Pet parrots that are allowed to make video calls to other birds show signs of feeling less isolated, according to scientists.
The study, which involved giving the birds a computer that they could use to make video calls, found that they began to engage in more social behaviors including preening, singing and playing. The birds were given a choice of which "friend" to call on a touchscreen computer and the study showed that the parrots that called other birds most often were the most popular choices.
Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, of the University of Glasgow and a co-author of the study, said that video calls had helped many people feel less isolated in the last few years. She added, "There are 20 million parrots living in people's homes in the USA, and we wanted to explore whether those birds might benefit (受益) from video calling too. If we gave them the chance to call other parrots, would they choose to do so, and would the experience benefit the parrots and their caregivers?"
Their study of 18 pet parrots suggested that there were, indeed, benefits for the birds. In the wild, many species of parrots live in large groups, but as pets they are, kept alone or in a small group. Living alone can cause birds, to develop mental problems, which include rocking, walking back and forth, or self-harming behaviors such as feather-plucking.
The parrots first learned to ring a bell and then touch a photo of another bird on the screen of a computer to make a call to that bird, with the help of their owners. In total the birds made 147 calls to each other during the study, while owners took detailed notes on the birds' behavior and the researchers later reviewed the video footage.
Jennifer Cunha of Northeastern University said that the parrots "seemed to know" that they were communicating with other birds. "All the bird owners in the study said they valued the experience, and would want to continue using the system with their parrots in the future," she said.
"I was quite surprised at so many different behaviors," said Hirskyj-Douglas. "Some would sing, some would play around and go upside down, others would want to show another bird their toys. "
