Study finds companion parrots may use names for individuals
Researchers analyzing hundreds of pet parrot recordings found signs that some birds use names to identify people, animals and other birds.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
3 min read
A study of companion parrots found evidence that some birds use names to identify specific people, animals and other parrots. The findings matter because they suggest at least some parrots may do more with human speech than repeat familiar sounds, according to researchers involved in the work.
The study, published in PLOS ONE, examined recordings and survey data gathered through the ManyParrots project, a collaboration that studies parrot learning, cognition and vocal behavior. The University of Pittsburgh said the research team analyzed material from more than 880 captive parrots living with people.
Lauryn Benedict, a biology professor at the University of Northern Colorado, led the work with longtime collaborator Christine R. Dahlin of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and researchers from Austria, according to the university. Rather than record wild parrots in tropical habitats, the team focused on companion birds that routinely hear human names and other spoken words at home.
Recordings pointed to name-like use
Nearly half of participants in the project submitted examples of parrots saying names, according to the University of Pittsburgh. Of 413 recordings that included name use, researchers identified 88 cases that appeared to show parrots using names as labels for particular people or animals.
The researchers also reported evidence that some birds were not using names only as broad categories, such as for any person. In some recordings, the birds appeared to link a given name with one individual, the university said.
Some examples suggested more complex use. According to the university, some parrots appeared to refer to someone who was not present, while others used their own names repeatedly to get attention.
Researchers urged caution on comparisons
The work adds to a broader line of research into whether animal vocal signals can identify or address individuals. Human names help people manage social relationships, and scientists have studied whether other animals use sounds for related social purposes.
Dahlin cautioned that the findings do not prove parrots use names in the same way people do. “We cannot conclude that they are analogous to human names both because animals signals are often so different and because we don't understand the full intent behind the signals,” she said, according to the University of Pittsburgh.
Still, Dahlin said the findings indicate parrots have vocal and cognitive abilities that could support varied uses of names. Those uses may include communication with people and references to absent individuals, according to the university’s summary of the research.
The study also leaves open questions about how widely this behavior appears across parrot species and individual birds. The University of Pittsburgh said differences between species, as well as variation among birds of the same species, remain important areas for future research.
The paper, “Name use by companion parrots,” was authored by Benedict, Viktoria Groiss, Marisa Hoeschele, Eva Reinisch and Dahlin. The university said the work was funded in part by the Vienna Science and Technology Fund project ANIML, and that funders had no role in the study design, analysis, publication decision or manuscript preparation.
This story draws on original reporting from ScienceDaily.