Smart Bird Stories!

[pycthedragon]

Tell me some stuff about your bird's super smart moments. Parrots are super intelligent creatures but it's sometimes amazing to see what they can do.

For example, I'm pretty sure my lovie possesses object permanence. I hid some food from him because he was getting into his food bag while he was out, but he looks underneath the covers I put under it! I had to place it elsewhere when he wasn't looking! Crafty creature... He also seems to be very curious with how my phone works. Maybe one day he'll figure it out... I think he's a birdie genius.

 

[NiRD]

I give all of my birds puzzles. Corvids can usually figure them out on the first try by looking at them. A couple days ago my cockatoo figured out a three step puzzle on the first try. I was proud.

 

[Kiwibird]

I don't know about Kiwi being a "bird genius", but he's obviously smart He has no problems figuring out puzzle toys and (most amazing to me) seems to be able to able to differentiate in what situations he needs to "apply" learned behaviors vs. when/where he can do as he pleases, even in "unfamiliar" environments. For example, when my mom would watch him (like when we went out of town) he immediately recognized their bird area/his temporary cage as OK places to poop and chew an be loud (the same KIND of places he would be allowed to at home). And although my parents house is much different than where he's used to living, he still minded his potty training by always alerting when he needed to be taken back to the bird area and NOT chewing on furniture, flooring, clothing ect... (which we do not allow him to do at home). And if you watch his eyes when you use certain cue words with him, you can see the gears upstairs are turning as he thinks about what action he's being asked to do.

If you want to see a real birdie Einstein, my dad's goffin! He is a true creature of higher intelligence and also has a naughty streak. Alfie will exploit any possible opportunity to use that intelligence to create chaos. He used to have a combination lock on his cage, but he actually watched what was being done to the lock when it was being taken off and eventually figured out how to unlock it himself. Not just a one time stroke of luck, he learned how many times to turn the knob and in what direction to get it open. If you leave a key in the padlock, he unlocks it. He disassembled a cage once from the inside out. He dances in-rythm to music too. He seems very in tune to numbers and patterns. Alfie is a VERY smart bird, and I bet if he had been a research animal like Alex instead of a pet, he would have been one of those birds who could count and identify shapes and colors.

 

[Terry57]

When Ekko goes in for a time out, I will tell him he has 5 minutes time out. As soon as his door closes, he starts counting 1...2...3...that is as far as he goes, but he realized that the 5 minutes, and the counting to 3 are related.
Obviously, I have to let him back out since he is working on charming me

 

[Allee]

Wow, I've been lucky enough to witness a lot of super smart bird behaviors, it's hard to choose one, but I'll try. My quakers have similar size cages, and set ups, they are both curious creatures and like to explore their housemate's cages when the occupants aren't watching. The two quakers started going into each other's cages in the evenings instead of their own. They did this every day for about a week and a half. I would return each of them to their own cage. One evening I left them there for the night. The cage trade is a permanent arrangement and neither of them have suggested a trade back. It's like they decided on their own to trade cages and both are happy with the decision.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Kenji my African grey is exceptionally smart. He knows how I open all his cage doors so I have to keep them securely closed, and no foraging toy stands a chance agains him

 

[Mango121913]

Well.....apparently Mango knows how to work a computer and a smartphone! Was getting texts and msgs of a party he plans on having this weekend?



He does talk to my wife, in his own language, but noooo , not me yet!

 

[NiRD]

I've been talking to a raven owner whose bird items combination locksas well. This one listens for the click.

 

[pycthedragon]

Well.....apparently Mango knows how to work a computer and a smartphone! Was getting texts and msgs of a party he plans on having this weekend?



He does talk to my wife, in his own language, but noooo , not me yet!

You absolutely need to upload some screenshots, that sounds too funny.

 

[Darci]

My CAG is five and had two homes prior to mine so every now and again she will say something totally in context, something I haven't said to her in the month I've had her.
When my friends stopped by last week, when they knocked she asked who was there. And she tries to answer my neighbors phone with a "hello"?. When I give the command "Shadow! Get down" she bobs her head up and down and goes "whooo" - something she's improvised. She stretches out to get a kiss when she wants one. And she's trained me, she made up a little song and when she sings it, I dance for her. Fair is fair and if I expect her to perform she should get the same from me. She's truly an amazing creature, learns a few new phrases or words every week.

Her second owners call her baby. I call her a good girl so she picked that up. Then she knew they referred to her so she combined them to say "good baby girl". The other day she said " are you a good boy? Huh?". I'm female so she should be told that soon I guess! LOL

 

[Kiwibird]

And she's trained me, she made up a little song and when she sings it, I dance for her. Fair is fair and if I expect her to perform she should get the same from me.

You have a GREAT attitude towards your bird! They don't JUST like doing tricks to amuse us, they also like when we do tricks for them That's the kind of interaction that is going to make her an extremely happy and well adjusted bird!

 

[Darci]

You have a GREAT attitude towards your bird! They don't JUST like doing tricks to amuse us, they also like when we do tricks for them That's the kind of interaction that is going to make her an extremely happy and well adjusted bird!

That's very sweet, thank you she deserves the very best, she's a really sweet bird. I'm lucky she didn't have behavioral issues or anything. So far it's smooth sailing with this one