The Espanyol website reported on December 26 that when parrots are mentioned, they have to mention their distinctive characteristics and abilities. In addition to appearance and decor, the parrot's ability to imitate sounds is often discussed. Why do parrots talk?
The parrot family is a family of ornithopods, including the tiger parrot, macaw and so on. All species of parrots in the parrot family (even some subspecies) have the ability to imitate natural sounds and human language.
American animal cognitive scientist Erin Pepperberg has published several studies on the learning ability of an African grey parrot (called "Alex"). Trained, Alex was able to recognize objects and describe them in words, even answering more complex questions.
However, humans are the only creatures that have the ability to speak. In fact, in the case of parrots, they can only repeat words or sounds that they hear frequently.
It is worth mentioning that this is only a simple ability to repeat sounds, not a cognitive ability that can be used for communication. In other words, the words that parrots repeat have no meaning to them, and they cannot communicate independent opinions.
According to reports, the reason why parrots can imitate human sounds is closely related to a vocal organ called a sound tube. It is important to note that parrots have a unique respiratory system and their tracheal muscles have special uses. All this allows parrots to mimic the sounds around them. In addition, the parrot's brain is much more complex than other species, and parts of its brain are specifically responsible for mimicking sounds.
For parrots to imitate human voices, specific conditions must be created: first, parrots should be in frequent contact with people, preferably from the time they were young; then, rewards should be given after they succeed in imitating.
Source: Reference News Network