Hello? Hello! Hello? Hello? NEIGHHH!

Ahh the sounds of a parrot talking and repeating what people say, entertaining humans for hours on end. We had visited The Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center in Tavernier, FL, where birds with injuries can reside after healing. Upon walking through the sanctuary, there were many birds that had been rescued from accidents that could have been fatal. These include being struck by cars, cat and dog attacks, and unfortunately being shot at by people. If some of the birds could recover fully from their injuries, they could be released back into the wild. However, most of the birds at the sanctuary have forever homes there due to them not being fit enough to ever return to the wild. Some of the birds that we saw at the sanctuary were owls, falcons, vultures, seagulls, pelicans and parrots. The parrot was the most entertaining because it would actually talk to us and say "hello" with the occasional horse neigh in there! 

Parrots and their ability to talk and repeat sounds has always amazed me. It turns out that parrots use this imitation of sounds in order to fit in. In the wild, flocks of parrots will have a certain "dialect", and if a new-coming parrot can imitate the sounds and squawks properly then it will be accepted into the clan. The same goes for a domesticated parrot in people's homes. If the parrot makes a noise or says a human phrase that entertains us, we will most likely light up and laugh and give the parrot treats. The parrot catches on to our positive feedback and continues to repeat these noises in order to fit in with its human counterparts. There is much debate on whether parrots actually know what they are saying or if they are just simply imitating the noises they hear. It has been found that parrots can actually make associations to words they say with colors and objects. So maybe parrots do actually know what they're saying!  

If you want to learn more about the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, visit: http://www.keepthemflying.org/

Andddd here's a parrot doing a TED Talk. You're welcome. 

https://www.ted.com/talks/einstein_the_parrot_talks_and_squawks#t-16354