It’s tough to remember old memories as with the time they fade away. Try thinking any of your childhood memory, you will only be able to remember the most special memories. Well, if you don’t remember clearly then it’s not your fault. Not everyone has a good memory as parrots have.
Yes, parrots have good long-term memory. Parrots are known for their intelligence but what about their memory? Do they remember their previous owners?
Many pet parents who adopt a parrot ask this question whether their parrot remember the old owner or previous habitat. Well, parrots remember everything because of their excellent memory. It is believed that the parrot’s memory is as good as ours. Their brain functions are a bit difficult just like a human brain. You must have seen parrots repeating words and sounds, they mimic and can repeat it again and again. They have this unique ability to learn hundreds of words easily like no other animals. You will be surprised to know that some parrots can even solve mathematics problems. Yes, I’m not kidding. It’s true that parrots have a unique ability of problem solving. If you have a pet parrot you can make him learn alphabets, numbers, songs, dance moves, sounds, and many more fun things. Also, many incidents have proved that parrots remember situations and incidents long ago. In fact, you can google to find many examples of anecdotal stories of parrots having a long- term memory. In this article, you will learn everything related to a parrot’s memory. Let’s start! Hope you enjoy it.
Why parrot needs good memory?
You must have heard of this old saying… ‘’Everything happens for a reason’’. It’s true! Your feathery friend has a good memory because they need it to survive. Nature finds a balance for everything. To protect themselves from the predator, parrots have sharp ears, good memory, and bulky feathers to protect them from environmental elements. They even sleep with their eyes open to dodge the predators.
In the wild parrots have to search for food that can be only available once a year. So, to locate the paths and reaching to the food sources they need long-term memory. Not only this but to be aware of their predators, parrots make use of their memory. We all know parrots who have been abused in past suffer from PTSD symptoms. These symptoms can be dangerous to their life. It is caused because of past suffering or the encounter with a dangerous predator. But once they have seen the danger, they won’t forget it and the memory helps to protect them in the wild. We can say that having an exceptional memory is a must for parrots living in wild.
We often use the term ‘’bird brain’’ to call someone stupid. But I think that’s not fair because parrots are among those animals who have extremely sharp and long-term memory. So, using ‘’bird brain’’ as a degrading term is not correct. I think it should be considered as a compliment. What do you think?
Do parrots have long-term memory?
For this one, you first have to understand what is ‘’long-term memory’’ actually means. Not going into much I’ll give you a short synopsis of long-term and short-term memory.
Short-term memory is stored for a short period of time and you will only remember it for a few minutes or hours. Like the sentences you are reading now or things happening around you, minor things, you will forget it after some time. This is called short-term memory.
However, long-term memories remain in your head for a long period of time. For example, if you can remember any of your childhood memory then that means you are accessing long-term memory. Long-term memories are generally stored outside our consciousness and we can recall them in present times.
Now coming to the main question, parrots have similar long-term memory. Yes, they do. Tons of researches are done to understand the bird brain, and if they are similar to the human brain. The result is the long-term memory area of a bird’s brain is similar to that of a human. The region of the parrot brain and how they process memory is very similar to that of the human brain.
Can parrots remember the previous owner?
From the above studies you must have understood that the parrots have a good long-term memory, then it comes as no surprise that they remember their previous owners. According to a study the pigeons are able to discern the difference between familiar and unfamiliar human faces.
Although pigeons and parrots are different species, they have very similar functions of brain mechanics. A study has proved that pigeons can differentiate between the human faces of different characters. They can identify around 80 to 100 different images at a time. Scientists studying parrots found some interesting facts relating to a parrot’s memory. Dr. Irene Pepperberg learned some interesting facts about his friends the Griffin and Athena and the famous Alexa. They can remember the old students very clearly and the phrases like avian veterinarian, avian doctors, or even the word ‘’vet’’ bring out the anxious behavior in these two birds. At first, Alexa didn’t like to meet strange people but when he starts trusting them, then there is no problem. He even recognized a student who returned after five years and warmly welcomed him. Birds also have excellent memory to remember the faces. Thus, we can say that they remember their previous owners.
Sometimes parrots show aggressive behavior around some people. The reason is that the person triggers parrots past memories. I have observed that some pet owners manhandle their parrots and when they are adopted by any other pet parents, they show aggressive behavior. This is due to the fact that parrots remember the characteristics of their previous owner. And if a similar looking person comes before them it triggers their past memories of abuse, Hence, they become aggressive and dangerous. On the other hand, if you are adopting a parrot who is coming from a happy house, then it will be difficult for him to adjust to the new environment. They are very affectionate animals and easily get attached to their owners. So, if you suddenly change their habitat, they will feel sad and act grumpy about it.
Can parrot talk? Then how come they remember all the words?
Yes, parrots cannot speak like humans they just imitate the sounds. These beautiful creatures do not have any vocals cord, so this is incorrect to say that they can speak. They only have syrinx which helps them to generate sound which vibrates. They don’t have the capacity to understand for that reason; they use this vibration of sound to communicate with the environment. To some extent, we can say that birds have a photographic memory that is capable of keeping information for a long period of time. Studies have confirmed that parrots have an eidetic memory, which means by continuous repletion of sounds and words, parrots can imitate and learn them. Parrots are the pros in grasping and imitating sounds without understanding their meaning.
Does my budgie remember everything?
Do you have a budgie in your house? Budgies are very cute, lively, and intelligent parrots. They have very colorful feathers and love having fun with their pat parents. Sometimes you may have seen your budgie turning his neck into round. Maybe he is thinking something…
Have you ever wondered what your budgie is thinking and what will he do next? These small but smart birds have interesting brains and memory. They are different from other parrot species as they have long life span than others. Budgies are quick learners and they grasp every little trick very quickly. They adapt to their habitat very easily and are easy to train. People who have budgies can relate to it. These parrots learn new tricks and can remember them for a long period.
Like we said before, budgies can survive in the wild because of their sharp memory. They can store lots of information like facial characteristics, tricks to survive, to protect themselves from predators in their memory. Your budgie can recognize you, its other folk mates, and definitely his soulmate. That is why a budgie does not mate with others when he already has a lover.
Budgies can identify each other by their sounds!
Isn’t it amazing? A budgie can recognize its companion by the sound. Well, it’s also a necessity that they recognize their companion by its sound even if they don’t see each other for a while. Budgies also have their own calls which they use to impress each other. The male and female budgies create these calls on their own to show each other their love. These calls are the sign of their love and they use them to call each other from time to time for a whole life time. Even the male budgie mimics the female budgie’s call to impress her. Once they produce eggs and the other mating season comes then they will create new calls. Budgies remember each other by the call even if they don’t see for some time.
You know my friend has a budgie and when I enter my friend’s house, he shouts my name. After reading this article now you must agree with me that parrots are one of the most intelligent bird. Next time if some say that you have a bird brain then take it as a compliment.
Related Questions
Do parrots remember faces? Yes, parrots remember faces and they can differentiate between facial characters. They can even recognize the voices which they have heard before.
Do parrots recognize their names? Parrots learn their names from their pet parent. You can train your parrot to vocalize its name. Just repeat the name in front of the parrot and reward him with tasty treats. You can try this trick to make your parrot learn its name.
Do parrots remember their mates? Yes, parrots remember their mates. They only have one mate and they can even recognize them with their calls. It’s not necessary for parrot to see their mate as they can communicate with each other from their unique calls.
