Parrots May Use Human Names for Specific Individuals

Parrots are well known for echoing human speech, so a bird calling somebody by name has generally been regarded as another example of that ability.

The usual view was that the parrot had heard the sound frequently enough to learn it by heart, in the same way that it might be taught to say “pretty bird.”

That explanation became less convincing after researchers asked owners how, in practice, their parrots used names.

It emerged that many birds seemed to keep particular names for particular individuals, using them in circumstances that suited the situation.

Surveying parrot owners

The research was carried out by Lauryn Benedict, a biologist at the University of Northern Colorado (UNCO), together with her colleagues.

They conducted an online questionnaire, “What Does Polly Say?”, asking owners to report the words used by their companion parrots and the contexts in which those words were spoken.

Responses were collected over almost four years for more than 1,200 birds representing dozens of species.

The researchers extracted every expression containing an identifiable human name or nickname, while excluding names assigned to objects or brands.

Wild elephants and marmosets also produce calls that appear to identify particular individuals, although establishing what such sounds mean is still challenging.

Parrot names are widespread

Names proved to be widespread. Almost half the birds with recorded vocabularies used at least one, and collectively they produced roughly 800 name-containing expressions.

Parrots most commonly said their own names. Many had also learnt the names of people in the household, other birds and pets such as dogs. None, however, had learnt a place name.

Certain birds had plainly accumulated a collection of names. More than 140 used multiple names, generally their own alongside those of nearby people and animals.

A smaller set used four or more names, while one exceptional bird used at least nine. Nicknames were also common.

Using the correct name

The most notable findings involved birds that deployed names appropriately. The researchers identified 131 such expressions from 88 birds across 30 species.

In every case, a parrot aimed a name at the appropriate individual. The team then used a more demanding standard.

They considered only names linked exclusively to a single individual, rather than another possible recipient, even where similar alternatives were nearby. One parrot told off every noisy flockmate using that bird’s proper name.

About ten birds displayed behaviour suggesting something beyond simple imitation. They requested a specific person by name only when that person was not present. This may indicate that the birds recognise when someone is absent.

Parrots can make mistakes

Names were not always used as a person would use them. Roughly half the expressions for which context was available were rated correct, leaving a substantial proportion that went wrong in one respect or another.

One frequent error concerned the bird’s own name. Many birds called it out to gain attention or to welcome someone, saying “Hi Polly” when a person entered.

This is straightforward mimicry, copied from the way owners address the bird. Nevertheless, Benedict and her co-authors suggest that these errors may still benefit the parrot.

A parrot that says its own name and receives a response has acquired an effective strategy. Young children behave similarly before they have mastered “I” and “you.”

Grey parrots lead on names

Species varied in their ability to manage names. For the five species with at least ten thoroughly documented birds, researchers compared the rates of accurate and individualised name use.

One species was distinctly in front. Grey parrots were most likely to use names correctly, in line with decades of research drawing attention to their language skills.

Previous research found that names account for more than a quarter of a grey parrot’s vocabulary, a share comparable with that of young children.

It remains difficult to determine whether this advantage comes from stronger cognition or simply from more talkative homes.

Because the survey could not account for the amount of language heard by each bird, the apparent difference between species remains suggestive rather than conclusive.

Learning through listening

Owners repeatedly use parrots’ names when speaking to them, which probably accounts for the high frequency of birds saying their own names. By contrast, names belonging to other people and pets are much less often spoken directly to the bird.

That difference indicates that parrots may learn extensively through overhearing speech. A bird that says “quiet” followed by a dog’s name when it barks probably learnt the phrase by hearing a human reprimand the dog, rather than through deliberate teaching.

This behaviour matches a pattern already observed among wild parrots. Birds entering a new flock acquire local calls by listening as flock members communicate with each other.

What parrot names reveal

Many animals react to their own names, while some, including dolphins, create signature calls that work like labels.

A recent study of wild elephants described calls that appear to identify particular herd members.

Earlier research had not demonstrated a large and diverse set of animals producing names that follow human conventions and directing them at the correct recipients.

This survey offers that evidence across dozens of species, greatly exceeding the reach normally possible in closely controlled laboratory research. It does not, however, establish that parrots understand the complete concept of a name.

It does indicate that many birds acquire human names and use them at appropriate social times.

The results give researchers a specific behaviour to investigate and a basis for seeking comparable naming behaviour in the wild.