Risk of "infection" of swear words: Ever since the parrot learned to swear, it can never go back...

There is a joke on the Internet that if there is one person from Northeast China in a dormitory, the dormitory will become full of people from Northeast China, which shows that some accents and catchphrases are highly contagious. So, if there is a parrot that likes to swear in a cage ... Don't laugh, this is the problem that Yunnan Wildlife Park has encountered recently.

The grey parrot "Xiao Hui" at this zoo went viral for swearing. The staff said helplessly: they did not teach it on purpose, they tried hard to correct it, but "it didn't change it back."

Coincidentally, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in the UK was also helpless because of the parrots' swearing. There are 8 African grey parrots in this zoo that are particularly rude, 3 of which are new, and the other 5 were judged as unsuitable for display as early as 2020, and related video reports had to be intensively muted. But more than three years of isolation obviously had no effect, and the zoo had to announce that they would be allowed to return to the group and receive reform education . Zoo director Steve Nichols said in a program:

"There are 100 birds behind me, 92 of them don't curse, and 8 like to curse. We hope to see 100 birds that don't curse, not 100 birds that learn bad habits."

One of Lincolnshire Zoo's Cursing Parrots | Steve Nichols

Why are curse words engraved into the DNA of parrots, but it is so difficult to teach them talents? Is there any hope for a parrot that has learned bad habits to correct itself?

Warm reminder: African grey parrots are national first-class protected animals and cannot be kept privately . Currently in China, there are only three types of parrots that can be kept as pets without restrictions, namely peach-faced lovebirds, budgies and cockatiels.

Pet parrot "Yusanjia" | Pixabay, Pexels

Parrots mimic your voice, maybe they want to make friends with you

The learning ability of parrots varies from species to species. African grey parrots are well-known "top students" who can master many words and use them to complete experimental tasks or ask humans for food. In the wild, they form large groups of hundreds or thousands of them, foraging and sleeping together, and communicating with rich calls. In comparison, pet parrots "The Big Three" have slightly inferior learning abilities, but after patient training, they can also learn simple sentences and songs.

Birds imitate human language, the calls of other species, and even environmental noise. This behavior is called mimicry . In addition to parrots, other birds that are good at mimicry include mynah birds, starlings, blackbirds, lyrebirds, and shrikes. Their syrinxes and vocal muscles, as well as the brain areas related to vocalization, are more developed than those of other birds. This is their innate "hardware ability."

Mynah birds and starlings were once popular cage birds, but are now listed as protected species and cannot be privately kept or sold | Wikipedia

Mastering a "foreign language" can sometimes bring direct benefits to the survival and reproduction of birds . Some shrikes that prey on small birds will imitate the calls of their prey to lure them closer. The weak brown thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla) will imitate the alarm calls of a flock of birds, making the predator think that a more powerful predator has appeared and flee. Imitation calls also play an important role in the courtship process of lyrebirds.

So what are the benefits of imitating human language for parrots? The answer may be social .

Wild parrots usually live in groups, and they communicate with each other through rich body language and calls. Social willingness may have a greater impact on learning ability than physiological factors . A study found that older budgies over three years old are less likely to learn new contact calls than their younger counterparts aged 6 months to one year old, not because of a decline in ability, but because they are less keen to make new friends.

Compared to wild parrots, captive parrots face a more monotonous environment and are limited to human interaction. In the words of ornithologist Irene Pepperberg, domesticated parrots “try to fit in and accept humans as members of their own community.”

When learning a foreign language, learn the swear words first. The same goes for parrots.

Zookeepers and pet owners often emphasize that they "didn't teach my parrot to swear," and they're probably telling you the truth. Swearing has a special place in human language , with young children becoming particularly fond of it at some point and people often picking it up quickly when learning a foreign language.

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At the phonetic level, swear words are usually short and sonorous, making them easy to imitate; at the semantic level, swear words are often used in situations with intense emotions, and emotions have the effect of strengthening memory. When you watch American TV series, when the protagonist kicks a cabinet or yells at someone, the swear words that come out of his mouth will be deeply engraved in your mind with the context of their use.

