6 hours ago
(This post was last modified: 6 hours ago by C C.)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1124565
EXCERPTS: A sample of parrots living with humans showed the ability to correlate names with individuals, but also to use proper names in ways humans typically don't. Like many animals, parrots make sounds that suggest they are talking with each other, maybe even calling out to a specific parrot. But do they truly have names in the same way people do?
To find out, Lauryn Benedict, a biology professor at the University of Northern Colorado, didn’t set up shop in the tropics to record parrot chatter, as they’ve done in the past. She instead found birds who spoke her language -- birds that live with humans and mimic what they hear, including people’s names.
Working with long-time collaborator Christine Dahlin from University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and a team of researchers from Austria, Benedict analyzed vocalizations from more than 880 captive parrots. They heard many of the birds using names in ways that seemed similar to people, to identify individuals. They also found some unusual ways names popped up in the recordings.
[...] Nearly half of the survey takers included examples of parrots using names. Of those 413 clips, 88 seemed to be birds using names as labels for people and animals. The research team also found strong evidence that some birds applied names not only to a particular category, such as “people,” but to a single individual.
On the other hand, many of the birds also used these labels in ways that people typically wouldn’t. For instance, parrots sometimes said their own name just so they could get some attention... (MORE - no ads)
PAPER: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0346830
EXCERPTS: A sample of parrots living with humans showed the ability to correlate names with individuals, but also to use proper names in ways humans typically don't. Like many animals, parrots make sounds that suggest they are talking with each other, maybe even calling out to a specific parrot. But do they truly have names in the same way people do?
To find out, Lauryn Benedict, a biology professor at the University of Northern Colorado, didn’t set up shop in the tropics to record parrot chatter, as they’ve done in the past. She instead found birds who spoke her language -- birds that live with humans and mimic what they hear, including people’s names.
Working with long-time collaborator Christine Dahlin from University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and a team of researchers from Austria, Benedict analyzed vocalizations from more than 880 captive parrots. They heard many of the birds using names in ways that seemed similar to people, to identify individuals. They also found some unusual ways names popped up in the recordings.
[...] Nearly half of the survey takers included examples of parrots using names. Of those 413 clips, 88 seemed to be birds using names as labels for people and animals. The research team also found strong evidence that some birds applied names not only to a particular category, such as “people,” but to a single individual.
On the other hand, many of the birds also used these labels in ways that people typically wouldn’t. For instance, parrots sometimes said their own name just so they could get some attention... (MORE - no ads)
PAPER: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0346830