How do Parrots recognize "their" people?

[Aratingettar]

How do Parrots recognize "their" people?
Is it by the looks, by the smell, by the voice?
How do they perfectly know who's their hooman?

 

[bug_n_flock]

It is sight and sound for parrots. Alex is *very* audio/visual and when I was a kid, somehow he would even know when my school bus let me out down the street. Not just the usual time, and not just any bus, but *my* bus. One of the few signs of his age now is slightly(!) Dulled hearing. He still recgonizes me by voice and sight though.


Freedom it seems also is sight/sound. When I am loud, she calls to me. When I walk past her window outside(even at night after lights out) I get a "hello". :3


Legs it is hard to tell. But I think that she is more visual and less sound oriented with people. With birds she is sound oriented, and she will chatter back and forth with the various birds in the various rooms.

 

[Scott]

Definitely sight and sound. Not sure if parrots have a well developed sense of smell.

 

[Aratingettar]

Cytrynka definitely have a good hearing. Sometimes she calls me when she hears my car on the driveway. But she can also easily spot me from a distance and fly to me. Smarty she

 

[T00tsyd]

I would say the same as above. When I first had Syd I completely threw him in the early days by wearing different colours. It took me a while to realise the problem I just thought he was being contrary. I often wear black and that he is most comfortable with and if I change during the day he takes a few minutes to accept it.

Sound yes. If I am somewhere else in the house and answer his call he settles happily.

 

[Inger]

Bumble is usually starts chirping when I’m walking up the hallway to my apartment. I don’t know if she recognizes my footfalls or my keys jangling or ??? But she is always greeting me before I’m in the door.


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[Casper223]

I vote sight and sound too. Very keen sense of sight, as they see dangers we haven't even noticed outside such as a predatory bird and sound the alarms as were still trying to figure out the commotion.

 

[SailBoat]

Definitely sight and sound. Not sure if parrots have a well developed sense of smell.

Fully agree.
IMHO, Sight is their primary with Sound pulling a second.
Remembering that Flight defines near every part of Birds.
Smell requires heavier /larger pieces and parts.

 

[Talven]

I would hazard that, even though it's been well covered by the previous answers, sight and sound play a major role in recognition. I think there may be a little more to it though.

Most parrots are as bright as a young child say 3 - 5 years old. I would hazard that your mannerisms are also recognized. Personally I loathe shaving so I let my beard grow until I can't take it anymore. Then I'll shave it off. My birds can still work out who I am even with a dramatic appearance change.

Would be interested to hear if they can distinguish between identical twins.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

While I agree that sight and sound are big factors, I too think there is a lot more to it. I used to wonder a lot about this.

When I had my tiel Peaches, she would always squawk when she heard me walking down the hall outside the apartment. She could recognize my footsteps cause she never did it when she heard others walking.

I've actually tried dressing in disguise to see if I could fool Skittles and I was pretty well disguised and I didn't speak a word and he still knew it was me.

But more importantly, I think they can "sense" their "people". Given how Skittles has behaved when I've injured myself and when I've been depressed it is clear that not only are they capable of emotion, but are also capable of sensing ours. Just like dogs can sense fear, I think parrots can sense the bond.

 

[Scott]

While I agree that sight and sound are big factors, I too think there is a lot more to it. I used to wonder a lot about this.

When I had my tiel Peaches, she would always squawk when she heard me walking down the hall outside the apartment. She could recognize my footsteps cause she never did it when she heard others walking.

I've actually tried dressing in disguise to see if I could fool Skittles and I was pretty well disguised and I didn't speak a word and he still knew it was me.

But more importantly, I think they can "sense" their "people". Given how Skittles has behaved when I've injured myself and when I've been depressed it is clear that not only are they capable of emotion, but are also capable of sensing ours. Just like dogs can sense fear, I think parrots can sense the bond.

Excellent points, they are keen observers of their environment and are able to perceive emotions. Perhaps something outside of our current understanding of the avian brain?

 

[Aratingettar]

I've actually tried dressing in disguise to see if I could fool Skittles and I was pretty well disguised and I didn't speak a word and he still knew it was me.

But more importantly, I think they can "sense" their "people". Given how Skittles has behaved when I've injured myself and when I've been depressed it is clear that not only are they capable of emotion, but are also capable of sensing ours. Just like dogs can sense fear, I think parrots can sense the bond.

