Why do the parrots imitate other sounds?

Researchers have deciphered the mystery behind the unique ability of parrots, showing the intelligence and friendliness of this colorful animal.

Parrots have a special ability to imitate the sounds they hear, whether they are in a wild or domesticated environment.

Now, Danish researchers have discovered that parrots can imitate the sound of their surroundings so they can 'start a conversation' with objects they have just mimicked.

A species of parrot, called an orange macaw, may have developed this ability to 'talk' to specific individuals in other flocks, according to the PLOS ONE report.

Experts Thorsten Balsby of Aarhus University and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen have drawn the conclusions when studying long-tailed macaw parrots approaching many other species of parrots every day. Each individual that the parrot contacts has its own unique cry.

Whether in the wild or bred environment, orange-spotted macaws are still able to communicate fluently in the language of other parrots, and the cries that hear cries mimic the orange-spotted macaws more and more often than those that cannot imitate the voice.