New - Parrots & Pet Birds

Pepperberg’s Lab: When Parrots Go “Off-Script”

Dr. Pepperberg’s work with parrots revolves around reproducing behaviors using scientific methods to attain statistical significance. Of course, parrots being parrots, there are plenty of incidents where one of her African greys says or does something that perfectly captures their mood or preference, but which cannot be scientifically documented. African grey Griffin, like Alex before him, certainly knows how to get his point across to Pepperberg and her research students. See how these anecdotes provide interesting insights into how the mind of a parrot may work.

three kakapo chicks sitting together on ground

Rare Kakapo Chick’s Life-Saving Surgery

A kakapo chick, one of the rarest birds and the world’s heaviest parrot, receives lifesaving surgery at a veterinary hospital in a risky first-of-its-kind procedure.

Inside Dr. Pepperberg’s Lab: When Favored Treats Aren’t Enough

What happens when a parrot is asked to repeat a task over and over …will the prospect of receiving a favorite treat be enough to keep him going? Or do parrots, even when lavishly rewarded, reach their boiling point? See how African grey parrot Griffin fared when tasked with verbally labeling the same objects repeatedly during the course of several days.

three chicks in nest with beaks open being fed by parent bird

Create A Hospitable Backyard Bird Habitat

Spring brings a bustle of action from the wildlife right outside our front doors—including birds busily building nests. Now is the perfect time to give your yard a spring makeover to create a sanctuary for wild birds to raise their young.

Celebrate Your Bird April 11

April 11 is National Pet Day — a day to shower your pet with some extra love!

Major Mitchell's cockatoo (aka Leadbeater's cockatoo) perched on branch with crest raised

Inside Dr. Pepperberg’s Lab: Why Study Parrot Cognition?

Studies of nonhuman cognition have made, and continue to make, major contributions to our understanding of the origins and evolution of human cognitive processes, and much more. Parrot cognition studies in particular have a positive impact on pet bird care, conservation, child cognitive therapies, and even artificial intelligence. See what drives Dr. Irene Pepperberg’s passion for parrot research.

sulphur-crested cockatoo standing on perch

Cockatiels Are Cockatoos, Too

You might have a cockatoo in your home without even knowing it! Yes, your diminutive cockatiel—the most popular pet bird in the US—is, in fact, related to the much larger cockatoos. When you take a closer look at the cockatiel, you’ll start to see the cockatoo connection.

close up on head of blue-and-gold macaw with beak open

Why Parrots Dance And The Music Genre Most Birds Hate

Humans aren’t the only animals who like to get their groove on. Many pet bird enthusiasts can attest to the fact that music brings out the moves in their feathered friend. And just like us, studies point to the notion that parrots can be choosy in their musical choices.

passenger pigeon specimen perched on branch at museum

Can “De-Extinction” Bring The Passenger Pigeon Back?

Martha, the last passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914. Now, some 105 years later, scientists involved in a project titled “The Great Passenger Pigeon Comeback” hope to use CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat) technology to help bring the passenger pigeon back from extinction.

Inside Pepperberg’s Lab: Mutual Exclusivity In Parrots — A Special Case Of Inference

Dr. Irene Pepperberg tests African grey parrot Griffin’s cognitive skills, going beyond the concept of “inference by exclusion” to the trickier concept of mutual exclusivity (ME). Would Griffin understand that an object could, for example, be both “green” and “wool,” or “blue” and “wood?”

kea parrot standing on pavement with beak open

Meet The Kea: The “Mountain Parrot”

The Kea parrot of New Zealand fascinates many scientists with its high intelligence and choice of habitat. But the Kea is threatened and perhaps faces extinction.

male green budgie and female blue budgie beak to beak

Female Budgies Prefer Puzzle-Solving Males And Other Bird-Centric News Stories

In this bird-centric news roundup, see the tricky way researchers got female budgies to ditch their preferred mates to those trained to solve puzzles, as well as learn as well as who packs a more powerful bite—T-Rex or finch? Also see how the engineering marvels of a birds’ feathers might one day inspire better adhesives and aerospace materials, and meet Alex the honking cockatiel, the viral sensation that saw his fame inexplicably explode across the internet.

closeup on head of yellow-crowned Amazon with head cocked to side

How Good Is A Parrot’s Long-Term Memory?

How well do parrots remember situations, other parrots, and people over the course of their long lives? Dr. Pepperberg, gives us a rundown on research that points to parrots as having brain areas that function in ways similar to the human cortex, and how their extremely high neural densities enable advanced cognitive processing—which requires good memory.

