Having a special vocal apparatus, living in a group and having above average intelligence among birds helps parrots to imitate other species. In the wild, parrots use singing to exchange information. When they are placed in captivity, however, they compensate for the lack of communication by reproducing household sounds and words repeated by people. “Parrots easily imitate the human voice because the sound they emit has characteristics common to human speech. The voice of other birds tends to be more whistled, faster and higher pitched”, explains ornithologist Jacques Veillard, from Unicamp.
The African Gray Parrot is the most talkative of birds. See how he learns
1. In nature, the parrot lives in flocks and uses singing to communicate. From an early age, he learns to imitate his elders.
2. His intellectual capacity makes him decode and memorize new sounds. Like hummingbirds, it has brain nuclei dedicated to more complex sounds.
3. The control of the syrinx – an organ present in all birds, equivalent to the human vocal chords – allows the parrot to emit articulate sounds that go beyond melodious whistles
4. The beak’s anatomy boosts the sound. The tongue and palate – the upper inner part – make the sound reverberate and come out more powerfully.
5. The natural voice of parrots has characteristics common to human speech, such as timbre rich in harmonics and smooth modulations. This also helps when it comes to “imitating”
Know more than whistle
It’s not just the parrot that is good at imitation
IT’S IN THE BICO!
The African Gray Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) lives in the mangroves of Africa and is 35 cm tall. One specimen of the species, named N’kisi, spoke over 900 words
TRUE PARROT (Amazona aestiva)
In addition to talking, it sings and imitates household sounds, such as the telephone.
MAINA (Gracula religious)
Found in India, it imitates the voice of other birds and reproduces small phrases
BLUE MACAW (Anodorhynchus hyacintinus)
Like the parrot, it is part of the parrot family. It is easy to learn short sentences
CORRUPION (Icterus jamacai)
Common in the Northeast, it is capable of learning parts of music, such as chords from the National Anthem
Read too:
– How do parrots learn to speak?