Parrots use names to talk to each other

It’s common knowledge that parrots can learn to speak like humans, sometimes a little too much. Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in England even has five foul-mouthing African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus). But can they use names the way we do?

“Although we know that wild parrots and some other animals have vocal signatures and can even use them to direct communication to other individuals, it is difficult to state precisely that they use names in the same manner as humans,” Christine Dahlin, a professor of biology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, tells Popular Science. 

For example, a 2024 study found that wild African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) address each other with name-like calls. Wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are also able to address each other with learned vocal labels. 

Dahlin is co-author of a study recently published in the journal PLOS One which aims to figure out if parrots learn and use names similarly to humans. To do so, the team worked with survey data on over 889 companion parrots because of their ability to copy human words. They discovered that a significant number of parrots can indeed apprehend and use names like us. 

A sample of parrots living with humans showed the ability to correlate names with individuals, but also to use proper names in ways humans typically don’t. Image: Lauryn Benedict.

“We found that many parrots can learn and apply names appropriately, with 88 different individuals using names appropriately, sometimes for single individuals (both humans and other animals),” Dahlin explains. “However, parrots also used names in contexts that are atypical for humans, often using their own name as a means to seek attention.”

Proper names help people manage complex social interactions. Since parrots are also extremely social creatures, Dahlin says that their work shows  how wild parrots might apply their vocal learning capabilities. 

“Parrots are very social animals with impressive mimicry abilities,” she points out. “If they can learn and use names appropriately in captivity, it would not surprise me to learn they are engaging in similar behavior in their wild flocks.”

The team is still collecting survey data, so if you have a chatty parrot pet, you can participate by sending in information through the Many Parrots Project, which they used in the study. Ultimately, this is just the latest research suggesting that humans aren’t all that much more special than other animals.

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