Parrots are learning to exploit the “animal internet” to make friends. As incredible as it might sound, a new study has helped lonely parrots make video calls to each other.
Animal lovers have long known that birds which normally fly in flocks often suffer from isolation and loneliness when they are caged.
Taking a cue from humans who during the Covid lockdown used the internet to keep in touch with family and friends, researchers at universities in the United States and Scotland set out to discover if the internet could aid parrots feeling the effects of isolation behind bars.
The research was aimed at parrots because they are common in captivity and also among the smartest creatures in the animal kingdom, with cognitive powers to rival those of the great apes.
Parrots in isolation can suffer boredom and develop psychological problems. These invariably manifest themselves in birds pacing back and forth in their cages, rocking and self-harming themselves with behaviours such as feather plucking.
The scientists is at Northeastern University in Boston and at the University of Glasgow hit on the idea that the internet could bring the same relief as it does to humans isolated from the flock.
The parrot study recruited subjects from the US-based Parrot Kindergarten, an online coaching and educational program for parrots and their owners. The birds were taught how to touch a photo of another parrot on a tablet’s screen to make a call, with the help of their owners.
During the study, the parrots made 147 deliberate calls to each other while the owners took detailed notes of their pets’ behaviour. The researchers later reviewed the video footage.
The co-author of the study, Dr Jennifer Cunha of Northeastern University, said the parrots “seemed to grasp” that they were engaging with other birds as their behaviour mirrored that seen during real-life interactions between parrots.
“We saw birds learn to forage for the first time, and one care-giver reported that their bird flew for the first time after making a call,” said Dr Cunha.
The results were published on the University of Glasgow website and there the other co-author, Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Dougla, added: “The animal internet is already here – there are hundreds of products on the market that let pet owners interact with their animals remotely over the net, but their design is primarily focused on what humans want, not what their pets need.”
Dr Hirskyj-Dougla was surprised at the range of behaviours. “Some parrots would sing, some would play around and go upside down, others would want to show another bird their toys.”
The researchers hope the experiment will bring a little happiness to the lives of caged parrots worldwide.
Australian cockatoos featured in the internet experiment so pet owners here can brace themselves for the popular cry of “Polly wants a cracker” changing to Polly wants his internet feed.