The Brain of a Parrot

[apatrimo94]

You know, the mental abilities of parrots never cease to amaze me. They're incredibly smart and intelligent.

The purpose of this thread isn't exactly to get answers, because I know they're probably not solved, but the purpose of this thread is to share my wonders. And to also see if you guys ever wonder too.

There's just something I've always wondered. I got a few questions that may not be able to be fully answered or other people my have different opinions.

In my own personal opinion, and sorry if this bothers people; elephants, dolphins, and several primate species are the only species on this planet with a brain and conscience like ours. I'll put it in simpler terms: for example, the ability to reason and wonder about everything around them. To know and have a sense of what and who they are. To be able to analyze and easily solve problems in a loical way. That's what I mean.

Now, spending many years with parrots, I'm starting to wonder, could they have those mental capabilities too? Could they look at everything them and wonder what everything's purpose is? "Oh, I see, the purpose of those round things under the car is to move it." "That stuff he uses to hangs posters on the wall is sticky." I hope I'm making this easier for you guys to understand.

The only thing holding me back to answering this question is a mirror. Do we know for sure that when a parrot looks in a mirror, it thinks it's another bird? If so, that parrots are not completely like us, elephants, dolphins, and several primate species (Sorry if this angers anyone, just my opinion). But what if we're wrong? What if a parrot does understand that it's a reflection of itself? Then in that case, they're just like us.

People who have studied the above animals I've been mentioning have a conclusion that these animals do know that what they see in a mirror is indeed, their own reflection, not another animal.

So, at this moment, that question, to me, remains unanswered.

Then also, what are the memory abilities of parrots? What differents fields of memories do they have? I know for sure, they got vocal memories. They can for sure remember sounds and stick to them their whole lives. But what about experiences? Do they ever think back to times when they were hatchlings? What if you have a rescued bird that is the best bird you could ever have, but in it's past, it's had traumatic experiences. Do they ever think back to those experiences? What about their lives? Can they reflect their lives? Think about all the things they've seen and went through.

Again, most of this is probably unsolved. But again, just stuff I wonder.

Sorry if it seemed long and very philosophical. lol. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed sharing it. Also, for those who can't understand it, sorry. Just trying to explain it the best possible way I could

 

[Rrrma]

You know, I wonder about this too and I think Dr. Pepperburg and her work is something to be read.

My experiences with Rosie already had me convinced she had the cognitive level of a 3-4yo, and now my experience with Norma has me convinced they are something of a higher intelligence than I ever imagined.
I have no qualifications aside from being a mom and obedience teacher. She definitely outsmarts our Aussies, which are ridiculously smart dogs!

Norma's situation is especially interesting as she spent her first 2 years being hand raised by a breeder who then decided to breed her as well. She has spent the last 8+ years locked in a barn stall with 16+ other greys and extremely little human contact(aside from refilling the food and water, checking the nest, and cleaning the bottoms).
Some of the things she does, some of the things she recognizes, really astonishes me. Some of the things she remembers that are specific to living in a house... it just really amazes me that she could possibly remember this stuff.

I'm not offended by your thinking, but I definitely think birds are smarter than we give them credit. Just look at the crow, they are freakishly intelligent birds.

 

[parrotqueen]

Then also, what are the memory abilities of parrots? What differents fields of memories do they have? I know for sure, they got vocal memories. They can for sure remember sounds and stick to them their whole lives. But what about experiences? Do they ever think back to times when they were hatchlings? What if you have a rescued bird that is the best bird you could ever have, but in it's past, it's had traumatic experiences. Do they ever think back to those experiences? What about their lives? Can they reflect their lives? Think about all the things they've seen and went through.

If assuming they are very much like us, they probably would not remember the first few days of their childhood. Because, even we don't remember things as far back as that.

I have an interesting story. Even more interesting, this is the intelligence of a chicken; not a parrot.

When Opal, my hen, was still a young pullet; I accidently kicked her while carrying something large and heavy that didn't allow for me to see what was near my feet. I was wearing shoes, so that had to HURT. Almost a year later, she's changed a lot. She's much larger. Well guess what; she remembers. Now, she hold a grudge against shoes. I she sees shoes, she will attack them. She doesn't care if your barefoot, though. This was a long time ago, and yet she remembers every detail; that it happened, that it was a shoe and not a foot, and she even remembers where it hit her.

 

[Dj tweet]

They say that birds only mimick what they hear and all but think about it as children how do we learn to speak by hearing these words trying them perfecting them ANC then understanding their purpose
we then start to use them together with other words to make sentences and make ourselves understood
is this not what our birds do ????
They start with thf original phrase learn it learn it's meaning and then use it appropriatly
they then modify it And start to change it and make it into sentences using other words that they have learnt


Not saying dolphins etc aren't smart but birds are the only species of any animal that not only understands our language but also crosses species barriers and such to actually speak our words
no other animal on this planet is smart enough for that

 

[Auggie's Dad]

"The only thing holding me back to answering this question is a mirror. Do we know for sure that when a parrot looks in a mirror, it thinks it's another bird? If so, that parrots are not completely like us, elephants, dolphins, and several primate species (Sorry if this angers anyone, just my opinion). But what if we're wrong? What if a parrot does understand that it's a reflection of itself? Then in that case, they're just like us."

What's so special about reflections? It's a test we pass, so if another animal doesn't they must not be as 'smart' or as 'aware' as us? What about the billions of tests that other animals could pass that we would fail at miserably?

If I rubbed your body odor on a plastic cube, and rubbed several other plastic cubes on other people, then lined them up in front of you could you identify yours? A rat could. Based on this test rats are 'self-aware' and humans are not.


"We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therin we err. For no animal shall be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth."
-Henry Beston, in 'The Outermost House'

If you measure an animal by human standards they will fail as they are not humans. If you measure a human by the standards of a parrot, or a bat, or a gerbil, or a squid, or a flea we would fail as we are not parrots, bats, gerbils, squid, or fleas.

Your test is biased.

 

[apatrimo94]

I never thought of it that way. Thanks for that AD

"We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therin we err. For no animal shall be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth."
-Henry Beston, in 'The Outermost House'

I really like that quote!! Thanks for sharing it!

Your test is biased

Again, I just want to mention, it's something I wondered. I didn't say it was correct. We're all here to learn something, right?

Again, thanks for your input AD. I still have a lot to learn

 

[Quantumcat]

About the mirrors, about a month ago Scarlett had a chunk of kiwifruit stuck on the underside of her beak, where she wouldn't have been able to see it. I went into the bathroom with her on my shoulder to brush my teeth, and put her down on the sink. From there she could see the mirror. After peering at it for a minute or two, she came over toward me and wiped the underside of her beak on my t-shirt. Maybe a co-incidence, maybe not, but it looked like she saw her reflection had a chunk of kiwifruit on its beak, knew the reflection was her and that it meant SHE had a chunk of kiwifruit on her beak!

Also, a couple of times after getting her to do her tricks for a while, I've put the container of sunflower seeds on the shelf. Then ages later, even hours, after I've left the room, she'll fly over to the shelf to help herself. She knows that if she does this while I can see her, I'll go and grab her and put the container somewhere where she definitely can't get it! She's watched me put them somewhere and remembered their location (she wouldn't be able to see them if she wasn't on the actual shelf) and also remembered that she won't get any if she doesn't wait till I'm gone!