How do parrots talk?
Parrots talk by imitating sounds they hear, using a vocal organ called the syrinx, their tongue and their beak. They mimic human speech to bond with their human flock, though most do not understand words the way people do.
Birds do not have vocal cords like humans. Instead, they make sounds with the syrinx, located where the windpipe splits into the lungs. Parrots have unusually thick, muscular tongues, which they use to shape sounds, similar to how humans use their tongues to form words.
In the wild, parrots learn the calls of their flock to fit in and communicate. In captivity, they treat their human family as their flock and copy the sounds around them, including speech, phone ringtones and whistles. Brain studies show parrots have special song-learning regions with an extra outer layer, which may explain their skill at mimicry.
Famous talking parrots
African grey parrots are among the best talkers. Alex, an African grey studied by scientist Irene Pepperberg for 30 years, learned about 100 words and could identify colors, shapes and numbers. Budgerigars, or budgies, can also learn large vocabularies.
Did You Know?
A budgie named Puck holds the Guinness World Record for the largest vocabulary of any bird, with about 1,728 words.