What do Parrots Remember?

From Lafeber Nutri-Berries:
“What Do Parrots Remember?
How well do parrots remember situations, other parrots, and people over the course of their long lives? In her latest Lafeber blog, Dr. Pepperberg gives us a rundown on research that points to parrots as having brain areas that function in ways similar to the human cortex, and how their extremely high neural densities enable advanced cognitive processing.
Pepperberg also gives us an inside look at how African grey Griffin (and Alex before him) seems to distinguish between short or long absences among the students in her cognitive behavior research lab.”

Yes they do remember. For example my rescued grey behaves in ways that tell a tale of prior mistreatment. We’re now unwinding the knot of learned fears: learning to trust, not fearing hands, learning to play. He remembers something but is slowly opening up.

Just my opinion.


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Yes! I got my baby Neptune newly weaned at seven weeks. Was not speaking yet. A moth later when he started speaking, several phrases came from his breeders house! He said , no bueno, and Screamed I wanna A cookie! He cane from a Spanish speaking home with a four year old lol! And he laughed like his breeder mom. I was blown away. He first said good boy, and things I taught him, then those showed up. That he learned and rembered that as a baby is amazing to me. So I believe the older guys remember so very much.

They are quite intelligent and can remember stuff from years ago even, like past mistreatment from last owner and When I first took my Umbrella Cockatoo to work with me and when she saw someone going out the back to smoke with a cigarette in hand. She would say getting angry "that cigarette will sent you to the hospital", pretty clearly. Her last owner had COPD. The fact you can also potty train them and they remember to go poo right before and exiting the car and ETC.

I'd say that parrots have memories that are very similar to our memories; this is extremely obvious just by observing how re-homed parrots behave...If they were abused or neglected it effects them for the rest of their lives, just like a young child who is abused carries that pain and memory with them for the rest of their lives. If a bird is hit or screamed at by an owner, then it's typically something that they deal with for the rest of their lives, regardless of how loving a new home they find...I've seen many birds at the Rescue actually "wince" whenever anyone lifts their arms/hands around them, like a dog who has been beaten...It's heartbreaking, but it's a testament to how good their memories are...

Does anyone remember the CAG who witnessed their owner's murder by their significant other, and then when he was taken to the home of a family member he started acting-out what was said during the murder, in the voices of his owner and the murderer? That bird was used in court to convict his owner's killer!!!

EllenD said:

I'd say that parrots have memories that are very similar to our memories; this is extremely obvious just by observing how re-homed parrots behave...If they were abused or neglected it effects them for the rest of their lives, just like a young child who is abused carries that pain and memory with them for the rest of their lives. If a bird is hit or screamed at by an owner, then it's typically something that they deal with for the rest of their lives, regardless of how loving a new home they find...I've seen many birds at the Rescue actually "wince" whenever anyone lifts their arms/hands around them, like a dog who has been beaten...It's heartbreaking, but it's a testament to how good their memories are...

Does anyone remember the CAG who witnessed their owner's murder by their significant other, and then when he was taken to the home of a family member he started acting-out what was said during the murder, in the voices of his owner and the murderer? That bird was used in court to convict his owner's killer!!!

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Yes an obviously tramatic experience, that he likely understood all to well glad he helped convicte!!!

I also believe they retain the memories from their before lives. Our IRN, Stevie, is a perfect example. We have had him for 2.5 years now, and any change to his routine is terrifying to him, as I think he remembers the abuse he suffered. When he came to us, they called him Stevie Wonder because they thought it was hysterical to beat on the sides of his cage and watch him be so scared he slammed into the sides of the cage, desperately trying to escape in a blind panic. He has never warmed up to my husband, but tolerates him in the evenings when we are doing the feed. If my husband is there for the morning feed, Stevie panics. He hasn't been afraid of me for a long time and will take treats from my hand, but the other day I dropped something in front of his cage. I got on my knees to find it and he completely freaked out, just because I was doing something I don't usually do.

I believe they also remember the good times with previous owners, the few that we have who actually had wonderful previous parents still say things in their voices.

Terry57 said:

I also believe they retain the memories from their before lives. Our IRN, Stevie, is a perfect example. We have had him for 2.5 years now, and any change to his routine is terrifying to him, as I think he remembers the abuse he suffered. When he came to us, they called him Stevie Wonder because they thought it was hysterical to beat on the sides of his cage and watch him be so scared he slammed into the sides of the cage, desperately trying to escape in a blind panic. He has never warmed up to my husband, but tolerates him in the evenings when we are doing the feed. If my husband is there for the morning feed, Stevie panics. He hasn't been afraid of me for a long time and will take treats from my hand, but the other day I dropped something in front of his cage. I got on my knees to find it and he completely freaked out, just because I was doing something I don't usually do.

