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Article: Think syrinx.(bird songs)(Brief article)
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- January 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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One way to coax a shell parakeet (Melopsittacus undulatus) into "talking" is to say a simple phrase such as "Good bird!" while tickling the bird's head. Who knew?
Crows, jays, macaws, magpies, mynahs, parrots, and others can also be taught to mimic human speech. African gray parrots have been "talking" since they became popular pets in ancient Greece and Rome. They are not exactly talking. We hear the sounds as words, but they are acoustically quite different from human speech.
There are many vocal mimics in the wild, too, that use sounds heard in their environments. Mockingbirds mimic the calls of other birds; starlings imitate meowing cats; lyrebirds ...