Interesting experiment. Seems I'm not the only one who is curious about "how our fids recognize us".

Actually, it's pretty weird. Birds don't change clothes. Birds don't wear hats and glasses. And we do dress differently every day, sometimes wear glasses sometimes not. Sometimes put hat on, sometimes not.
But even if good amount of our overall "exterior" changes everyday, they still recognize us perfectly. Either they are THAT smart (yes they are...) or they do developed some extra sense we don't know yet.
Nevertheless, they're amazing creatures.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

No, I don't think you are the only one by far. lol. But it is a VERY fascinating subject.

@Scott You know, I honestly think that very well may be the case. We just cannot comprehend the complexity of it. VERY little is known about the avian brain. Everyone who I've told about how Skittles and I met- they tell me he "chose" me. How? There has to be so much more to it.

It's ironic because Skittles has NO problem sharing his opinion on things (or his reaction) but when it comes to petting him or holding him he just completely lets his guard down. Its when he's most vulnerable (my hands) that he is the most passive. The level of trust he must have, when he's near me. And its not the first time either. My tiel, Peaches, I could toss her around like a football (not that I ever did) but they have to sense the 'safety' and even then, its like they KNOW I'd die or even kill to protect them.

Its not just parrots either. I mean look at the loyalty of dogs. And they can 'smell' cancer- granted smelling blood or drugs isn't that hard to understand (crime dogs) but smelling something INSIDE a person that really has no 'specific scent' to us. Its fascinating.

 

[Inger]

It's ironic because Skittles has NO problem sharing his opinion on things (or his reaction) but when it comes to petting him or holding him he just completely lets his guard down. Its when he's most vulnerable (my hands) that he is the most passive. The level of trust

YES! It never fails to amaze me that Bumble, a one ounce ball of fluff, not only willingly lets me hold/love/pet/skritch her, but asks for it and then gives herself over to it completely. I feel so fortunate.

And she also makes her opinion known on a wide variety of subjects! Haha!




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[fiddlejen]

Given how Skittles has behaved when I've injured myself and when I've been depressed it is clear that not only are they capable of emotion, but are also capable of sensing ours. Just like dogs can sense fear, I think parrots can sense the bond.

It repeatedly amazes me how sensitive these little "wild" creatures, not even mammals, are to human emotion.

My two little, not-exactly-tame, petstore baby budgies will pretend to be tame little adults and sit quietly with me when I'm feeling really sad, for however long it takes for me to compose myself and feel better.

However, the Budgies have had fewer opportunities to express their compassion since I brought home my little Sunny Princess. She responds to any signs of sadness from me by breaking out all her Monkeybird Skills and demanding my attention until I forget to be sad. (Also, until I forget to seek consolation from the Budgies.)

Now I could think some of this was imagination. BUT. The budgies were originally supposed to watch TV with me. They seemed to enjoy it... Kind of.. except when they didn't. I mostly block their view of the TV now, because they have greatly abused their VETO power. Basically any time any person on TV seemed upset or unhappy, they got very distressed, and would escalate until I changed the show. They are just so completely aware of human emotions. (But why?)

And Sunny, my cheerful shrieking little girl. I wanted to Target-train her but I'm struggling. Because she only wants to play "Touch" when she's too full for treats. She takes her seed or sweet, bites it and drops it. My happy little girl just wants me to tell her she's Smart. Smart and Beautiful and Talented; whatever Praise I can think up to tell her. That's the only thing that motivated her to learn to "step up." She will step up and stand there and wobble, & flap her wings for balance, as long as she can get some PRAISE.

But WHY should this even be?? Why should a little yellow birdie, whose not-distant ancestors were completely wild, why should she care for human praise & admiration?

Oh and then. About a week ago I awoke with a headache. In the mirror I saw my face wearing that puffy-faced have-a-headache look. And when I answered Sunny's morning summons, she backed away from me. Almost like, maybe, she wasn't quite certain of me? (And, she returned to normal about the time the coffee & Tylenol started working.)

So she knows me in all my different clothes.

But a headache turns me into a stranger.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

A simple way to look at it is this- how often do parrots "choose" their owners? I would suggest more often than not. They clearly 'sense' something in our emotions. When I saw Skittles in that aviary in the pet store and saw how he reacted to me and then reacted to someone else it was as if it were fate. I STILL, 8yrs later, cannot for the life of me figure out HOW he knew what he knew.