ByGrrlScientist,
Senior Contributor.
Parrots may use names like humans do, showing signs of social understanding and individual recognition.
A recent study reveals what many of us who live with companion parrots have long suspected: at least some parrots don’t randomly mimic human speech. Instead, they appear learn (or assign) names to specific individuals in their households and use these names to them call out.
“We didn’t set out to study name use,” said the study’s lead author, Lauryn Benedict, a professor at the University of Northern Colorado, where she studies animal communication and social behavior.
