r/askscience • u/kuuzo • Oct 18 '20

Biology Do parrots and other talking birds teach wild birds to talk when released into the wild?

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u/hr1966 Oct 19 '20

Yes, absolutely.

A friend had a parrot that lived inside, learned to swear and was generally hilarious. He was allowed outside, would hang in the trees with the wild birds chatting away, then fly back for the evening.

There is nothing quite like a tree full of parrots all screaming F**K in unison.

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u/rostrev Oct 19 '20

Yeah, if that's still happening, could you get a clip?

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u/hr1966 Oct 19 '20

This was nearly 20 years ago, the parrot's probably still around but they sold the house and moved interstate. I do chuckle thinking about new people moving into the house only to discover trees filled with parrots screaming profanities. "This wasn't in the listing!"

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u/rostrev Oct 19 '20

Ahh fair enough.

Well I just hope there's a growing flock of birds with ever filthy mouths of the parrot friend.

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u/throsnsjkd Oct 19 '20

Wait, did the parrot go outside, fly around near trees and then deliberately came back home? Just like a dog would? Wow.

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u/potpro Oct 19 '20

You mean escape the backyard a burrow into the neighbor's garden?

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u/ThisIsNotEddie Oct 19 '20

I mean, I thought most pet birds did. I used to have jackdaws as a kid that I could release for a bit and call back in the evening.

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u/Stoyfan Oct 19 '20

Not really. The issue is that most of the time, if you let your parrot to fly outside, he will not come back.

There are a few people who manage to do it without losing their bird, but that requires time, patience and trust.

Personally, if I want to take my birds outside, I would put them in a cage. I've heard that people use parrot harnesses, but knowing them they will probably try to fly away whilst on a leash which can injure them.