African Grey Parrot on a perch looks at two differenty sized and colored plastic cups

Inside Pepperberg’s Lab: Putting Parrots’ Inferential Knowledge To The Test

When her colleagues at Harvard questioned Dr. Irene Pepperberg’s 2-cup test success that showed parrots are capable of inferential knowledge to make decisions, Pepperberg and students at her cognitive behavior research lab upped the ante from the 2-cup test to 3- and 4-cup tests. They once again put African grey Griffin to the test. See how Griffin fared, especially when a coveted Skittle treat reward was at stake.

close up on head of blue-fronted Amazon that is tilting head to the side

New Research: Secret To Parrot Intelligence? It’s In Their Genes

Check out what scientists are learning about parrot genes, as well as research on laughter being contagious among parrots, how parrots’ feathers evolved to be to so shiny and how some birds of prey are battling drones in their airspace in this look at this birds in the news compilation.

Could A Pet Parrot Be Happy In Captivity?

Is it possible for a pet parrot to be as happy in captivity as they would be in the wild? Is parrot ownership more like prison … or could it be like a happy, perpetual childhood experience? As a bird mom to three cockatoos and a parrotlet, it is a question with which I wrestle […]

Inside Pepperberg’s Lab: Fish And Parrots Outperform Apes And Monkeys

If you put parrots (specifically, African grey parrots), fish, monkeys and apes to the test on who could figure the fastest way to procure two rewards instead of one, who would come out on top? Dr. Pepperberg and friends of her cognitive behavior research lab recently modeled a test for her flock to see how they would fair in a choice-themed task inspired by wrasse fish, and tested on primates as well.

Cockatoo “Retires” From The Limelight At Age 82

Frosty, an 82-year-old sulphur-crested cockatoo, recently retired from entertaining audiences at the Sarasota Jungle Gardens. Learn more about this special ‘too who was part of the original “jail birds” trained at Folsom State Prison, and for 40-plus years wowed audiences with his high-wire unicycle tricks and more.

New Bird? 5 Ways To Get Off To A Great Start

Have a new bird, or know someone about to welcome a bird into his or her life? Setting a bird up for success as a companion pet has a lot to do with the right interactions. Learn what you should do — and not do — those first few weeks after bringing a pet bird home. Get on the right track with your pet bird, and maintain a mutually respectful relationship for the years ahead with these helpful tips to welcome a new bird into the home.

Make Your Love Of Birds Count

Make your love of birds count this November. Project FeederWatch invites bird fans to partake by watching birds at their feeders for two designated days per week. See what to be on lookout for and how your participation can help birds near and far.

Teach Your Bird To Communicate “Yes” And “No”

We like to make our own choices when it comes to what we eat, what we do for entertainment and everything in between. What if we could extend this power to our parrots — give them the ability to communicate what they want and what they don’t want? Here’s a step-by-step approach to teaching your bird to communicate “Yes” or “No.”

Inside Dr. Pepperberg’s Lab: African Grey Parrots Show Self-Control

Grey parrots may sometimes be impulsive—think about how often you may have had to give your bird multiple timeouts for the same behavior (like chewing on your sunglasses) in a very short time period. However, my students and I have shown that our parrot, Griffin, can actually exhibit quite a bit of self-control. We found […]

A Spix's macaw sits on a branch outdoors

Spix’s Macaw Among The Many Bird Species Now Extinct In The Wild

Unfortunately, the prolonged efforts of conservationists simply aren’t enough to prevent the disappearance of many of our bird species. Recently, eight species of bird were recently added to the “extinct in the wild” list — including the Spix’s macaw.

Birds’ Amazing Physical Powers

If you’re a bird lover, you’ll especially find these bird-focused articles worth a read, as they showcase more bird superpowers!

Inside Dr. Pepperberg’s Lab: Do Parrots Understand Probability?

To test a parrot’s ability to understand probability, Dr. Irene Pepperberg’s cognitive behavior research lab recently presented African grey parrot Griffin with a task similar to what a 6-8 year-old child might be tasked to do — using three of one item and one of another, if one item was removed, what was the removed item likely to be? Griffin’s answers might surprise you.

African grey parrot leaning forward on perch on playstand

Inside Dr. Pepperberg’s Research Lab: “What’s Mine Is Mine And What’s Yours Is Mine”

“What’s mine is mine and what’s your is mine.” Does this sum up your feathered friend’s antics? Dr. Irene Pepperberg explains not only how this parrot quirk is based on natural behavior, but she also shares how we can use it to our advantage in the home.

Amazon and African grey parrots perched on metal food bowls

Healthy Habits We Can Learn From Our Birds

Looking for some healthy habits to try in the year ahead? Good news! Chances are you have your very own health coach living with you right now — look no further than your feathered friend!

Dr. Pepperberg Dishes: Will Parrots Work For Food?

Studies point to an interesting fact: Working for food rewards parrots with more than just food to eat. Find out what this means.

Newsworthy Bird Stories

Do a Google news search with the key words “parrot” or “bird.” You might be treated to some fascinating and downright entertaining bird stories — perfect topics to read aloud to your pet bird!

San Francisco Bird Hotel Caters To Feathered Clientele

It’s no surprise that dogs and cats have fancy spas and boarding facilities to cater to their every need, but birds? The San Francisco Bird Hotel offers just that — a spa and resort built just for the birds. See how this hotel for the birds came to be and how it caters to its feathered clientele.