No Birdbrain, Parrot Grasps Concept of Zero

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20050708/ ... ceptofzero

That's nothing ~ I could do that way before I was 28.

Just to draw a comparison with Autism research:

This study was done to prove the relative intelligence of a parrot and the parrot performed well and the results were interpreted well. The parrot's intelligence though performing on par with a human of a certain age, is recognised as being different. And Asparval has demonstrated, if this study had been set out to prove the inability of the parrot, the researchers could have drawn the conclusion that the parrot is stupider because it is 28 and a human control subject could manage it at a few months old. This would assume that the parrot's inteligence is not different but the same, just in a lesser quantity.

So like some Autism research.

I have a friend with a parrot. After watching him, I fully believe they are extremely smart animals. She also mentioned that they have more advanced social skills than NT humans, and that he can actually manipulate her to do pretty much anything he wants, without her noticing he's doing it until he's already done it. She said it's like having an alien intelligence living with her. They also carry on conversations.

Not a decision to make lightly. In fact most parrot owners would discourage you from doing so until you know a lot about them. They are exceedingly intelligent, need a lot of intellectual stimulation and social contact, will generally try to speak to you (depending on their speech organs it can be difficult to decipher what they're saying sometimes), are not tame, will often peck their feathers out and sometimes commit suicide if neglected (which is agonizing for them, and too many parrot owners don't realize this and just leave them in their cage all the time instead of mainly to sleep in), will demand all kinds of attention and interaction and so forth loudly, will run rings around any human socially but especially an autistic one, don't generally know how to navigate the human world without getting into danger, have large pointy front ends and know how to use them, will live at least 20 or 30 years, and so on and so forth. It's much more like having a child than having a pet from what I've observed, only a child with wings and a sharp beak. Too many people find that out too late and end up surrendering their parrot to a shelter, or the parrot ends up living a miserable life.

I would not want a parrot. I like visiting my friend's parrot. I do not want to live with one. From what I can tell, if you're genuinely committed to taking care of one, they can be very rewarding companions, but it's not at all the same as even being very dedicated towards the more usual animals. They're extremely high-maintenance and the stakes are very high for them if you do something that might be acceptable with for instance a cat (I don't mean cruelty, I just mean cats and parrots have very different needs and what a cat will tolerate may devastate a parrot). If you're interested in parrots, you might want to hang around parrot owners' email lists, but they will probably tell you what I just said and then some unless they get some idea that you're doing serious research into this. It might also be a good idea to hang around with a conscientious parrot owner (not one who leaves the parrot in a bare cage all the time, but one who treats the parrot like a family member) and see what life is like for them, if you can find one.

I am extremely devoted to the cat I live with, regard her as more of a roommate than a pet, view her as generally an underestimated animal, and do a lot of things that other people who live with cats don't do. But she does not require what a parrot requires, by a longshot.

I didn't realize. I guess I'd better not get one then.

Even if you don't get one though, if you find someone who has one or find a parrot shelter to volunteer at, they can certainly be very interesting to know. The first time I met my friend's parrot, he jumped onto my staff's shoulder, took her earring off without hurting her (it was one of those ones which is a hoop joined by a ball, so he unscrewed the ball, threw it on the floor, and took the hoop out of her ear), and started playing with it.

They're just not in the least bit easy, and way beyond any sort of creature I personally could handle. I can do cats. And I can, with work, do dogs. Parrots are something else entirely. I might consider a parrot in about the same way that I'd consider having a child. (Which I have considered, and concluded I'm not ready for that yet either, although I might one day want to have or adopt one.) Only with a parrot, unlike a child, you have to plan for them never to leave you basically (only you also need a contingency plan in case of your death, since they have quite long lifespans and may outlive their humans).

But they're really cool to visit.

I was in a pet store with my dog and there was a parrot. I said hello to him, and a minute later he said hello doggy. My dog couldn't believe a parrot said that.

I thought the title said: "Carrot graps the concept of zero".

My ex from a few years back and I had a Regent Parrot named Merlyn.

anbuend, I totally agree with everything you have said.

Merlyn is awesome and I miss him very very much. Even though he was technically my girlfriend's bird, I was boss and he would run rings around my girlfriend.

7:00 am every morning he would be pacing up and down in his cage, throwing his toys around, rattling on the cage door and basically yelling at me to open the blooming cage up and let him out.

PERSONALITY PLUS ! ! He was so much fun!! !

He would listen to me, but my ex reported him driving her nuts once I was gone. I felt very bad or Merlyn as we live in different states now and I do not get to see him. But also know that my ex is the Dr Dolittle of animals so will look after him well.

The other thing about parrots is that they are seasonal eaters. This means their travel is based on the food of different seasons. So if they cannot fly around and find their own food, you need to bring it to them.

And you need to be prepared to clean up the poop. And have some on your shoulder more often than not.

I think all animals are very sophisticated and intelligent. Human's not so much so presume they are dumb because we do not understand their level of intelligence.

Zero is more than nothing, Less than everything

Zero was a concept invented by the Greeks. Zero is not a reality, just a concept.

Man that screws with my brain. Wish I was a parrot...

Zero was discovered in India first and is no less of a reality than one or any other number.

I have a parrot, one thing I love about him is his intelligence.

There has been a lot of research in this area, current thinking suggests that many parrot species have the cognitive ability of a 2-3 year old human child, putting them in the same league as chimpanzees when it comes to animal intelligence.

Anyone interested in reading more about the research should look at Dr Irene Pepperberg's website, I don't have the address but if you search on her name in google you should be able to find it. She's been conducting in-depth research in this area for many years.