Quick Take
- An African grey parrot named Rocco successfully ordered snacks through Alexa without any human intervention.
- The intelligence level of these fascinating parrots creates a security risk for owners using smart speakers.
- You can go to the Alexa app Account Settings to stop future unauthorized transactions from cheeky pet birds.
Polly, want a cracker? Apparently, she does—and a lot more! But she doesn’t need you to get it. After all, why go through a human when a parrot can just order its own snacks from Amazon instead? It sounds unbelievable, but that’s exactly what one UK parrot recently did, thanks to the help of his owner’s Amazon Alexa.
Account @delightful_animals shared a fun story on Instagram about a parrot with the impressive ability to order its own snacks through an Alexa speaker. “In the UK, a parrot named Rocco surprised his owner by ordering snacks like chips and cookies through an Alexa speaker,” the post says. “The bird mimicked human speech to place voice orders on Amazon.”
Most other talking bird breeds just mimic sounds and aren’t aware of what they’re saying.
It wasn’t until the snacks arrived in the mail that the parrot’s owners realized what had happened. “After unexpected deliveries started arriving, the owner discovered the cause and disconnected the device to stop further purchases,” the post concluded.
Can you imagine randomly getting chips and cookies in the mail, checking your account, and seeing an order placed in your name — even though you know you didn’t do it? I wonder how long it took them to suspect Rocco, or if the bird had been mischievous in the past, and they immediately knew it was him.
Interestingly, Rocco seems to have placed these voice orders only when his owners weren’t around—almost as if he knew he was doing something mischievous! Still, it’s pretty impressive he was able to figure it out. Hopefully, he got to enjoy at least one cookie as a reward for being such a smart bird.
What’s the Likelihood a Parrot Can Successfully Order From Amazon?
According to PEOPLE, Rocco is an African grey parrot who used his voice to order “strawberries, watermelon, raisins, broccoli, and ice cream” through Alexa. The bird lived in the National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT) in Watford, U.K., at the time and was later adopted by an NAWT staff member.
African grey parrots like Rocco are known for being extremely intelligent and social, able to understand what they hear and repeat it back. This makes the breed particularly likely to be able to order from Alexa, especially if it’s heard people around it doing the same and seen the packages being delivered afterward.
An African grey parrot named Rocco was caught ordering snacks through Amazon Alexa.
©Jane_Zh/Shutterstock.com
These birds are known for their insight, ability to perform complex tasks, problem-solving skills, and even understanding of musical theory. These impressive smarts can get them in trouble, however, as some people want to harness these birds’ intelligence for their own gain, even going as far as to illegally capture and sell them. African grey parrots are currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, in part due to illegal trapping and smuggling for the pet trade industry.
Other parrots are less likely to be able to do something as bold as ordering snacks from Alexa. Most other talking parrots will just mimic or imitate the sounds they hear, with scientists believing they don’t truly understand what they are saying. In these cases, it seems unlikely that the parrot would talk to Alexa, unless it has heard its owner do it countless times.
Even if they do try to place a voice order, they wouldn’t actually realize what they are doing and probably would only repeat a past order that they heard. This is different from Rocco, who seemingly knew he was going to get the snacks he requested. (Again, talk about a smart bird!)
How to Prevent an Accidental Alexa Purchase
Whether you have a conniving African grey parrot (or a sneaky toddler), Alexa owners can rest assured knowing that they can simply turn off Amazon ordering through Alexa. Simply navigate to your Alexa app on your smartphone, click on Account Settings, and then turn Voice Purchasing on or off. You can also limit voice purchases so that only recognized Amazon Family members can place orders, but this may backfire if your bird can mimic your voice perfectly.
It may be inconvenient if you are used to placing orders for your basic necessities via voice control, but it can save you hundreds if a smart bird gets a hold of your device. Of course, most Amazon purchases are returnable, but return windows vary. Always check the specific return policy for your item!
