![]() “It’s been over a year and they still talk,” Cunha says.Īccording to Kleinberger, the types of vocalizations the birds used suggested they were mirroring the call and response nature they engage in in the wild-“hello, I’m here!” in parrot-speak. They formed strong preferences-in the preliminary pilot study, Cunha’s bird Ellie, a Goffin’s cockatoo, became fast friends with a California-based African grey named Cookie. The birds engaged in most calls for the maximum allowed time. “She came alive during the calls,” reported one.Ī few significant findings emerged. Some caregivers watched their birds learn skills from their video friends, including foraging, new vocalizations and even flying. ![]() Not only did the birds initiate calls freely and seem to understand that a real fellow parrot was on the other end, but caretakers overwhelmingly reported the calls as positive experiences for their parrots. “Some strong social dynamics started appearing,” Kleinberger says. The answer, relayed in delighted squawks and head bobs, was a resounding yes. They wondered: If given the choice, would the birds call each other? The researchers then observed how the birds used that newfound ability over a three-month period. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Photos by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Rébecca Kleinberger, an assistant professor at Northeastern Jennifer Cunha, a parrot behaviorist and Northeastern researcher and Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, an assistant professor at the University of Glasgow, showed a group of parrots across a range of species and their volunteer caregivers to use tablets and smartphones how to video-call one another on Facebook Messenger. The results suggest that video calls could help parrots approximate birds’ communication in the wild, improving their behavior-and, likely, their well-being-in their owners’ homes. Video chats like Zoom and FaceTime are great ways to stay in touch with loved ones-so great, in fact, that parrots are catching on.Ī new study from researchers at Northeastern University, in collaboration with scientists from MIT and the University of Glasgow, investigated what happened when a group of domesticated birds were taught to call one another on tablets and smartphones.
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