Phoebe's crazy output｜Friends

These characteristics of swear words have the same appeal to parrots. Nicholls, the zoo director of the British swearing parrots, pointed out that swear words often appear in the same context, with the same tone of voice, and are not accompanied by other words , which may make it easier for African grey parrots to learn swear words.

In addition, when people hear parrots swearing, they often react strongly, either with anger or laughter. The human reaction constitutes positive feedback for the parrots , which may be entertaining or at least a new stimulation in their boring captive environment. Some parrots will also incorporate human reactions into their performances, continuing to imitate human laughter after swearing.

Nichols said that when the cages were moved, the parrots would speak in a torrent of swear words, "and that was not just normal swear words."

It is easy to learn dirty words, but hard to forget them

For zoos, parrots swearing can attract tourists, but it may also make tourists unhappy, and it is also inappropriate if it leads children astray. So, how can we improve the behavior of these parrots?

The bad news is that once parrots learn a catchphrase, it is difficult to get them to stop using it. Parrots can not only remember swear words, but also imitate the accents perfectly . Nichols said that of the eight parrots that swear, six used male voices and two used female voices. A lady once came to donate a parrot to the zoo and complained that it had learned many swear words from her husband. "You can tell she is not telling the truth. The parrot is swearing in her voice."

Parrots can also communicate and learn from their own kind. There have been media reports that wild sunflower parrots in Sydney have learned simple language from their own kind who have escaped, such as "hello" and "what's up", which often scare tourists in the park. In addition to human voices, parrots can also imitate other sounds that they find funny, such as mobile phone ringtones.

Australian common sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), also known as the sulphur-crested cockatoo | Pixabay

The characteristics of mutual learning bring the risk of "swearing contagion" , but Lincolnshire Wildlife Park hopes that by allowing them to live with many of their own kind and be exposed to environmental noises such as doors slamming, phones ringing and tourists chatting, these grey parrots can learn new tricks and get rid of the habit of swearing. However, Nichols also admitted that once tourists swear around parrots, they will revert to their old habits.

The zoo also put up signs in front of the parrots' cages explaining the problem with the parrots and saying "we are not responsible for the words you hear." As for past cases, Nichols said: " We have heard more cases of visitors saying bad things to parrots than parrots saying bad things to visitors ."

Birds are good, people are bad! | Lincolnshire Wildlife Park

A sad fact is that some parrots are abandoned by their owners and donated to zoos precisely because they like to swear . Swearing may just be a useful excuse. African grey parrots, as well as many other parrots, are energetic, curious species with a relatively long lifespan. People are often attracted by their lively habits and bright appearance, only to find that they are loud and talkative after taking them home, with a strong desire to explore and destroy, and are not at all worry-free. Improperly raised parrots can also exhibit problematic behaviors such as continuous screaming, biting, and plucking feathers.

Before raising any pet, you should be prepared to understand the habits of the animal and see if it fits your lifestyle. In addition, large parrots such as African grey parrots and macaws are very expensive to breed artificially. Unscrupulous merchants often obtain parrots through illegal means such as smuggling and poaching, and sell them as legal pets bred artificially. If you really like these species, you can adopt them in the zoo or support environmental protection organizations, so that they can live a better life.

If you are considering getting a parrot

Choosing a legal pet parrot (Peach-faced lovebird, budgie, cockatiel)

Make sure you spend enough time with your parrots; they are very demanding animals.

Make sure your home has enough room to move around and that the parrot's chirping doesn't disturb your neighbors.

Make sure there are no items in your home that are harmful to your parrot (such as non-stick pans, cigarette smoke, etc.)

Provide destructible perches and toys for parrots

If you want to teach a parrot to say something

Be patient. If your parrot is new to your home, give it some time to adjust to the environment and get used to you.

Repeat simple sentences in the same situation. For example, say "eat" when handing water or food to the parrot, and say "bye-bye" when leaving the parrot.

Reward your parrot with treats as it learns

If you want your parrot to stop swearing

Don't overreact when your parrot swears, as this may reinforce the behavior.

Teach your parrot something new (see above)

Author: Maya Blue

Editor: Yellowtail Pollock, Mai Mai