Screaming Birds Parrot Humans at Their Worst
“The
Moluccan cockatoo does not sound pleased…Peaches is its name, & owner
Elaine Sigmon told the Huffington Post that the bird busts out into these
arguments with itself nearly every day. Sigmon said she believes the bird was
previously owned by a bickering couple.
‘We had Peaches for several days
when one afternoon she began ranting & raving as if (cursing) someone out,’
Sigmon told the Post. ‘My husband, Don, was sitting in the chair near her perch
& she began to aggressively point her head toward him just like someone
pointing their finger while arguing…’
…Chris Davis, a bird behavioral
consultant… said it’s hard to say how often this happens, but parrots can mimic
humans at their worst…
As for Peaches, Davis said this bird was likely in an
environment ‘where it was hearing a person being emotionally & verbally
abusive to another person.’ & it’s not all that surprising that Peaches
picked up on the words.
Why? Irene Pepperberg, a Harvard
lecturer & scientist…said there are certain sounds that birds latch onto
more than others.
‘In general, parrots will pick up
what they hear, & vocalizations with a strong emotional content are more
likely to be acquired than other vocalizations.’
…'The bird will also pick up
whatever will get attention (for example, birds often acquire sounds like
telephone rings & microwave beeps, because humans immediately respond by
going over to those objects).’
… ‘Birds like emotion. They like a lot
of emphatic movement, they like drama. Birds are drama queens; they love that
kind of thing.’…”
Elahe Izadi
THE WASHINGTON POST
The Montreal Gazette
Feb.
14/2015
Cute Critter Pic
Weekly Chuckle
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