Parrot Mimicking

JoJo, my yellow nape amazon, is my flocks best mimickers at human speech. He does not scream, does not make any sound effects minus kissing, and prefers to only use human speech as his vocalizations. He prefers to scream-talk, so he is by no means a quiet bird, but all of my other birds either make natural contact scream calls, sound effects, and minimal speech, which he prefers the exact opposite.

I’m a science-based trainer, meaning all my methods can be proven scientifically. It also means that my training is observable and measurable. One thing I always do is reference published, peer reviewed works when I am wondering more about a behavior or methods that I do not already know. I also love to involves colleagues and friends in my discussion who share common knowledge.

When it comes to parrot’s mimicking, they’re different than the average song bird mimicking. Mimicking holds different purposes and values for parrots than other species. Parrots do not seem to use mimicking as a way to differ sex or for mate competition, but it is used to defend nest sites. It is also seen to be used to defer from toxic and desirable foods when foraging, and to navigate social dynamics in the flock. A lot of this differs from songbirds mimicking and vocal uses in their social structures.

Newer neurological studies have shown that parrots have a dual cortical pathway nuclei used for vocal learning, which is also seen in song birds. But the question arises as to why parrots use mimicking more than songbirds, and why they are more vocal learners (idea thought of because of foraging mimicking warnings) than song birds. I guess that’s a question we can leave for JoJo to answer till science catches up.

I thought this was a super interesting idea, giving insight to our feathered friends and how they differ from the rest of the avian world, while still staying connected.

Reference:
Bradbury, Jack W., and Balsby, Thorsten J.S. (2016). The functions of vocal learning in parrots. Behavior Ecol SocialBiology, 70, 293-312. Doi: 10.1007/s00265-016-2068-4