Parrots and emotions

[wrench13]

Do parrots experience emotions, similar to our own? I think yes definately, at least some of them. Salty is 100% capable of feeling annoyance, and retribution, friendship and hatred. Love at first sight? Just read about so many members on here that have had a parrot instantly know that this person is THEIRS. And forgiveness, that too. Salty will get highly incessed if I am home for a day and do not spend enough time with him, to the point of administering purposeful determined bites, only to be forgiven the next day if I apologize and make up with him. I think he feels contrite and remorse for having been such a shit to me the day before, too. Dogs have emotions too, I think, but they are different, whether by nature or the result of 1000's of years of domestication by man. Never owned cats so I cant say much there. Horses - I've has a few and they seem more food driven than any sort of emotional attachment. Of course this all could be simple anthromorphizing on our part, man is more then capable of lying to itself on many levels.

What do you think on this?

 

[Laurasea]

Yes they have emotions!
I totally agree they understand apology

 

[Kentuckienne]

Emotions are mediated by chemicals released by the limbic system, and that’s a very primitive system. Humans have higher levels of cognition and emotional nuance and awareness layered on top of the most primitive stuff, but we still have all the primitive stuff. Humans still experience the fight or flight response. It’s a gradient, nto a cliff.

Dr. Pepperberg related a story about Alex…it was the end of the day, and someone came by. I don’t remember the exact details, if it was a reporter or fellow researcher or friend…but she asked Alex the color of something and he didn’t feel like working, so he kept giving the wrong answer. Pepperberg decided he wasn’t going to cooperate, so she put him into his sleep cage and the two humans left the room to get dinner. Out in the hall, they collapsed in laughter because they could hear Alex yelling “I’m sorry! Come back! Green! Green!”

I think when we see animals showing surprise, they are surprised. Animals acting angry are probably angry. We sometimes misinterpret things, and don’t get the emotions right. Maybe some reactions are more hard-wired and instinctive, but they are real.

 

[cnyguy]

Certainly parrots have and express emotions. They can express them very effectively too, with actions, sounds, body language and bites. Parrots will show that they're happy, sad, scared, annoyed, angry, frustrated and more.

I've never owned horses, but I've followed horse racing for much of my life. I've seen examples of horses expressing emotions, including anger and fear. I've also seen evidence that, like parrots, horses can have a sense of humor.

Some people claim that what we may think of as emotions in animals is nothing more than our attempting to give them human attributes, but I'm sure that isn't so and the emotions are real.

 

[Laurasea]

This Parrot Has An 'Infectious Laugh,' Scientists Say

The researchers say that when the highly intelligent kea parrots hear a call associated with play, they start playful tussling, aerial acrobatics, or throwing objects into the air.

www.npr.org

 

[GaleriaGila]

Emotions are mediated by chemicals released by the limbic system, and that’s a very primitive system. Humans have higher levels of cognition and emotional nuance and awareness layered on top of the most primitive stuff, but we still have all the primitive stuff. Humans still experience the fight or flight response. It’s a gradient, nto a cliff.

Dr. Pepperberg related a story about Alex…it was the end of the day, and someone came by. I don’t remember the exact details, if it was a reporter or fellow researcher or friend…but she asked Alex the color of something and he didn’t feel like working, so he kept giving the wrong answer. Pepperberg decided he wasn’t going to cooperate, so she put him into his sleep cage and the two humans left the room to get dinner. Out in the hall, they collapsed in laughter because they could hear Alex yelling “I’m sorry! Come back! Green! Green!”

I think when we see animals showing surprise, they are surprised. Animals acting angry are probably angry. We sometimes misinterpret things, and don’t get the emotions right. Maybe some reactions are more hard-wired and instinctive, but they are real.

What precious experiences. Thank you for sharing. I have an idea that the smarter the bird, one of two things is true... either they experience more emotions more fully... OR... they express them (especially when words are involved) more clearly. Alex was a genius among birds. Greys are so dang smart. My little Patagonian knucklehead is not very intelligent, but he definitely can show a few of his most characteristic emotions. When left alone (and not napping!!), he screams NO NO NO NO GAIL GAIL GAIL NO NO. When I go into his room, he settles, fluffs his feathers, sidles up to the cage door in his best suck-up waddle and practically coos OH GAIL OH GAIL GAIL GAIL. There is something going on between those beady little eyeballs. Like... anger? need? attachment/love?

