Parrots Imitate Calls to Converse With Specific Individuals

Parrots mimic sounds they hear so as to start a conversation with specific individuals in other flocks, finds a new study.

A team of researchers led by Thorsten Balsby from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, observed the orange-fronted conures (Aratinga canicularis), parakeets that are commonly found from western Mexico to Costa Rica.

These birds live in the wild in dynamic flocks, where parrots move in or separate from other flocks, meeting around 100 different individuals in a weekly-basis, reported BBC.

Based on their observations in both forest and lab environments, researchers noticed that each bird had a unique contact call of its own. They found that the parrots replied faster and more frequently when they heard other parrots mimicking their voice, compared to those parrots that did not hear the imitation.

Ever-changing flocks could be the reason for the parrots to indulge in vocal imitation, said the researchers. "Living in flocks may be challenging and require a flexible vocalisation system," Balsby told BBC.

"The vocal imitation of orange-fronted conures is probably tightly linked to the fission-fusion flock dynamics that results in frequent encounters and interactions with many different individuals," he added.

Experts suggest that the parrots might have evolved the habit of imitating others in order to address a specific individual. This way, they are able to communicate messages in a dynamic communication network.

The findings of the study, "Vocal Imitation in Parrots Allows Addressing of Specific Individuals in a Dynamic Communication Network", are published in the open access journal PLOS ONE.