I believe they also remember the good times with previous owners, the few that we have who actually had wonderful previous parents still say things in their voices.

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That's heartbreaking...What the hell is wrong with people...These are the situations where I wish they didn't have the ability to remember everything...

You have to wonder what people are thinking when they do things like this. I guess they're not thinking at all, that's that problem...Or only thinking about themselves and their own entertainment, but if that's actually entertainment to you then you need to re-evaluate your life...As long as I've worked at the Avian/Reptile Rescue, now over 8 years, I still get very surprised by how mean, cruel, and sometimes even vindictive and torturous people can be towards their pets...

EDIT: I should mention that we just had a Bearded Dragon surrendered to the rescue last week with absolutely NO TAIL...Now usually they are missing at least the tips of their tails, sometimes more, because people ignore the fact that they are solitary animals and they insist on keeping more than one in a tank, and the dominant Dragon will bite the tail of the submissive Dragon (who also is usually emaciated because they get no food at all from the dominant Dragon)...And because the circulation in their tails is so bad, the tips of their tails actually don't just become necrotic and "fall off" like other lizards or snakes; they actually get "Tail Rot" and it will continue to move up the tail further and further unless an amputation is done and antibiotics are given...If this isn't done they eventually become septic and die. People think that the injured or dead/necrotic tip will just fall off and everything will be fine, but the necrosis just keeps moving up the tail towards the body. They are one of the only reptiles where this happens, and it happens in pretty much 100% of tail nips...

Well this poor Dragon had NO TAIL at all, there was just a callused area right behind it's rear legs/vent...And what was immediately odd to me was that the the callous made a completely straight-edged line, like it was "surgical", but that's not how any total tail amputations I've ever seen have looked, and I've seen hundreds of Beardies with amputated tails...Well, come to find out from the guy that surrendered him when I interviewed him that he has two Beardies, both males, and he kept them both in a tiny 20 gallon aquarium (not large enough for one adult Beardie, let alone two)...Keeping two male Beardies together is 100% going to end in one or both dying, and quickly...Well that's what happened, this guy was basically killing his other male, which was "the one I really like" he said...But the "one he really likes" that he decided to keep got a good bite out of the tip of this guy's tail about 9 months ago (I cannot imagine what his other Beardie looks like, if this guy was the dominant, aggressive one)...So as he continued to tell me in a totally "matter-of-fact" way, he couldn't afford to take him to a Vet when the initial tail-nip happened, and he figured it would just fall-off anyway, so he just left it go...Well the tip turned necrotic and black, but didn't fall off, and the "blackness" continued to spread up his tail...So this guy took a "Meat-Clever", sharpened it so "it was so sharp that he couldn't have felt it at all", and proceeded to cut the last inch or so of this Beardie's tail off in one swipe, while he was totally awake...He then used a spring-action clamp, like the kind you use in wood-working or automotive repair, to stop the bleeding...Well, of course the poor thing didn't ever get any antibiotics, so the necrosis continued to spread up the tail towards the body...Keep in-mind that the closer it is to the body, the thicker and thicker a Bearded Dragon's tail gets, with large, adult males like this one having a proximal tail diameter between 2-3"...Well this guy just kept using a "Meat-Clever" to amputate this poor Beardie's tail, and he did it a total of 4 times over the span of 9 months...The last time he did this to the last inch tail closest to it's body, with a bone inside the size of our thumb or big toe bones...He finally decided that he needed to separate the two Dragons, but instead of "wasting money" on a second set-up, he decided to just surrender him to the Rescue...

And by the way, Bearded Dragons, who are not known to be very intelligent at all, also have a pretty good memory, as this poor guy is scared to death of EVERYONE...It's going to be a long, long road ahead of rehabbing this Dragon until it can be re-homed, because right now he bites everyone who comes near him..He got me good twice while I was doing an exam on him...

I think they remember anything significant as well as we do. Like once a year I set up in a lighted area of the carpet and go to trim clark's wings. he KNOWS whats coming and freaks as soon as I'm done he is fine with me and wants to be back on my shoulder because he feels safe and with his flock there.

there are reports of crows attacking people that were mean to them on like college campuses years later....

