Brainy parrot Alex dies at 31
WASHINGTON (AFP) Alex, the African grey parrot who gained
celebrity for his exceptional communication skills, has died at the
age of 31, his owner, comparative psychologist Irene Pepperberg,
has announced.
Alex was taught more than 100 English words by Pepperberg and could
hold a limited conversation using phrases such as "I want X" or "I
want to go Y", with the variables referring to appropriate objects
or locations.
The bird could also identify 50 objects, seven colors, five shapes
and quanties up to six, Pepperberg, who works at Brandeis and
Harvard Universities, both near Boston, Massachusetts, said on a
website devoted to Alex.
The parrot "showed the emotional equivalent of a two-year-old child
and intellectual equivalent of a five-year-old," Pepperberg
said.
Talkative Alex helped to "shatter the generally held notion that
parrots are only capable of mindless vocal mimicry", the website --
www.alexfoundation.org --
says.
"Alex has left a significant legacy -- not only have he and Dr
Pepperberg and their landmark experiments in modern comparative
psychology changed our views of the capabilities of avian minds,
but they have forever changed our perception of the term 'bird
brains'," it says.
Alex died on Friday of natural causes, according to the
website.
On Thursday, when Pepperberg put Alex back in his cage for the
night, she says he told her: "You be good. See you tomorrow. I love
you".
The life expectancy of an African grey parrot is 50 to 60
years.
(source: AFP
News)
