African Grey Parrots: The Einstein of the Avian World

The African grey parrots are most commonly known for their intelligence. Moreover, the grey parrots are the one of the most intelligent birds that are commonly kept as pets. They have many unique and particular properties that make them more intelligent as compared to the other birds.

Some impressive facts about their intelligence are:

Advanced vocal mimicry of African Grey Parrots

These parrots are the masters of vocal mimicry. They can learn to talk and to reproduce a wide range of sounds. The sounds that Congo greys can produce are: 

Human Voice

African greys can make the voice of their owner as well as the other peoples that talk in front of them. The sound that they hear from their owner or other people, they start to make that sound in the clear form.

Animal Voice

Grey parrots can make the sounds of some other animals that speak in front of them. They can mimic the voice of animals like dogs and cats etc. Moreover, the grey parrots can make the sound of some birds like crows, sparrows and many other birds. The mimicking ability of the grey parrots for the animal’s voice is very perfect. So, it is the best and the most preferable pet. 

Sounds of Electronic Devices

The African grey parrots can also mimic the electronic sounds with surprising accuracy. The most common sounds that the parrots can mimic are ringing of phones, door bells, car alarms, microwave beeps and can even mimic computer sound like mouse clicks and keyboard typing.

Songs

One of the most surprising mimic abilities of these parrots is that they can mimic the songs and melodies they like. African greys have been known to learn and sing their favorite songs.

Problem Solving Capability

African greys are also known for their impressive problem-solving abilities. The researches and observations have shown that they have cognitive skills that are also present in the primates and dolphins. Some of the most common examples of their problem-solving features are:

Tool Use

In most of the research and observations, it has been observed that the grey parrots use some tools to obtain food. It is also observed that the grey parrots use a piece of stick to retrieve a nut that is out of the rich. This property is very rare in other birds.

Puzzle Solving Capability

African grey parrots are also known as the masters of puzzle solving. In many observations, it has been observed that the grey parrots are figuring out complex problems. These complex problems include:

• They can unlock the locked boxes. They can learn to open locked boxes by manipulating the latch or finding alternative ways to access the content present in the boxes. 
• These parrots can also solve the puzzle to find hidden treats such as food and eatables. They can figure out how to slide a puzzle piece to reveal reward. The reward may be a food or something playful for the greys.

Memory Recall

African Grey parrots are one of the most intelligent birds in the world. The intelligence of these birds is very strong. They have a very strong memory and can recall the memory even after a very long time. Their memory and recall are explained here:

• They can recall a vocabulary of more than 1000 words easily. Their ability to recall memories is very strong.
• They can recall the special events, interactions and even remember the context in which they occurred.
• The Grey parrots can recognize and recall the human faces. Mostly the faces that they can recognize are of their owners, caregivers. They can even recall the other birds.
• They can also recall the location at which they are treated by the food and the place where they played and spent their time.

This is due to the large size of their brain storming.

Innovation

Another skill present in the grey parrots is that they also show creative behavior in the following ways:

• African grey parrots can use novel tools for their problem to solve. Sometimes they are seen for using a piece of cloth to slide a toy across the floor.
• These birds have the ability to think out of the box. They can find another solution for any problem.
• These birds are usually observed using the available material in making new things and to solve the problem.
• They can also use novel ways to demonstrate an understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.

Social Intelligence

African greys are known for their exceptional social intelligence. Their advanced communication skills, vocalization, body language and the feather adjustment help them to convey emotions and messages to the owners. Their social intelligence is also evident in their ability to make strong bonds with their owners. Some fascinating examples of African greys’ social intelligence are:

• They can recognize and respond to human emotions, such as, if their owner is in stress, they can give comfort to their owners by their naughty actions and sweet voice. 
• They can communicate by using hundreds of words and phrases they have learnt by their owners.
• They can also solve complex problems. Such as, they can figure out how to open a puzzle toy through observation. 

Overall, the African Grey parrot’s social intelligence is remarkable and they can continue to fascinate the bird enthusiasts.

Their intelligence is often compared to that of a 5-6 years old human child.