Ornithology: Share and discuss scientific articles on parrots!

Just a short snippet on parrots complex social lives driving their evolution of large brain's.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/09/complex-social-lives-gave-parrots-big-brains

Future plans for parrot proof parrot trackers to learn more about them. Otherwise just some fun facts about parrots
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/14-fun-facts-about-parrots-180957714/

Very interesting! Lack of exercise and poor nutrition can actually damage DNA
An exercise plan , flying, important for health!
"In order to protect against the deleterious nature of oxidative stress, it seems likely that the exercise regimen of captive birds, especially long-lived species, such as parrots, should be considered where they are kept for conservation purposes. We suggest that even cage sizes that permit short flights and the stretching of wings might be insufficient to allow captive birds to obtain the benefits of exercise-mediated upregulation of antioxidant systems."
https://academic.oup.com/conphys/article/3/1/cov045/2571266
 
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More on behavior.
" We know that where an animal’s behavioural needs are frustrated, then the animal is vulnerable to behavioural problems. Engebretson (2006) writes: “The freedom to express normal behaviour and the freedom from distress appear to be inextricably linked in captive parrots and other birds kept as pets.” While we do not have many detailed studies of the behavioural ecology of many species of wild parrots (but see Diamond and Bond, 1999 and Rowley 1990) we do know that they are highly social animals which typically spend most of the day-time engaged in foraging for a range of foods, flying many miles each day, and engaging in regular sessions of mutual preening (Birchall 1990). "
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/behavioralproblemsinparrots.html

Parrots don't make for easy pets in captivaty. Let your parrot baby fledge and learn to fly!
"Fledging and Flight
One of the most critical periods in a parrot’s life is fledging, or leaving the nest and learning to fly, find food, form social bonds, and avoid predators by following their parents. Early wing clipping can interrupt this physical and psychological process and may leave birds prone to health and behavioral problems. Even as an adult, no bird is meant to caged and kept from flying. Every system in a bird’s body has evolved for efficient flying and they suffer without this crucial mental and physical exercise. Confinement in a cage can lead to ill health, neurotic behavior, excessive screaming, feather plucking, self-mutilation, obesity, and other destructive habits."
http://www.avianwelfare.org/issues/articles/truenature.htm
 
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The wonderful intelligent parrots flying primates!
" Dr. Auersperg and her colleagues have found that Goffin’s cockatoos are among the most spontaneously inventive toolmakers ever described, and that the birds can learn how to fashion the latest food-fetching device after just a single viewing "
And
" Dr. Pepperberg and her collaborators have shown that African grey parrots have exceptional number skills: Alex could deduce the proper order of numbers up to 8, add three small numbers together and even had a zerolike concept — “skills equivalent to those of a four-and-a-half-year-old child,” Dr. Pepperberg said."
And
" Studying the yellow-naped Amazon of Costa Rica, Dr. Wright and his colleagues have discovered that different populations of the parrot communicate with one another in distinct dialects that remain stable over decades, like human languages. Just as with people, young parrots can easily master multiple dialects while their elders can’t or won’t bother to do likewise."
This and more in the link below :)
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/science/parrots-are-a-lot-more-than-pretty-bird.html
 
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Mostly I copied this link because I like this paragraph!
“Birds are separated from us by 300 million years of evolution, and their brains are organized differently than ours,” Pepperberg said. “That’s why this was so exciting — because we were able to show that Griffin was working at the level of a 5-year-old, on a task at which even apes would not likely succeed.”
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/st...arrots-can-pass-classic-test-of-intelligence/
 
This Tread Drives Me Crazy!!! As it continues to display the need to provide far more than a simple THANKS. We need something like a THANKS to the tenth power!!!

Yet more wonderful reading, thank you, good friend!
 
Talk about reading get this ! ( Thanks for the thanks!, Due to my MG I have to exercise my mind instead of body)
Can parrots learn to read???? Seem like they can till they get bored!!!
https://winter2018.iaabcjournal.org/?p=138
 
Laurasea said:
Mostly I copied this link because I like this paragraph!
“Birds are separated from us by 300 million years of evolution, and their brains are organized differently than ours,” Pepperberg said. “That’s why this was so exciting – because we were able to show that Griffin was working at the level of a 5-year-old, on a task at which even apes would not likely succeed.”
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/st...arrots-can-pass-classic-test-of-intelligence/
Click to expand...
That's cool but for some reason the article doesn't mention how old was Griffin at the time of the study in which he outperformed average 5 year old humans. Griffin is famous, does anyone know his hatch date? If he was himself younger than 5 years old then that means there is a form of intelligence that he developed faster once out of the egg/womb than the average human selected for those tests does. If he was older than 5 at the time then it doesn't work as a comparison of the average human and Griffin's cognitive development.

