The parrots that learned to 'pull the agenda' to make video calls and feel less alone

Parrots are very popular pets in the United States, making them the fourth favorite pet, with more than 20 million birds.

The problem is that their popularity is related to the conditions of their captivity: they are usually alone, or at most in pairs, when in fact they are a very social species, which seeks flocks of companions, and has remarkable intelligence that requires stimulation to entertain itself. and not get bored.

The isolation of parrots causes them emotional distress or even psychological disorders, which manifest themselves in self-injurious behaviors such as plucking their feathers or wandering in circles on the sides of the cage.

With this problem in mind, Rébecca Kleinberger, from Northeastern University in the US, has designed a technological interaction model so that a group of parrots could make video calls almost without human intervention.

For the scientists, a chat meeting could help these birds cope with loneliness, similar to the

hangouts people had during the covid pandemic.

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The experiment, published in a recent study, seeks above all the well-being and predisposition of parrots.

The 18 chosen birds, from different types of cockatoos and gray parrots, were mainly prepared by their trainers to adapt to the

they carried.

In a first phase, the educators taught the parrots to associate the sound of the bell on the digital tablet with a remote call.

And, in a second process, for the birds to be able to ring the bell so that their keeper would show them the digital device in which to choose, via pecking, another parrot to video call.

The scientists looked for the technology to be a way to promote the capacity and autonomy of the isolated animal;

therefore, their choice was central to the researchers.

Hence, they wanted the relationship between the animal and the

to benefit its users, allowing, at all times, the parrots to reject calls or leave the experiment if they got stressed.

For the scientists, the possibility of choosing parrots when video calling was vital, since forced socialization can lead to greater stress and even self-harm.

Among the ethical dilemmas of animal experimentation, the researchers describe how forced socialization in parrots can lead to increased stress and even aggression.

For this reason, Kleinberger's team highlights in their study how their main interest was to get parrots to learn to use technology and also to be comfortable with video calls.

And they adapted a lot: of the 234 possible dates in the eight sessions they prepared, the parrots made 147 calls.

According to the work data, 74% responded positively to requests to hold conferences with other parrots, which normally consisted of 5 minutes of digital interaction.

Rébecca Kleinberger, associate professor at Northeastern University (USA) and principal investigator of this work.Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

According to the keepers in charge of the experiment, it is noticeable when the birds enjoy contact with other parrots: they approach the screen, offer food to their companions and even sing in coordination, just like in a relationship in nature.

And when they move and

from the screen, the parrots react by looking behind the digital device, hoping to find their conspecifics there.

After more than 1,000 hours of recording and tracking appointments between pet parrots, the research suggests that there are indeed benefits for the birds;

shows signs of feeling less isolated and an improvement in his mood.

Social life is in balance: frequently contacted parrots also made many more calls.

So popularity in birds also tends to be concentrated in a select few.

In addition, they point to a detail similar to human relationships: parrots that were frequently contacted also made many more calls by themselves, which indicates, according to the researchers, that social life is in balance with the motivation that their parents have. participants.

So the social popularity of birds also tends to be concentrated in a select few.

Two parrots during a digital date.Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Evolutionary ecologist Juan Antonio Fargallo is less optimistic about the work due to the "poor sample size" and explains that the individuals should be of the same species to achieve fluid communication and that their correct socialization is possible.

This scientist, from the CSIC's National Museum of Natural Sciences, believes that the self-assessment of the owners of the success of the model should "be standardized and statistically analyzed" in order to talk about concrete benefits.

In the Kleinberger study, which is part of the Human Factors in Computing Systems event held in Hamburg (Germany), solutions are grouped that parrot keepers often use to avoid loneliness or boredom in their pets, such as the design of the cage, the animal's toys or installing

for its recreation.

But the scientists conclude that none of these tinkering can replace "the importance of socializing with other parrots."

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