I’m not sure why parrots, cockatoos, and mynah birds have an amazing ability to imitate sounds that their ancestors would never hear in nature. It’s surely the byproduct of some other adaptation that has nothing to do with imitation, but what that is baffles me. Nevertheless, I’m still mesmerized by the ability of some bird species to imitate voices and sounds. Here’s a cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) that imitates an iPhone ring (being a product of the dial-telephone age, my own iPhone rings like one of the old black jobbies with a dial). When you click on the video below, you’ll be given a link (“watch on YouTube”) that takes you to the site.
The Youtube notes:
My friend’s family has a cockatiel named Lucky. Whenever Lucky gets upset, he sings an Apple ringtone. It usually happens when they tie their shoes to get ready to leave the house. It’s adorable, and also pitch perfect.
Cackle 😂
Cockatiels are very individual this way, I’ve two talkers at the moment but they don’t say the same things. The one in the video clearly like human companionship and has learned that his person come to the ringtone sound so he uses it to call him.
Reblogged this on The Logical Place.
That’s my ringtone. That’s so neat.
My sense in the case of the American mockingbird is that display of vocal versatility is some sort of sexual and/or territorial advertisement. They run through elaborate and ever changing calls, loud (to the point of annoying), while perched high on a prominent twig or wire). Imitating other birds (first) and other sounds (by extension) would be one way to increase their repertoire and hence the persuasiveness of the display.
I would imagine that good imitations are an honest signal of good brain processing abilities and good muscular control. Females should be impressed by this. The ability has evolved independently many times.
When I worked at a remote place in the Amazon, with only radio contact with the outside world, the local Yellow-rumped Caciques learned to imitate our radio static! A single individual could also imitate a whole chorus of frogs.
When I lived in Los Angeles, I was struck by how expertly the mockingbirds there imitated car alarms. One bird would cycle through a half dozen or so different alarms, interspersed with an occasional birdsong.
Curiously, I’ve read several times that all songbirds originated in Australia.
“…imitate our radio static”
Even to the point of replicating its genuinely random nature?
I’ve heard mockingbirds imitate back up alarms on heavy equipment.
When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time in a tree fort. I could whistle a simple series of notes and mockingbirds would pick it up.
I knew a woman in the dialup internet days who cut the wires to the speaker in her modem in a last ditch attempt to get it to shut up before her African Grey learned the dialup handshake.
There’s also my favorite, the Lyre bird who does camera shutter with motor drive, car alarm, and chainsaw. From a David Attenborough tv show:
I’ve heard that one before and I still find it stunning.
My favourite as well, if you hadn’t posted it I was going to.
I remember hearing about a divorcing couple that gave their parrot to a friend, who soon discovered that the bird could vocalize perfect imitations of the couple’s arguments.
Then there are the birds that have learned how to activate Alexa and create all kinds of havoc.
Adorable!
Tuis have the same mimicry ability:
Great sneeze at the end! 🙂
I know what a cockatiel is, but what’s an iPhone?
Thats too cute , i have a cockatiel to and he imitates my laugh and kisses , they are so smart people dont give them enough credit , as far as im concerned they are smarter then some people .
Thats too cute , i have a cockatiel too and he imitates my laugh and kisses , they are so smart people dont give them enough credit , as far as im concerned they are smarter then some people . 👍🐦🐦.
For several years I have heard a raven here in my northern Vermont, USA location imitating a ringtone. Or is it just one of the raven’s natural calls? It is truly fascinating to hear.
That reminds me of a good Cold War joke. A Soviet citizen goes to his local KGB office and says, “Someone seems to have stolen my talking parrot.” The KGB officer says, “This is the KGB. You need to report a theft to the local municipal police.” The citizen says, “I know. I’m on my way there. I just wanted to let you know I totally disagree with that bird.”