Or would it make more sense to compare two species by gestational age than by hatch/birth age? That is how researchers now urge us to compare human children's cognitive and executive development to other children, by gestational age rather than birth age, because the latter causes gestationally older children (meaning older than the classroom gestational average, which is a skewed-to-premature average because most babies are now born at least a week under 9 months and a huge minority are born months early) with developmental disorders to go undiagnosed and gestationally younger children to be misdiagnosed with developmental delays instead of being placed in classrooms with children of the same gestational age where expectations will be truly age appropriate. This means that among humans, length of time you've existed determines cognitive development progress more than length of time you've been interacting with the world does.
 
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I'm not sure if his hatch date. But he is an adult of his species, while a five year old child is a child...
As the parrot is likely at reproductive age....
A human child at five can read, and write and do simple math, understanding right and wrong, that a parrot can match that is impressive to me. And I think we humans still can't accurately judge another species intelligence yet.

I read an article were a skunk used a stone to break ice on a bird bath to get a drink, caught on camera. I think the skunk came to get a drink, saw the ice went and got a stone and came back and smashed the ice! None thought skunks could use tools ..
 
Best I can tell Griffen was hatched in 1996, do he would be 25 years old at the experiment.
 
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Toys! Going to link some toy articles.
This morning I made toys from the corn husk, used the envelopes from Christmas cards ( minius the glue part) and stuffed with some seeds, used a coffee filter to fold over a toy...
https://bestinflock.com/2008/04/25/your-parrot-wont-play-with-toys/

Parrots want the satisfaction of destroying stuff!!! This following article is just fantastic.
https://blogpamelaclarkonline.com/2018/10/10/my-parrot-wont-play-with-toys/

Why do parrots destroy remote controls, phones, computers, because that's what they see us playing with!! Monkey see monkey do, our parrots are watching us!!!
https://www.windycityparrot.com/blo...foods-are-two-problems-that-solve-each-other/

Toys can help parrots through hormonal times, burn energy , release frustrations..toys can help birds by providing choice, provide a box of nick nack toys , it's fun to plunder the box, and what a nut was hiding in there!!!
https://www.thesprucepets.com/why-toys-important-for-pet-birds-4061430
 
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Feather pickings articles
First one is good, but most artnt going to have this wonderful success.
https://blogpamelaclarkonline.com/2018/07/17/success-story-a-case-of-feather-damaging-behavior/

This is a nice one..
https://birdtricksstore.com/blogs/birdtricks-blog/tips-for-birds-with-feather-destructive-behaviors

https://resources.bestfriends.org/article/feather-plucking

A science based article. Sometimes increased zinc levels, or parasites might be the cause. Though stressed a strong psychological compont to most plucking
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/feather-plucking

A scientific study of feather picking parrots. There is strong evidence that hand raised parrots have a much higher rate of becoming feather pluckers , than those raised by the parrot parents. I've read other articles that came to the same conclusion, but that was before I mad this thread to keep track.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1828051X.2016.1195711

Scientific study of African Grey Feather destructive behavior, and the link with stress. Using cortisol to measure. Hand reared feather pluckers had the highest level of this stress cortisol. I would add that hand reared parrots seem to be less able to deal with stress than oarrebt reared. Then of those the personality of parrots more sensitive to stress plays a role in them becoming pluckers. With a higher percentage in the male population.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5028759/

A general feather plucking article
https://theparrotsocietyuk.org/site...-advice/feathers/feather-plucking-in-parrots/

Pamela Clark , a true expert in parrot behavior. Stressing that allowing a baby parrot to fledge and learn to fly critical to life long behavior! Vote with your money buy fully abundance weaned and fledged babies! And keep your bird flighted. Co parrenting , where parrots raise their young, and breeder handles and works with babies might the mist ethical way. You're going to share your life with this parrot for decade's. Properly weaned and fledged parrots are going to have less behavior problems, and happier lives.
https://blogpamelaclarkonline.com/2019/09/11/early-beginnings-for-parrots/
 
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Cage bound parrots and articles. As the one I found earlier was great and wanted to add a few more.
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/cageboundbirds.html

Behaviorist account of working with a cage bound parrot
https://blogpamelaclarkonline.com/2018/06/19/teaching-a-fearful-parrot-to-step-up/

Talks about behavior modification and Target training. I don't agree with everything but like the breakdown on small steps and such.
https://www.northernparrots.com/mob...:-dealing-with-the-cage-bound-parrot-blog115/

Except from following "Most cages bound parrots become this way from spending too long without
good human interaction and too much time in their cages. Even when
provided with toys and other distractions, a cage is still just a cage.
Birds need the stimulation of relationships with others in order to
flourish, and leaving a parrot in a cage can cause psychosis, anything
from becoming cage bound to severe self-mutilation. In order to prevent
your parrot from developing these behaviors it is vitally important that
you provide interaction and stimulation on a daily basis. Do not mistake
sitting next to the cage watching television as a form of interaction,
your attention needs to be on the bird and his attention on you.
Remember, parrots are naturally flock animals, and if you cannot provide
a healthy flock for them (in yourself, your family and your friends)
then you should not own one."
https://rec.pets.birds.narkive.com/Of6wfKYN/cage-bound-birds
 
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What an interest find thanks Jim!!
Winston Churchill's parrot is still around!!! Way cool!!!
 
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