Course 40: Info About Parrot Abilities

Go back to>> Lafeber Home Learning Course List

Explore some amazing parrot abilities, including flight, talking, communicating, and detecting magnetic fields!

blue and gold macaw

Parrots Blush To Communicate

Feathers are for flying, but did you know that birds might also use their feathers and blush to visually communicate with other birds as well as their human caretakers?

macaw portrait

A Look at How Parrots Talk

How can some birds mimic human speech so effortlessly? Parrots’ gift of gab is especially impressive given the fact that birds do not have lips! See how birds produce pitch and sound to replicate our sounds, as well as sounds beyond our vocal reach.

budgie parakeet on branch; inset shows diagram of brain

Why Parrots Can Talk

From budgerigars to African Greys to macaws, nine parrot species in a university study reveal why certain bird species are better at imitating sounds than other birds. Hint: It’s got a lot to do with the structure of the brain.

Canada Goose above a lake

Secret to Birds’ Amazing “GPS” Abilities

Science has long wondered how birds navigate; essentially what drives their internal compass? Recent research sheds light on birds’ amazing navigational abilities — namely the discovery that they can see magnetic fields.

Zebra Finch standing on floor

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!

Pacific parrotlet wearing goggles

Physics of Bird Flight Inspire Scientists

Scientists created a special flight test for a trained Pacific parrotlet, and they learned surprising things about how birds fly.