Sad news: Gifted research parrot Alex found dead

Image linked from MSNBC. Originally from: Mike Lovett / Brandeis University

Alex, an African Grey parrot, was taught advanced language and recognition skills
and revolutionized the understanding of the avian brain.

Ah, damn...I saw a special about him some time ago. He was a smart little guy.

~Zoo

Maybe he would have lived longer if they wouldn't have worked with him 8-12 hours every day of his life (as stated in the article). 

I feel bad for them, for sure.  But, I hope they don't find another subject.

Hey, if you want to be the world's smartest parrot, you have to work hard!

Maybe he would have lived longer if they wouldn't have worked with him 8-12 hours every day of his life (as stated in the article).

That's a difficult call to make.  Birds typically desire companionship and interactivity with care-givers or other birds that are also pets.  When the article talks about the researchers working with Alex for 8-12 hours a day, it could have been that they were talking to him repeatedly, or offering rewards for behavior, or a host of other things.

The ring-neck parrot that I have at home is 13 years old now.  We were her adoptive home after a friend of the family passed her along when she was around 12 years old.  She spent the first year that she was in our home mad at myself and my family, and incredibly guarded around us.  She wouldn't come out, didn't like to see us near her cage, and generally wanted to be left alone.  Over the course of the year though she bonded with me (especially me) and some with my family to the point that she 'cries' for attention at times looking for us to let her out to visit and play.

At times lately she wants out just to play, other times she cries for 'treats' (crackers, or cereal, or a piece of bread) and others she cries because she wants to be left alone for a while so she can plan the takeover of the world (or whatever evil and nefarious plans she is cooking up when she's covered up during the day )

The little green cheek conure we have is less standoffish, but we got him as a pet when he was ready to leave the pet store and he's never known non-human contact.  He's a talkative critter, though much of what he says is mumbles and nonsense.  But, he's been teaching the female parakeet in the cage next to him some things and she has definitely been learning his vocabulary/dialect.

Birds are remarkable creatures, but then there are many creatures in nature (dogs, cats and others) that are quite intelligent and demonstrate that intelligence in multiple ways.

I just caught that news story the other night,   that parrot was awesome!  He'd tell his trainers what he wanted to eat!

I've only had parakeets,  as a child,  and then later when my kids wanted pets.

Parrots need owners that know a LOT about birds,  that's for sure!  My son has a friend that has many birds and she's a real "bird person" too.  Very knowledgeable.

What kind of birds do you have?  and how many?  I imagine it's an expensive undertaking,  like having any pet huh?

At times lately she wants out just to play, other times she cries for 'treats' (crackers, or cereal, or a piece of bread) and others she cries because she wants to be left alone for a while so she can plan the takeover of the world (or whatever evil and nefarious plans she is cooking up when she's covered up during the day

I see I missed the comments before I replied!    Your bird sounds like my cat!  and my cat thinks she's a dog,  and on it goes here....animals are sooo cool...

OK, OK, I HAVE to be naughty now. I've been "good" on this story all day!

Here's the REAL picture of the parrot:



(Terp, you HAD to know SOMEONE was gonna do it!)

"This parrot is dead."

"Sleeping."

(in response to Gid...)

Very, very funny bit Gid.  One of the best on Monty Python.

What kind of birds do you have? and how many? I imagine it's an expensive undertaking, like having any pet huh?

Yes sir, yes sir, a whole house full.  (Twistin' the nursery rhyme a bit... with apologies on the gender bending too.)

One ring neck type female parrot/parrotkeet (we keep getting told it's a member of the parrotkeet family by the local pet shop we go to for wing and nail clippings for our pets).  Alexandrine Parrot is the proper type.  Image of similar bird here (not of my actual pet). Females are a little more plain, males get a beautiful band of color around the nape of the collar.

One green cheek conure. Again sample image follows.

Two cockatiels at home, one with my son while he stays with my in-laws most nites.

 

And a couple of small 'keets we adopted because someone was searching for a home for them.

We bought the 'tiels about 10 years ago, or at least the oldest of the 'tiels at that time. The lighter color shown in sample image above. Added the grey later to go with a pair of the lighter color birds. One of those original birds had brain/nerve damage and wasn't expected to live that long. The breeder we got it from expected he'd need a lot of love and care and it got it in our home. It lived for about 8 years before succumbing to some sort of problem. There was some suspicion that the grey bird may have fought it because the grey one was picked on by the original pair, but we got another bird to put with the 3 of them and even with a fourth bird, the original pair never were friendly to the others and eventually the first 3 picked on the fourth. The fourth escaped one day when it's wings had grown back enough and my daughter had opened the cage to feed them just as I opened the back door to our home. That bird flew out the door as quick as it saw bright light.

The nerve/brain damaged member of the original pair lasted another year or so after we lost the escapee, but not much more than that. Since that bird is gone, the 3rd 'tiel has paired with the remaining member of the first pair. They have their own spacious cage and get along well.

The 'keets live in their own cage, with the green cheek up on the same level they are. The green cheek talks to the female 'keet (we believe the green cheek is a male) frequently. (See comments above). Those two are a fun pair to watch even though they aren't a pair and aren't in the same cage.

The male 'keet seems not to care a whit about the green cheek or any of the birds in the house, but he does like to chirp and tweet a lot.

"Big bird" (not her name, but the biggest in the bunch, the ring neck) can be noisy as noted above, but she's normally pretty quiet for us as long as she gets the attention she seeks.

The green cheek is perhaps the noisiest in the bunch as he has some very loud and irritating squawks that he lets out, along with some very piercing screams.

And finally the 'tiels -- not normally too noisy, but can make some piercing screeches in the a.m. when they want food or attention. Otherwise they stay fairly quiet as the others seem to do the talking for the lot.