Parrots can call people by name - study shows

Researchers analysed the behaviour of more than 880 pet parrots that live near humans and can mimic speech.

Details

Nearly half of the owners reported that their birds used names. In a fraction of cases, the recordings showed that the parrots said a name when addressing a specific person or other animal.

For example, the bird might call the owner by name or use the same word for only one specific person.

That said, parrots did not always apply names in the same way that humans did. Sometimes they called their own name - for example, to get attention.

Why it matters

The results show that parrots are capable of linking words to specific objects or creatures, rather than just copying sounds.

This means:

• their communication may be more complex than thought
  they are capable of association and learning
• the boundary between animal and human "speech" may be less rigid

At the same time, the scientists emphasise: it cannot yet be claimed that parrots use names in the same way as humans.

Background

In nature, many animals use sounds to communicate, but the analogue of "names" is rare. Previously, similar abilities have been found in dolphins, for example.

Parrots are known for their vocal learning ability - they can memorise and reproduce environmental sounds, including human speech.

Source

The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE (2026). The scientists analysed the behaviour and recordings of more than 880 pet parrots as part of the ManyParrots project.