I don't think they could ever do algebra but I think they can remember anything significant that has ever happened to them. That's kind of part of evolution. Recognizing things from the past that may be good or bad. It would make no sense that the would be like goldfish that only remember things for a couple seconds, then they could never even learn to talk or do tricks.

Parrots are up there with dolphins and apes..in fact, they have beaten them on tests of intelligence, so their memories are likely more closely related to our own than any other animal...They remember a ton (whether or not they acknowledge it). Birds hide a lot..

The CAG who witnessed their owner's murder by their significant other in Michigan a couple of years ago was not part of the Trial. But the Family's recording of the CAG and police report of what was stated by the CAG was used for identification of the murderer. So, yes a major contributor to the arrest, but not part of the Trial.

All of our Amazons have come to us older, ill and/or abused. As they become healthier they open-up and the history of what was told to us and the words of the Amazon and their day to day reactions either support or provide a very different view of their past. If only their story could be used in a Court of Law!

Our Julio was raised by a loving older couple. He had past 10 years after Julio came into their lives. Mom's mind was already failing and after Dad past, the family provide a live-in home care person. That person abused Julio and very likely Mom. His words and reactions to certain people clearly tells a story.

Each of our loving Amazons have provide pictures into their past. Based on their estimated age and various stated words and reactions some had far more homes than they should. From what we have seen and heard, their memories are long lived.

Over Christmas, I was visiting my family and my mom pulled out a big red bowl (which caught Noodles attention, but caused no reaction---we have used it in front of her for things like salad or pasta etc). Noodles proceeded to watch my mom gather and add 1)flour, 2)baking soda, 3) eggs and 4) sugar....As soon as she got all of these ingredients out and started adding them to the bowl, Noodles FREAKED OUT---- I have never seen her want something more..There was no scent in the air.
I said the word cookie and she lost it (as in, YEAH, I KNOW, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU).

I NEVER give her cookies or raw dough for that matter, but somewhere along the way, one of her previous 3 owners did and she knew the ingredients!!! Despite probable differences in packaging.
I have a cookie addict for a bird and I didn't even know it! LOL
Seriously, it was a crazy reaction (even as cockatoos go).

EllenD said:

I should mention that we just had a Bearded Dragon surrendered to the rescue last week with absolutely NO TAIL...Now usually they are missing at least the tips of their tails, sometimes more, because people ignore the fact that they are solitary animals and they insist on keeping more than one in a tank, and the dominant Dragon will bite the tail of the submissive Dragon (who also is usually emaciated because they get no food at all from the dominant Dragon)...And because the circulation in their tails is so bad, the tips of their tails actually don't just become necrotic and "fall off" like other lizards or snakes; they actually get "Tail Rot" and it will continue to move up the tail further and further unless an amputation is done and antibiotics are given...If this isn't done they eventually become septic and die. People think that the injured or dead/necrotic tip will just fall off and everything will be fine, but the necrosis just keeps moving up the tail towards the body. They are one of the only reptiles where this happens, and it happens in pretty much 100% of tail nips...

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Quite sad what happen to that poor rescue dragon, why would anyone do that?

It Is pretty common with even well care for bearded dragon that by itself even to have a infection at some point that can cause tail rot, they drop their tail when they get to bad of a infection and actually rot away and not treated. I seen them lose whole tails even.

Infection is usually caused by a small or big injuries, it does not have to be often times bearded dragons get tail rot because of bad keeping? Most of the times this happens during shedding process and was well kept with no other dragons.

Yes I have seen pet shops have way too many baby bearded dragons in one tank and then the animals start to bite each other that causes the injuries as well.

Betadine and water at about a 75% water to 25% betadine ratio. You can fine it at Walgreen. Drip tail the dark parts mainly in water for 5 minutes. Then rub Neosporin on tail after drying it off, do this daily for a couple of weeks and usually will help with tail rot, if no vet around area. I would also just take the bearded dragon to a vet when possible. It does have to be treated or infection can get into the vital organs and kill your bearded dragon. Sometimes if tail to far gone, may require amputation it, if dragon hasn't dropped it already?

There are two U2s at the rescue I volunteer at that had been buddies in a past life (like 20 years ago). One has been at the sanctuary for many years - when the other was brought in there was a huge fuss put up by both birds. When you brought them closer together, they started chattering with each other like two ladies that hadn’t seen each other in eons. Some inquiries through their veterinarian led to the discovery that the two birds had actually been close friends 20 years before. They simply picked up where they left off 20 years ago and are still best buds.