Are Parrots Smart? Vet-Reviewed Facts & FAQ
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It is often passed as a joke or a flippant comment about how animals are more intelligent and better to be around than other human beings, or you may have muttered the thought to yourself. The truth is, sometimes animals can be more pleasant than people, but in terms of intelligence, humans hold first place for being the most intelligent creatures or beings on planet Earth.
Pushing that fact to the side, we see next in the list of most intelligent species is a wide range of animals, with parrots ranking in the top 10 of the most intelligent species on earth. Intelligence is a difficult thing to measure, particularly because we judge it against what humans can do, not what animals need to learn and survive. However, in most attempts at ranking the most intelligent species on Earth, parrots always seem to make the top 10.
This finding alone should give you a major clue as to just how smart parrots are and how far removed from the term “bird brain” they actually are.
How Intelligent Is the Parrot?
The group of birds known as Psittacines, which include parrots, macaws, and cockatoos, are, perhaps surprisingly, some of the world’s most intelligent creatures. They have a primate-like number of neurons in the forebrain and an additional highly neurologically developed region known as the telencephalon.
Parrots and their mind-boggling cognitive abilities and intelligence have, in some experiments, rivalled apes. Despite their small, walnut-sized brains, some parrot species are estimated to be as smart as a 5-year-old child (in some areas). It has been discovered that parrots are capable of a vast range of cognitive abilities, and if you only associate parrots with repeating words, then think again.
- Self-recognition in mirror
- Imitate sounds
- Mimic human speech
- Learn and recognize their names
- Use some tools
- Solve puzzles
- Add and subtract
- Communicate their desires
- Distinguish numbers, shapes, sizes, and colors
- Understand the concept of zero or none
Their skills and intelligence are quite remarkable, with only the Corvidae family of crows, ravens, rooks, magpies, and jays rivalling their intelligence in the avian world.
What Animal Has the Highest IQ?
Human beings, so far, are classed as the most intelligent beings on the planet. There are various reports listing the order of the smartest animals, though, and most agree that chimps and dolphins come in second and third place. However, when it comes to deciding on the intelligence of animals, it really does depend on your criteria for measuring this, and it is subjective.
For example, elephants are very self-aware, can complete complicated tasks, are compassionate, and are able to recognize themselves in the mirror, as well as being highly sociable. The goat and octopus are amazing problem solvers, and pigs can solve mazes. How one deciphers an animal’s intelligence is tricky, so is it fair, or even possible, to say one is smarter than the other?
Do Parrots Understand Human Language?
Some parrot species don’t talk at all or very much, but some other species of parrots do, with the African grey parrot being one of the most talkative. Parrots mimic human language and can “speak” any language, not just English, as they are often copying the words and expressions of humans around them.
Birds rely heavily on vocal and bodily communication with other birds in the wild so that they can survive. Parrots talk to their owners or people around them, as they see you as part of their flock, just as they would do if they were in the wild.
Although it may feel like you are having a real conversation with a parrot as they rally back and forth to your questions, do they actually understand the words and the sentences you are saying or that they are repeating? Researchers differ in their opinion here; some say that parrots do have some contextual understanding of what words to use and when, and others say that they are much more advanced than this, and can learn to ask for specific things, as long as they have been appropriately trained.
Conclusion
I hope we can all agree that “brainy bird” is the term needed to replace “bird brain.” Some species of bird can leave a tree, travel halfway around the world, and find their way back to that exact tree the following summer. This is intelligence, but it’s not measurable against human intelligence, so it isn’t recognised as such. Parrots, however, like some others from the avian bunch, really are something else with their cognitive abilities, and we can measure this intelligence against metrics that we understand. Many of their skills are comparable to humans and apes, which may surprise you and give you an increased level of respect for our feathered friends.
Featured Image Credit: Teirman, Shutterstock
