Commonly, members of the order Psittaciformes are known as parrots. This group of birds is made up of parrots (Psittacoidea), cockatoos (Cacatuoidea) and New Zealand parrots (Strigopoidea). They all have one characteristic in common that usually attracts a lot of attention: they have the ability to imitate sounds
Some species of parrots that live in captivity can learn to imitate human words. For this reason, we say that parrots talk. However, this ability can be more or less limited depending on the species. Some of them can't even speak. In this article, we tell you about the talking parrots and why they do it.
Characteristics of Parrots
These are the main characteristics of parrots:
- Upright posture: His body is wide, strong and always in an upright position.
- Zygodactyl Claws: Parrots have four toes. Two of them go forward and the other two go backwards. This allows them to remain perched on tree branches for a long time.
- Robust beak: they have a very large beak, curved downwards and specialized in opening shelled fruits.
- Sedentary: these birds are not migratory, but remain all their lives in one place.
- Herbivores: Most parrots feed on seeds, usually encapsulated. In addition, they supplement their diet with flowers, leaves, roots, resin, bark, fruit pulp, and arthropods. Parrots of the subfamily (Loriinae) prefer nectar and pollen from flowers. Here we leave you more information about What do parrots eat?
- Monogamous: During the breeding season, these animals make solitary nests in the hollows of trees. In them, they reproduce with a single partner throughout the reproductive season or even throughout their lives. Polygyny occurs in a small number of species.
- Social: Most species form large flocks that sleep and feed together. In addition, they often socialize with other flocks.
- Intelligence: Along with corvids, they are one of the birds with the greatest cognitive abilities. It is because they have a very large brain with a highly developed brain.
- Vocal communication: they have brain structures specialized in language. They have a special brain nucleus that allows them to learn sounds throughout their lives.
- Highly Endangered: 28% of Psittaciformes (111 species) are considered endangered or vulnerable. Additionally, 56% have their populations in decline. The destruction of their habitat and their capture to sell them as pets are their main threats.
Parrot characteristics vary slightly depending on the species. For this reason, we encourage you to read this other article on our site about Types of parrots - Characteristics, names and photos.
Why do parrots talk?
Many species of parrots living in captivity copy and reproduce human words. But can we say that parrots talk? A few years ago we would have answered no, but currently, the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) considers that speaking is "emitting words". In addition, he adds that, when talking about birds, it means “ imitate the articulations of the human voice”. Therefore, there are parrots that talk.
Parrots learn and memorize our words and then repeat them. But why do parrots talk? The answer to this question lies in their behavior in nature. Basically, it's because parrots are very social birds They mimic our words because that's what they would do to other individuals of their own species if they were in the wild.
Parrots' vocal learning begins when they hatch, that is, their first vocalizations learn from their parents Later, they begin to socialize with other individuals of their species. It is from them that they learn new sounds, which they imitate and reproduce, giving them their personal touch. In fact, the sounds of parrots depend on their geographical area, so it is thought that, like us, they have dialects.
These are some of the functions that vocal learning has in parrots:
- Sexual selection: they learn and repeat sounds to attract, get and keep their partner. In many types of parrots, the male of a pair mimics the female's calls to indicate her interest in him.
- Territory defense: Like all monogamous birds, parrots defend their nesting territory. Their goal is to prevent other pairs of the same species from stealing their nest or even throwing their eggs on the ground. It is very common for both members of the couple to make calls or even sing together.
- Coordinated Foraging: Many species of parrots gather in flocks or groups to feed together. Normally, an experienced individual guides the others and teaches them what foods they can eat. This shows that parrots learn from other individuals of their species. In addition, it is common for flocks to constantly join and separate, joining with other flocks from nearby territories. For this reason, it can be essential to recognize each parrot. In fact, it is very common for them to imitate the call of other individuals to communicate with them. It is believed that it could have the purpose of negotiating or exchanging information about the food.
- Avoid Predation: Many parrots group together at night and during foraging to avoid being eaten by other animals. When a predator approaches they emit alarm calls and everyone is on guard. However, it has not yet been shown that these calls are learned.
What are the types of talking parrots?
There are many species of parrots that talk, so we are going to tell you about the most communicative or those that have something interesting to tell us.
