Things I learned about bird intelligence at a panel earlier today. I mean yesterday.

[xiphias]

Well, by the definition, "'today' increments when I sleep", it was today.

Alex is an African Gray parrot. He can apparently generalize concepts, and understand how language relates to abstractions and generalizations. When he is given tests about how well he understands these concepts, he scores an 85% success rate.

The interesting part is the 15% that are marked wrong.

"Alex, give me the red metal key."
"Want nut."
(mark that response wrong.)
"Alex, give me the red metal key."
"Want nut. Want pasta."
(mark that response wrong.)
"Alex, give me the red metal key."
Alex turns his back on the researcher and shits.
(mark that response wrong.)
"Alex, give me the red metal key."
Alex walks over and picks up and carries over every single object on the tray EXCEPT the red metal key and places them in front of the researcher.
(mark that response wrong)

Yeah. He didn't give the response that would count as being marked "right", but it's hard to argue that he doesn't understand what's going on . . .

He's not the only parrot in the lab, although he's the oldest and has been there the longest. He and the second-longest-tenured parrot will correct the pronounciation of English words of all the other parrots.

Alex makes up new words. He likes bananas and cherries. He was given an apple once, and apparently decided he liked it, because he asked the researchers for another "banary."

Other African grays show similar levels of intelligence. One parrot, who was typically only given orange juice in the morning, asked at dinner time for "breakfast-water."

Another African gray parrot owner was watching a documentary about Alex, with her parrot, Macguyver. Macguyver turned to her and said, "Poopy on Alex. Macguyver is a good bird."

Cockatoos are not at all as skilled at mimicing human speech as parrots are, and are probably not as intelligent. Nonetheless, there are flocks of wild cockatoos that have taken to sitting around outside cafes in Australia, waiting for there to be a good number of customers sitting around, and then mimicing various cell phone rings, just to watch all the humans go diving for their bags and digging through them. These are WILD cockatoos, mind you.

Comments

[red-frog.livejournal.com]

Parrot speech fascinates me. Alex sounds like he's better at language than any I've read about previously--most of those just use their learned responses in a situationally appropriate way.

Funny about the Cockatoos

[zachkessin.livejournal.com]

I heard a story about how dolphins have figured out how to imitate the sounds of ships (including things like WWII depth charges) which apparently causes much confusion on some US Navy subs. (Hey why is there a WWII Imperial Japanese navy ship above us? I thought those were destroyed 50 years ago at the end of the war)

[redbird]

Mockingbirds learn cell phone rings because it's a new and impressive sound they can use to impress other mockingbirds with; if it confuses humans, that's incidental (they're not trying to confuse me when they imitate robin calls either).

[oneironaut.livejournal.com]

There's a similar 'want nut' story at the end of this (interesting, but in this context probably redundant) article, -- something tells me Alex's trainers could fill a good portion of an hour without departing from the truth or the basic

INT. training session:

ALEX: Want nut.

ALEX does something UNCANNY, PERVERSE and/or FUNNY to get it.

formula.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I'm dubious about this, mostly because examples of the higher-order language use of signing apes turned out to be largely cherrypicked. It wasn't at all clear that the researchers were doing it with purposeful deceptiveness - it was just that they seized on exchanges that could be construed as having meaning, and ignored those that could not. We're pattern-seeking animals ourselves, after all.

[bercilakslady.livejournal.com]

And here I thought my Dad's parrot was the only one to like OJ...

And he'll be walking across the room to get to his cage, and food, but then he'll see me with a red cup, so he'll stop, stare at me, hop up on my lap, and go for the cup. Dad lets him drink from his cup. I think this is gross. Poor birdie...

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Alex and his brethren were part of the inspiration for two of my books, SCARDOWN and WORLDWIRED. Intraspecies communication is fascinating.

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

I love African grey parrot stories. :)

My parents' friends had one who, when a dog would visit, would call out "Here boy! Here boy!" from his cage, and then when the dog ran over would bite him on the nose. I saw the same parrot calling out "Here kitty" when he saw a cat through the window too. If only those birds weren't so expensive and I didn't already have a menagerie....

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

Wow. I think that parrot is smarter than many humans I know.

You were not at the foo today?

[laurion]

You know, I've actually been called in to fix 'Alex's' Computer. Tehy have an old mac there hooked up to the web, and they let him play around with things online, just to see what he ends up doing with them. Apparently he mostly shits on the (plastic covered) keyboard. And the room he is in has the unfortunate tendency to smell. But htat's the whole building, because they keep a fair variety of animals with a variety of cleaning needs in there.