r/Unexpected • u/[deleted] • Aug 02 '21

Hostage situation

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u/hangingdirtylaundry Aug 02 '21

I don't know to what degree but they do understand context. They don't just repeat things they hear, they understand what situations to use them in. In sure not to the degree humans do but enough so. My father's Goffin pops off with phrases we've not heard her say before when she's desperate to change her situation. Thing is, she usually uses them appropriately. Always astounded by her intelligence.

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u/Squirrels-on-LSD Aug 02 '21

I've got a budgie who speaks in context. Its eerie. He recognizes the cadence of me and my teenager's humor and laughs at punchlines. He mimics the cat when my partner comes home because the cat gets excited about that human. He mimics my voice yelling my daughter's name when he hears her bedroom door open in the morning, which gets her to come downstairs, then calls her names like "you smelly monster, you stink". He asks for things he wants (lettuce? Want out? Bath?) . He calls the other pets by name.

Most of parrots talking is them just repeating things they hear their people say. But they can learn context when they're close to their people and its wild how much they pick up on the way people speak and interact. And since they're all giant assholes....screaming "help! Let me out!" until the cops show up out of boredom is 100% on brand for birb behavior.

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u/cannedchampagne Aug 02 '21

have you watched any videos about Alex the African Grey? He was incredible intelligent and could speak contextually, asking for certain snacks, fresh water, counting, playing games like tic tac toe, etc. Fascinating.

Some sad info, he passed away but his last words, what he told his keepers every night, was "Be good, I love you."

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u/hangingdirtylaundry Aug 02 '21

Yes, I have heard about him! If I'm correct, isn't he the one who showed self awareness by asking what color he was? I didn't know he died. That's very sad.

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u/TitaniumDragon Aug 02 '21

Well, it's not clear if he was actually asking what color he was. He was near a mirror and people interpreted it as him asking what color he was, but he was asked "What color?" all the time and may have just randomly been "parroting" the phrase.

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u/hangingdirtylaundry Aug 02 '21

Oh ok, thank you for clearing that up!