Parrots see things we don't??

Truepacifist

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I don't have a parrot yet but I want to get one and learn about them first
Apparently parrots see ultraviolet light

This means they can literally see things we don't

So... when a parrot is spooked or behaves completely nonsensical and we attribute it to xyz, how we do know they didn't see something we have no way of perceiving? Let's say a totally colour blind person is given an apple which is disgustingly gross and moldy coloured but normal in taste and texture and a normal sighted person is given the same apple. They'd have different reactions to wanting to eat it.

Thoughts?
 

wrench13

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That is very true, they do see in spectral ranges that we do not. It explains a lot of how they can be so intuitive to our moods and why some things just seem to freak them out.
 

SailBoat

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I am not certain that they are seeing an entity that we are missing, possible, but.
I full agree with my good friend above that they are seeing things differently and that can /could be alert them to possible dangers that we are not aware of.
If your Parrot looks like it is watching something move thru the room and you see nothing -- time to be concerned.
 

DonnaBudgie

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That is very true, they do see in spectral ranges that we do not. It explains a lot of how they can be so intuitive to our moods and why some things just seem to freak them out.
And they see colors we can't see in the UV range. They say that male and female birds that look identical to us look different to birds, like males have UV "colors" that attract females. I wish I could see what birds can see!
 

texsize

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I always wanted to turn a black light on my amazon’s but
A I didn’t have one.
B not sure what it might do to them.

as a side note I always wondered if your basic low power laser pointer is dangerous to them.
 

onamom

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I didn't know they could see ultraviolet light! Very interesting. I wish I could see the world through all my pets' eyes - just to see what it's like.
 

wrench13

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An examination of the rods and cones in a parrots eye reveals that bit of fact. Same way that science knows that dogs do not see colors. Dogs possess only two types of cones and can only discern blue and yellow - this limited color perception is called dichromatic vision.

And any laser light is dangerous if pointed directly into the eye of any creature. Well maybe not insects, but then blind houseflys or roaches don't bother me!
 

texsize

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An examination of the rods and cones in a parrots eye reveals that bit of fact. Same way that science knows that dogs do not see colors. Dogs possess only two types of cones and can only discern blue and yellow - this limited color perception is called dichromatic vision.

And any laser light is dangerous if pointed directly into the eye of any creature. Well maybe not insects, but then blind houseflys or roaches don't bother me!
Because I have worked with laser's and had to take lots of safety courses on the subject I know there are multiple class's of lasers.
class I.
class II.
class IIIA and class IIIB
and class IV.
the class's are broken down by power and frequency.
For humans.
class I and II are perfectly safe if used properly and not modified.
The "blink response" protects People from damage to the eye.
For class III you have visible and invisible laser's that pose different hazards.
But laser pointers most all fall into the first two classes.
None of my safety classes ever discussed animals as animals were not allowed at work.
I did not wish to hijack this thread but it's a question I always wondered about.

So I am afraid your statement that any laser aimed at any living creatures eye is dangerous is just not true. Unless you have read some scientific papers I have not.
 

DonnaBudgie

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An examination of the rods and cones in a parrots eye reveals that bit of fact. Same way that science knows that dogs do not see colors. Dogs possess only two types of cones and can only discern blue and yellow - this limited color perception is called dichromatic vision.

And any laser light is dangerous if pointed directly into the eye of any creature. Well maybe not insects, but then blind houseflys or roaches don't bother me!
I read a similar explanation online. I think it was a Wikipedia explanation of Bird Vision. I'm hung up on the concept of what a color we can't see looks like. Similar is what a red-green color blind man saw when he was given special eyeglasses that allowed him to see red and green as people with normal color vision do and it was fascinating.
 

wrench13

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@texsize and other readers - texsize is perfectly correct when discussing the different Classes of lasers. I must apologize if I gave the impression that research papers or other info that directly discuss the effect of lasers on parrots or other birds/animals. was the basis of my statement. I was only using what little common sense I have to state an opinion on the question posed by texsize: "if your basic low power laser pointer is dangerous to them ?". We use a Class II laser at work, and caution labels abound about pointing it at the eyes (one assumes they mean human eyes). And honestly it still does not seem like a good idea to do so with any animals either.
 

texsize

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I remember seeing/watching, or reading a story of a child’s science project for school.
I was so blown away by the stupidity of it.
The child might not be expected to know better but the teacher should have.
Using a laser pointer this child forced her eyelid to remain open (defeating the blink response) and starred at a laser pointer for like 15 minutes.
but that’s way off topic
 

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Apparently parrots see ultraviolet light

This means they can literally see things we don't

So... when a parrot is spooked or behaves completely nonsensical and we attribute it to xyz, how we do know they didn't see something we have no way of perceiving? Let's say a totally colour blind person is given an apple which is disgustingly gross and moldy coloured but normal in taste and texture and a normal sighted person is given the same apple. They'd have different reactions to wanting to eat it.

Thoughts?
Somewhat related fact:
Budgies glow when they are put in a dark room with a UV light. It's pretty cool, you should search up some pictures on the web!
 

DonnaBudgie

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Somewhat related fact:
Budgies glow when they are put in a dark room with a UV light. It's pretty cool, you should search up some pictures on the web!
I read that some birds tell their own males from females by uv colors in their plumage that we can see. It's so fascinating to think there are colors out there that we as humans can't see. The colors in "our rainbow" are arranged in a circle with no room for additional colors! Where would we even put any additional colors? I've always wondered how people completely blind from birth conceptualize what things "look like" when they have never experienced sight at all.
 

Free as a bird

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Yes some birds can see in the UV spectrum and some birds have plumage colours that can only be seen in the UV spectrum.
Some say dogs and cats can see spirits that we can't. I don't know
My cockatiel was acting so strange the other day I thought he was reacting to another entity in the room. It spooked me a bit but he's been alright since.
 

Vampiric_Conure

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I read that some birds tell their own males from females by uv colors in their plumage that we can see. It's so fascinating to think there are colors out there that we as humans can't see. The colors in "our rainbow" are arranged in a circle with no room for additional colors! Where would we even put any additional colors? I've always wondered how people completely blind from birth conceptualize what things "look like" when they have never experienced sight at all.
**puts on her artist hat** The color circle is only the visual spectrum, but the ultraviolet spectrum fits there as smaller slices of our visual field. **Scratches her head** Not sure i explained that right.

But yeah! I would love to see what a bird looks like in the UV spectrum and if the different mutations screw up the UV light patterns like it does on a visual level? So much to consider!
 

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