Who doesn’t love calling to chat with a friend? Apparently even parrots miss interacting with other animals. Researchers from the United States and Scotland managed to train a group of parrots to video call each other.
Animals demonstrate attachment through attachments Photo: Conservation Mag/Reproduction/ND
The behavioral study found that during the practice, the animals formed friendships and showed interest in the experience. The study, titled “Birds of a Feather VideoFlock Together,” was published by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Glasgow.
The study involved parrots learning to ring a bell, which resulted in a janitor bringing them a tablet. The birds would use their beaks to select a photo of another bird on the screen and a video call would begin.
The researchers stated that during the calls, the animals behaved as if they were in the wild. In addition, the formation of friendship bonds between them was evident, since the parrots always called the same “friends”.
Jennifer Cunha, a behavioral expert at Northeastern University, said in an interview that the researchers noticed a lot of natural behavior between the two birds, even though there was a screen between them.
The study suggests that birdtobird video calling can improve the behavior and wellbeing of parrots kept as pets, particularly those who are the only parrots in their home.