Gray Parrot
The African Gray Parrot (Psittacus erithacus), known as the Gray Parrot, inhabits the tropical forests of West Africa. Although much is unknown about its behavior in the wild, it is known to imitate other individuals in its singing sessions and to issue calls to defend its territory.
As for its speech in captivity, this animal was essential to demonstrate that many parrots can learn the meaning of some human words. In 1999, a gray parrot known as Álex learned to select objects with the shape, color and composition that his trainer asked for. If the required object was absent, the Gray Parrot indicated it by saying “none”. In addition, Álex learned to request objects from his trainer indicating their characteristics.
This animal is considered one of the most intelligent birds in the world. Despite this, their populations are in decline due, above all, to the capture of individuals for sale as pets.
Orange-fronted Parrot
The Orange-fronted Parrot (Eupsittula canicularis) is found in southern Mexico and Central America, from Guatemala to Costa Rica. They live in moderate- altitude forests, where they form large communities that sleep and feed together To do this, they form foraging groups, as explained previously.
Something very particular is that when a group of orange-fronted parrots finish feeding in one place, a few individuals climb to the top of the vegetation and emit a “flight call ”. The group then reunites and goes together to find more food.
Yellow-naped Parrot
One of the talking parrot species is the Yellow-naped Amazon (Amazona auropalliata), which has a similar distribution to the Orange-fronted Parrot. Unlike this one, it inhabits low-lying forests that are disappearing due to the intensification of agriculture. Additionally, numerous individuals are captured each year for sale as pets. For these reasons, this amazon is in danger of extinction.
As occurs in other parrots, Amazons have different dialects depending on the geographical area they inhabit. This means that each subpopulation has typical sounds. In addition, they make different calls when they communicate with a bird that is not from their group. There are also calls that are gender-specific and play when couples sing together.
Amazons are perhaps the best example of singing parrots These curious animals perform duets as a couple. The male and the female emit different sounds, but they blend perfectly. Its syllables and patterns are learned, as they vary over time.
Common or Australian Parakeet
The parakeet (Melopsittacus undulatus) is a species of small parrot that lives in Australia. Although it may not seem like it, they are a good example of talking parrots. In captivity, only males can imitate humanwords somewhat poorly. This can be explained by their behavior in freedom.
In the wild, males mimic the calls of females during courtship. They prefer males that have contact calls similar to theirs. For this reason, they must learn to imitate the calls of the female. This process can take several weeks and should be done every reproductive period.
Eclectic Parrot
Among the species of talking parrots, probably the Eclectic Parrot (Eclectus roratus) is the best imitator This parrot from Australia and other islands in Oceania can learn a wide variety of sounds that it uses in many social contexts.
Something very peculiar about this species is its sexual dimorphism. The females are red and blue, while the males are green. It is something uncommon in birds, where the males are usually more striking. It may be because nesting sites are very scarce, so it is the females who compete with each other. In fact, it is common for a single female to reproduce with severalmales (polyandry). When this occurs, they cooperate in feeding the female and raising the chicks.
Macaws
The parrots of the Ara genus are known as macaws, which are distributed throughout Central and South America. They are the largest parrots and some good imitators. They are normally monogamous and fly in very noisy flocks making numerous calls.
Due to their beautiful colors and their good imitation of human words, they have been and are the most used as pets. For this reason and the loss of their habitat, many species of macaws are in danger of extinction.
Here are some examples of macaws:
- Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna).
- Red Macaw (Ara macao).
- Military Macaw (Ara militaris).
- Red-and-green Macaw (Ara chloropterus).
Cockatoos
Cockatoos (Cacatuidae) are a family of birds that includes more than 20 species of talking parrots. They are distributed throughout the islands of East Asia and Oceania, including Australia. Their main characteristic is the erectile plume of feathers that they have on their heads, forming a kind of crest. In addition, they are recognizable by their white or light colors, with several exceptions of black or dark gray.
White Cockatoos are one of the most popular pets. They have a lot of different calls. In addition, it is common for to hit trees to communicate over long distances, so it can appear that they are dancing.
Here are some examples of cockatoos:
- White Cockatoo (Cacatua alba).
- Inca Cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri).
- Black Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus).
- Galah Cockatoo (Eolophus roseicapillus).