 

[texsize]

No doubt that parrots have emotions.
My Amazons wear there heart on there sleeve.
My African Grey is harder to read.
she shows her joy/happiness to my wife.
The rest of the family she just sort of tolerates.

 

[HeatherG]

I am sure parrots have emotions. I’m not so clear about chickens and turkeys, but when I worked with them in school I always tried to be very calm and kind. Sometimes my chicks would fall asleep in my hand after I took a blood sample.

All birds deserve good treatment.

I think it’s like having aliens living on our planet. Very similar to us but with a different style brain.

My parrots have often told me “good good bird!” after a nice long scritch or massage, and occasionally “BAD Bird!” Or “No!” once when I was teasing Lucy.

 

[HeatherG]

This Parrot Has An 'Infectious Laugh,' Scientists Say

The researchers say that when the highly intelligent kea parrots hear a call associated with play, they start playful tussling, aerial acrobatics, or throwing objects into the air.

www.npr.org

I think bird yawns are contagious, too. Willow can get me to yawn anytime.

 

[Rozalka]

In the past I thought that parrots don't really have emotions - only the basic ones like being scared which help them surviving in the wild. I think I read somewhere this not smart info... Currently I don't think so.

Parrots have emotions too but to understand them, first you need to learn their language - both body and verbal one.
I still remember this how I was removing Romek's body after he passed away - Rozalka seeing him being removed made a sound I call as "Bourke crying/being sad". This meant just one thing - she felt sadness because of his death.

 

[HeatherG]

When I showed Lucy’s body to Oscar, he refused to come out or interact at all. I didn’t realize he loved her that much because he picked on her. But he must have. He just quit everything then. Awful.

 

[Kentuckienne]

OH GAIL GAIL OH GAIL GAIL GAIL GAIL
(sidles up to screen)

 

[HeatherG]

Ack ack ack! Ack ack!

 

[Littleredbeak]

Do parrots experience emotions, similar to our own? I think yes definately, at least some of them. Salty is 100% capable of feeling annoyance, and retribution, friendship and hatred. Love at first sight? Just read about so many members on here that have had a parrot instantly know that this person is THEIRS. And forgiveness, that too. Salty will get highly incessed if I am home for a day and do not spend enough time with him, to the point of administering purposeful determined bites, only to be forgiven the next day if I apologize and make up with him. I think he feels contrite and remorse for having been such a shit to me the day before, too. Dogs have emotions too, I think, but they are different, whether by nature or the result of 1000's of years of domestication by man. Never owned cats so I cant say much there. Horses - I've has a few and they seem more food driven than any sort of emotional attachment. Of course this all could be simple anthromorphizing on our part, man is more then capable of lying to itself on many levels.

What do you think on this?

I have had a deep bond with all these a animals you have listed and I can say without a doubt they all are capable of emotions similar to ours.

 

[RockyNRob]

Do parrots experience emotions, similar to our own? I think yes definately, at least some of them. Salty is 100% capable of feeling annoyance, and retribution, friendship and hatred. Love at first sight? Just read about so many members on here that have had a parrot instantly know that this person is THEIRS. And forgiveness, that too. Salty will get highly incessed if I am home for a day and do not spend enough time with him, to the point of administering purposeful determined bites, only to be forgiven the next day if I apologize and make up with him. I think he feels contrite and remorse for having been such a shit to me the day before, too. Dogs have emotions too, I think, but they are different, whether by nature or the result of 1000's of years of domestication by man. Never owned cats so I cant say much there. Horses - I've has a few and they seem more food driven than any sort of emotional attachment. Of course this all could be simple anthromorphizing on our part, man is more then capable of lying to itself on many levels.

What do you think on this?

all creatures have emotions Some have a much higher understanding of things than you realize.