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9 Mind-Blowing Facts About Parrots In Case You Doubt Their Intelligence

parrot
Parrot. Image via Depositphotos

You’ve probably seen countless videos parrots doing countless of tricks, but let’s dig a little deeper into these birds’ intelligence. Here’s some mind-blowing facts about parrots that prove how clever they are.

#1 Mimicking Beyond Words

Puerto Rican Parrot
Puerto Rican Parrot. By USDAgov – https://www.flickr.com/photos/41284017@N08/52888353198/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132057515

The first thing that comes to your mins is probably how they’re able to mimic human speech, right?

This is amazing, yes, but what’s even more amazing is their ability to mimic virtually any sound they hear! Anything from sirens and farts to other animal sounds – they can do it all. 

#2 Understanding Cause and Effect

Image by OndrejProsicky via depositphotos

In scientific tests, parrots have demonstrated they can solve complex puzzles to access food (such as completing mazes or unlocking boxes.) #Although this might not sound groundbreaking it shows that they have an understanding of cause and effect – an advanced cognitive ability. 

#3 Outstanding Memory

parrot
Image by Chuttersnap via Unsplash

They say an elephant never forgets, but the same goes for these colorful creatures. 

They can remember the locations of hundreds of seeds they’ve hidden. In contrast, I can never remember where I’ve put my car keys!

In the wild this is crucial for remembering the locations of food sources, but also makes them masters of various memory games. 

#4 Understands Social Cues

parrot
Image via Pixabay

These birds are highly social creatures, capable of understanding social cues and adapting their behavior accordingly (which, let’s be true, can even be rather rare in humans.) They can work together to achieve common goals and may even participate in social learning, such as learning from demonstration.

#5 Tool Use

parrot
Image by Ed van Duijn via Unsplash

Some species, like the Kea from New Zealand, use tools in their everyday life. They use sticks to rake in seeds or pebbles to grind seashells for calcium.

#6 Emotional Intelligence

african gray parrot
Image by Tavis Beck via Unsplash

If you’ve ever owned a parrot or known someone who has you’ll have seen the incredibly deep bods they can form with humans.

They display empathy, grief, and joy, reacting to the emotions of others around them.

#7 Remembering Faces

parrot
Image via Pixabay

Parrots have excellent facial recognition, which goes hand in hand with how strongly they bond with their owners.

#8 Understanding Shape and Color

parrot
Image via Pixabay

Research has shown that parrots can distinguish between different shapes and colors. Likewise, they can even understand the concept of ‘same’ and ‘different’.

This ability to abstract is a hallmark of higher intelligence.

#9 Can Do Basic Maths

parrot
Image by Saeed Lajami via Unsplash

Granted, they can’t solve complex equations but they do exhibit an understanding of basic arithmetic and can differentiate between quantities – which is still incredibly impressive for an animal! 

Studies have shown that parrots can count small numbers of items and choose groups containing more or fewer items.

Mind-Blowing Facts About Parrots: Wrapping Up

parrot
Image via Pixabay

All in all, parrots are highly intelligent creatures. For these reasons (and them being generally adorable) having one as a pet is an extremely unique and rewarding experience.

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