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DORFMONT)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/56 "2011-01-24T05:16:38Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Although parrots are accomplished mimics, there is some debate as to how intelligently they are mimicking the sounds. > > Although on the face of it, doubting their intelligence until demonstrated is a valid and proper scientific view, IMO, it’s sometimes held a little more tenaciously than it should be, and I think this is sometimes part and parcel of the whole ‘animals are just dumb machines that can’t suffer’ mindset. > > The other side of the coin is that pet owners are terrible at objectively observing the behaviours of their animals. As an owner of a succession of talking budgies(parrakeets), I know I can’t help but to regard them as little feathery people (people not necessarily meaning _human_ people here - they are intelligent in an alien way). > > I know some of this must be wishful thinking and confirmation bias on my part, however, I am convinced that it is not entirely so. > My budgies have shown signs of having an inner thought-life, as well as having learned to associate certain sounds with abstract concepts (I can elaborate on this, if necessary) Birds can think and know what they are saying. One night I came home late and was trying to get Ricky to say “Good night”. I said “Good night” to him and he opened his eyes. I said it again and he raised his head from between his wings. I said it a third time and he said “Shut up” and went back to sleep. Rick’s buddy Nemo was sitting next to Rick’s mate Goldie while Goldie was taking a nap with one foot up. Nemo reached over and bit her on the foot she was standing on. She started flapping and squawking and then settled down. After she went back to sleep, Nemo figured that it worked so well the first time he would try it again. When he reached over to bite her, she came down on top of his head with her beak. Nemo said “Stop that”. Ricky’s oldest kids regularly answer the phone when it rings and his oldest son burps whenever I open a can of soda. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/57 "2011-01-24T08:51:08Z")
I don’t really doubt it myself, but then, I’m a bird owner. It’s difficult to objectively determine or argue, however, whether some responses are just mechanical and situation-driven, or whether there’s an actual conscious thought process creating them. For example, one of my previous birds sometimes used to say ‘night-night’ when I covered his cage in the evening, but it’s impossible to say whether he was just responding to a stimulus, or whether the response was a choice driven by the kind of inner thought-life that humans perceive themselves to have. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/58 "2011-01-24T17:03:15Z")
Given how many people run through parts of their day on automatic pilot I’m not sure how evidence there is that _human beings_ are capable of thought, much less parrots. Stimulus-response is not incompatible with intelligence. After all, the automatic response to “how are you?” is “I’m fine”, whether you are or not. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/59 "2011-01-24T19:45:38Z")
Sure, but the big question is to what extent, in animals, does that stimulus-response behaviour overlay real depth of thought. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822/60 "2011-01-25T00:21:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Practical uses for parrots? They can keep one side of a pirate’s head free from lice? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-uses-for-parrots/566822.md?page=2)