Why can parrots talk?

Weather of Arabia - The ability to speak and imitate sounds is considered one of the prominent features in the world of birds, and among these birds that have the exceptional ability to speak, parrots stand out as one of the most famous species that possess this wonderful ability, and in this article, we will take a glimpse into the reason why parrots are able to speak And the factors that contribute to this ability.

The ability of parrots to communicate with humans

Unlike cats, which excel at communicating with humans using body language and facial features as the main means of expressing their needs and feelings, parrots have developed a unique communication system to interact with humans, and this communication does not include communication with their individuals in nature.

In the case of parrots, sound is produced in a much more complex way than in cats, and thanks to the musical box they have in the windpipe, they can imitate almost any sound, and although they do not have vocal cords like humans, they have this special organ that helps them reproduce a wide range of votes.

Imitation plays a prominent role in the lives of parrots, as they can imitate the sounds surrounding them and express their environment accurately, and this clearly appears in cases of the presence of large numbers of parrots in gardens or natural areas, where their cheerful interaction and the vocal diversity they create can be seen.

Parrots are masters of imitation and communication sounds

The ability to imitate and the ability to reproduce sounds has a natural protective basis and another specific communicative basis with humans in that bird that has a close relationship with us. In addition to its inspiring role in communicating with humans, pet parrots, that is, those that coexist closely with humans, understand that Speaking is an important trait for us.

They understand that this is a way of communicating, and that these kinds of strange sounds we make have great value for our social relationship, and it is noted that parrots can learn what we know as “bad words” more easily, as they recognize them as special words, and realize that they are distinct from other words.

Eric Jarvis, a neuroscientist and vocal learning expert at Duke University, republished a recent study in the journal Plos One to explain why birds have a part of their brain dedicated to vocal learning. It turns out that all vocal learners have a part of their brain called the song system . However, in the case of parrots, the song system is characterized by having two layers - the first part is the internal 'core' shared by all vocally learned birds, and the second layer is the external 'shell' , which is unique to parrots. It is believed that the discovery of the 'shell' It could be the key to understanding how parrots are able to mimic sounds so much, although research has not discovered exactly how this layer works yet.

It has been shown that the brain of parrots has an area specifically dedicated to imitating sounds, which is one of the most complex areas in their brains, as it shares the same areas that make them dance when they listen to the enjoyable rhythm of music.

Training parrots to imitate human voices

Parrots show the ability to learn and use different dialects, and this can be seen in many examples. For example, Amazon parrots in Costa Rica have diverse regional dialects, and when a parrot moves from one region to another, it often adapts to the new local dialect. Researcher Tim Wright, who studies parrot vocalizations at New Mexico State University, found evidence of this. Behavior in his research.

Accordingly, when a parrot is introduced into a human environment, it seeks to “blend into the situation as if it belonged to a human flock” and the basic traits that make it capable of calculating and understanding language, such as time, inspiration, and mental ability. However, wild parrots typically lack The ability to interact closely with speech. It is worth noting that although some wild parrots have been heard uttering human phrases, this behavior is rare, and it is believed that they learned it from escaped pet parrots. Tim Wright says:

“In the wild, parrots' interests are usually focused on other parrots to understand what is meant by them.” They begin to care about and interact with humans only when humans become a major source of social contact.

To develop the ability of parrots to imitate human voices, they must be properly socialized from a very early age. For this reason, if parrots are not exposed to this training in their early developmental years, they may find it difficult to acquire this ability later, since developing this type of imitation requires evolutionary Complex cerebral changes must occur as the bird grows.

Do early parrots know what they are saying?

For parrots, the words they speak can have some associations, but they usually do not carry complex meanings, as it is their adaptation to the context that makes them appear to understand what you are saying.

For example, when a parrot says "Hello; how are you?" When its owner enters the room, it does not necessarily express deep concern for its owner's condition, but rather imitates what it heard the owner say when it entered. In fact, the meaning of these words for a parrot can simply be an expression of the presence of a person in the room.

Parrots also find attractive phrases and sounds related to excitement and disturbance, and this can encourage them to learn unfamiliar vocalizations. However, with proper training, parrots can become more aware of meanings. For example, with continued training, a parrot can recognize words that refer to specific things and understand better meanings.

The relationship between the environment and the sounds of parrots

As with many animals, creating a strong association between circumstances and sound is a common mechanism that prefers to repeat sounds or words in relation to the correct and appropriate circumstances in a precise way that can surprise us.

After clarifying this mechanism, it is necessary to know that having parrots as pets is not recommended at all, and should be avoided, as removing a wild animal from its environment can cause harmful effects on nature, and hinder its development and healthy existence.

The parrot has a unique feature that makes it able to speak and imitate sounds amazingly, and this ability represents an exciting model for study on the ability of animals to communicate and interact with their environment, and the study of this ability remains open for researchers to understand the precise aspects of how the parrot achieves this remarkable achievement.

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Sources:

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