Parrots Know Names, They Really Know Names Podcast Episode · The Last Show with David Cooper · April 21 · 11m

I had a very fun chat with @lastshow.bsky.social about our research on how parrots use names.

@viktoriagroiss.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Thanks Gabe!!

Parrots are not just mimicking words—they use proper names like humans to identify individuals Like many animals, parrots make sounds that suggest they are talking with each other, maybe even calling out to a specific parrot.

Parrots demonstrate the ability to use specific names to identify individuals, suggesting complex vocal and cognitive skills similar to aspects of human naming behavior. doi.org/hbxj7n

Name use by companion parrots Humans organize social interactions in part by referring to others using proper names (hereafter “names”). Names might also facilitate the complex social lives of animals. Several animal species produ...

Can parrots 🦜 learn the names of people and animals they live with? Yes. Do they use them correctly? Sometimes.

Read more about how parrots of many species use names in our recently published article: dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour... @viktoriagroiss.bsky.social
@chris-birdnerd.bsky.social #parrots

After visiting Down House, I understand why Darwin often spent decades working on one book. The pace of life seems slower there. And those gardens plus 10 children must have been a strong force calling him away from his study.

Thank you for hosting me! It was such fun to meet you all and to think about my work from a Cognitive Science and Linguistics perspective @viktoriagroiss.bsky.social

Do you know a parrot that talks or sings? Tell us about it at www.manyparrots.org @birdsingalong.bsky.social @laurynbenedict.bsky.social et al.

Journal of Field Ornithology: Song-type sharing between male Rock Wrens in northern Colorado We examined song-type sharing and song-type co-occurrence among broadcast songs in a migratory population of a songbird with large and highly variable repertoire sizes, the Rock Wren (<em>Salpinctes o...

New paper examining song type sharing between Rock Wrens in NoCo, with @laurynbenedict.bsky.social journal.afonet.org/vol97/iss1/a...

5. The lilac breasted roller. A strong contender for most beautiful bird in the world

4. This ostrich, showing some leg

3. The marabou storks

2. This delicate black-winged stilt

I spent part of last month in Tanzania and I’m finally getting through my photos. Here’s a thread with some favorite birds.

1. This Steppe Eagle watching us over its shoulder

First bird species of 2026: my backyard chickens 🐓
Second bird species of 2026: northern flicker
I feel good about that energy for the year ahead

Congratulations to Wynn Buchanan on their MS graduation last Friday! Wynn has been an integral part of our lab for the past two years. Watch for more about their work on parrots 🦜

Birdbrain Q&A A Video Series for the Bird-curious Hosted by Lauryn Benedict and Pam Moore Produced by Jill Dugan

If you like birds, check out my new project. I co-host videos with the hilarious Pam Moore, where we answer questions from viewers. What’s up with bird knees? Is Big Bird a bird? Watch and share if you like it!

www.birdbrainqa.com

youtube.com/@BirdbrainQA

#birds #ornithology

Why didn’t I read this sooner?? It’s wonderful. And I love that the cover features four female birds, including the subtly gorgeous California Towhee, my PhD bestie. @amytan.bsky.social #birds

White-necked jacobin, a hummingbird, perched on a branch

Here's my latest contribution to the "Lost Science" series at the New York Times: Jay Falk, a scientist who studies why some female hummingbirds look just like males. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qF7Qje

Amazing work @rosvall-lab.bsky.social! I'm honored that I got to add 1 tiny data point to your massive effort.

I relocated my office to a spot where I can bird from my desk. Loving it.

Global incidence of female birdsong is predicted by territoriality and biparental care in songbirds - Nature Communications Elaborate traits like birdsong are thought to be sexually selected in males but are poorly understood in females. This study shows that year-round territoriality and biparental care are selected for f...

What life history and behavioral traits predict female bird song at a global scale?

Our collaborative paper let by Karan Odom and out today in @natcomms.nature.com helps to answer that question

@josephtobias.bsky.social @sheardcat.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Thanks! They are hilarious and it’s awesome to get people excited about the sounds of female birds 🐦

Fart Walks, Birds, & Squirrels YouTube video by Holderness Family Laughs

I got to be part of this hilarious podcast. Bonus: if you listen to the whole episode, you can learn about the #fartwalk before you get to birds 🐦

youtu.be/3onWvZHcvME?...

Phylogenetic analyses support flush-pursuit foraging and flocking behaviors as evolutionary drivers of flash plumage signals in North American passerines ABSTRACT. Animal coloration patterns are wildly variable. Despite this, there are plumage traits that occur similarly across taxonomic groups, suggesting t

Free link! Our article on bird flash plumage signals is now officially out in Ornithology.

Huge thanks (again) to David Allen Sibley for allowing us to use his artwork in it. #ornithology @amornith.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/auk/article/...

Bird Expert on Listening to Birds and Ornithology YouTube video by Story Doc

I had the chance to be part of a YouTube podcast series on “Listening.” Thanks to Adam Taub for including me. I’ll be checking back for more episodes on all the ways we listen.

youtu.be/69woD5-bmU0

Meet one of the newest birds in my life. . . this is Dumpling, posing for her glamour shot.

Ron Mumme is extensively cited in this one 😀. Flush-pursuit foraging for the win

Phylogenetic analyses support flush-pursuit foraging and flocking behaviors as evolutionary drivers of flash plumage signals in North American passerines ABSTRACT. Animal coloration patterns are wildly variable. Despite this, there are plumage traits that occur similarly across taxonomic groups, suggesting t

Have you ever wondered why so may birds have “flash” wing and tail color patches that appear when they fly?

We did too. . . doi.org/10.1093/orni...

Special thanks to David Allen Sibley for letting us use some of his incredible illustrations in Figure 1 #birds #ornithology

In Research, Ignoring Female Birds Harms Scientific Understanding A new study shows that ecological research often ignores or excludes data on female birds and behavior, resulting in erroneous assumptions on conservation.

The first paper of your PhD is always so exciting! 🤩 An all-#Galbatross effort, "A focus on females can improve science and conservation!" See press release (www.audubon.org/news/researc...) and the study here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...! #FemaleBirds #FemaleBirdDay

😂 that sounds like a tasty meal