Among all the creatures in the world, only two can speak, humans, and birds!
It would be so much fun to have a pet who could talk to us, isn’t it? Well, parrots do give you that convenience. But have you ever wondered, how can parrots speak just like us? Or are you the thought that they cannot speak at all, and the videos we see of speaking parrots are merely edited? Actually, no, parents can speak like humans, to know how keep reading.
Birds are mainly vocal learners, and so are parrots. This means they grasp the sound they hear and instantly try to imitate them. But what makes them speak is the song system. A bird that is a vocal learner also has a certain part of its brain that is devoted to the ‘song system’. The speciality of parrots is that they have two layers in their song system, one of which is an inner core, which is common to birds who are vocal learners. But then, parrots have an outer shell as well, which is unique to them.
Next, parrots have a structure name syrinx which is similar to the larynx in humans. In parrots, the syrinx is located at the bottom of the trachea, near the chest, which helps them to speak human-like words. When the bird tries to speak, the sound passes through its throat, then to its mouth, and next, it is manipulated by the tongue. Parrots can modify the flow of air over their syrinx, which helps them to create sounds.
But wait, you must also know that parrots do not actually understand what they are speaking. They mostly use speech to mimic or imitate the human voice and not to express themselves. Till now, you might be thinking that parrots understand what they are speaking, and that is because they can very well apply the words to sentences appropriately. It is not so, but rather they are exceptionally good at learning words and can mimic very well.
Interestingly, parrots stay aware of the context and words surrounding them and can also make associations with words. Sometimes, you will find your parrot just mimics what you are saying to it. It is because parrots could easily make an association between the phrase you spoke and the surrounding. They can imitate humans, the sound of doors, windows, and even the barking of dogs. That’s the beauty of these birds.
So, did you learn something new about parrots today? Hope you can explain this to your friends and family as well now.
