Article: The Parrot Within

[lzver]

Just read a really good article called 'The Parrot Within',
http://www.pipress.org/2010/04/the-parrot-within/

It talks about their intelligence, how they deal with being captive animals and the emotion they are capable of feeling.

As a side note, the author mentions a book called 'The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship' by Joanna Burger. I finished reading this book last month and it fascinated me with just how deep a bond between human and parrot could be. I found it to be not only an educational book, but also very touching.

And lastly, I really liked this quote from the article:

“Through our birds, we can instill in others the importance of being at one with the natural world. We can use our association with certain birds in our home to show how birds have an intelligent awareness that equals our own. They are therefore as deserving of respect as any human being — more so, some might say, since they are at one with their world. We are not ….

We can educate our children and friends’ children by showing them the intelligent, thinking actions of our parrots. We can explain that they have the same emotions as us, the same ability to think through problems, and revise their behavior accordingly … They recognize individual people as readily as we do, just as they recognize individual members of their flock … We can learn to communicate with them, and they with us …

They deserve our respect; they are not automatons; they are beings covered in feathers who learn … how to use and perfect many skills. They give immense pleasure to countless humans. Alas, comparatively few humans give joy to parrots.”

[Michael]

Good cause, terrible anthropomorphism.

[pchela]

Where's the anthropomorphism?

[Kim S]

What's anthropomorphism?

[HyperD]

It is applying human characteristics and behaviours to everything else that isnt human....

[Kim S]

Thank you.

The article in itself is very good though. Makes you wonder about some things we take for granted. Like mentioned in the article, we have 'breeding' birds and 'pet' birds. I was wondering whether we really treat them differently. I feel the only difference is that our petbirds have us to interact with, the birds in the aviary have eachother. Otherwise they get the same kind of food, the same toys ect.