How Smart Are Parrots? Everything We Know About Their Intelligence

Parrots have a well-deserved reputation for being one of the smartest species of animals. These birds routinely exhibit intelligent traits that are on par with other animals that are considered intelligent. This includes intelligent species such as primates, dolphins, octopi, and humans.

Certain species of parrots are particularly clever. In this article, we’ll outline some of the species that exhibit signs of high intelligence.

Of course, animal intelligence is a tricky and imperfect science. Much of this is due to the slippery nature of intelligence in general. Are things truly intelligent just because they exhibit behaviors that align with our notions of intelligence? That’s not for this author to say.

Examples of Intelligent Parrot Behavior

Parrots appear to start learning rapidly early in life, and much of their learning process is social. Many species of parrots live together in massive flocks that give their young plenty of teachers.

Young parrots learn in many of the same ways that young humans do – through a sense of curiosity and play. Parrots react positively to stimuli, which keeps their minds active. Like humans, parrots that are placed in isolated circumstances without stimuli react negatively. In extreme circumstances, they sometimes even engage in self-harm behaviors.

This has led many zoologists to believe that many species of parrots need environmental enrichment. This is a term that refers to constantly updating and changing one’s set of circumstances, in order to feel engaged with their surroundings.

One thing that works in the favor of parrot species in terms of their ability to learn is their long life spans. Many species of parrots can live to be fairly old – some species, such as the African Grey Parrot, can routinely reach 50 or 60 years old. This gives these birds more time to work through the trial-and-error processes that constitute learning.

Some of the behaviors that Parrots exhibit that experts consider indicative of intelligent behavior include extensive interpersonal communication. This includes associating body movements with emotions, as well as the ability to solve simple puzzles.

In addition, parrots are often observed remembering paths, objects, and people. Certain species of parrots have even been observed forming subcultures. These micro-groups form language and song dialects within larger groups.

Particularly Intelligent Parrot Species

There are many species of parrots that display at least rudimentarily intelligent behavior. Some of the kinds of parrots that are considered to be the smartest are Macaws, African Greys, Amazon Parrots, Cockatoos, and the Kea of New Zealand.

Many of the parrots that show an ability to mimic speech patterns are also the species that tend to place very well in intelligence assessments when studied. Two examples stand out in particular: The African Grey Parrot and the Amazon Parrot of South America. These species of birds are considered to be the master linguists of the psittacine world.

African Grey Parrots

One of the most famous examples of an intelligent bird is the African Grey Parrot. These parrots have exhibited extensive problem-solving skills. Some scientists compare these to being on par with human children.

These intelligent parrots are native to the central African Congo and its companion tropical rainforests. In the wild, they can be quite shy and elusive. In captivity, African Greys are often observed cooperating in groups of two or three. They coordinate efforts in order to accomplish tasks more effectively and efficiently.

Some examples of intelligence that African Greys exhibit include spatial recognition, color recognition, and the “null concept”, or having a concept of zero. It has even been observed that these intelligent birds have the ability to conceptualize new names for things. This includes things that they didn’t know already existed. For example, one bird was observed calling Banana Chips “Banana Crackers.”

An African Grey by the name of N’Kisi has a vocabulary of over one thousand words in English. This verbose bird even has invented nomenclatures that they used to refer to things that they haven’t experienced before.

Alex The African Grey

One African Grey in particular really made a name for himself for his perceived genius – this bird went by the name of Alex from the United Kingdom. Alex became something of a minor celebrity in his day due to his advanced cognitive abilities.

Interestingly, Alex was observed to use language in ways that suggested that he was at least able to draw correlations between a sign (like a word or phrase), and a signifier. One example is that Alex would say “I’m sorry” if he thought that he had done something bad.

One bittersweet element of Alex’s life is that he was born an experiment. His lifelong companion and observer bought him in order to study animal intelligence. Alex’s name is actually an acronym: Animal Language Experiment. Alex’s caretaker had high estimations of Alex’s cognitive abilities.

She believed that he had yet to reach his full potential at his death at the age of 31, and that he had the intelligence of around a five-year-old human child. This is often a metric that animal experts use to compare the intelligence of African Greys – to that of a five-year-old child.

Alex’s death came as something of a surprise, as it was actually several years younger than the typical lifespan of an African Grey Parrot. These birds routinely live to be up to 45 years old and can get even older.

Keas: Mischievous and Clever

Keas have also come under renewed scrutiny recently for their extensive intelligence. Rather than African Greys or Amazon Parrots, who often display their intelligence through their extensive language skills, Keas seem to have a knack for manipulating their environment on a level that seems akin to primates.

Keas will routinely open locked trashcans, cars, and traveler’s luggage. They do this in order to play with and manipulate the contents within. These abilities are often displayed at very high levels, to the dismay and delight of tourists and locals in New Zealand.

These birds are often considered to be somewhat zany and mischievous. They seem to delight in destroying private property or things they consider to be in their way. This has earned them the nickname “The Clown of The Alps.” There are elements of their behavior that seem to suggest that Keas have “Neophilia” – or that they are excited by new things.

Keas have consistently outperformed primates in logic and problem-solving tests of the same nature. Studies in recent years suggest that the overall cognitive abilities of these pesky parrots might be even higher than those of African Grey parrots.

The Kea’s intelligence and curiosity, along with its destructive nature, have unfortunately brought into consistent conflict with farmers and other rural types who live in proximity to these birds. Keas will often destroy private property. They have even been observed to attack sheep, if only to tear up their wool out of a sense of mischief and curiosity.

Other Intelligent Bird Species

There are other species of birds that exhibit intelligent characteristics. The Corvids, such as crows, jays, magpies, and ravens, are one example that comes to mind. These birds oftentimes display characteristics of intelligence that showcase their own specialties. For example, ravens seem to be able to remember individuals who either perform kind or ill deeds for them.

Cormorants are other birds that seem to exhibit intelligent behavior. These birds are often observed sitting close by fisherman boats and seem to count the amount of fish that the anglers catch. The birds seem to understand that an overflow will result in a meal for them as well.

Determining which species of bird is the most intelligent is a daunting task. Even the study of intelligence itself is something of a mysterious process. However, by most known criteria of intelligence, parrots score very high.

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