Although many people are intrigued by the idea that animals may be capable. How a scientist and a parrot discovered a hidden world. No ordinary bird is a true story of an extraordinary animal. Alex the parrot is the story of a bird who revolutionized the way scientists think about brain size. But alex was more than just a parrot, he was a colleague to animal cognition researcher irene. After about 18 months of training, he began to use the word to his trainer when he appeared to wish not to be handled. Birds were rarely used in similar studies on the grounds that they were merely talented mimicsthat they were, after all, birdbrains. She said he was totally enthralled by the story, cracking up at the part where alex was picking on the new bird.
Irene pepperberg of brandeis university began working with alex when he was little more than a year old. Alex the parrot who is who alex was a very special. Einstein, the african grey parrot, squawked to fame after a winning performance on the animal planet game show pet star. The hidden world of animal minds although his brain was no bigger than a walnut, alex the african gray parrot could do more than speak and understand. Pepperberg is adjunct professor at the department of psychology at brandeis. Alex the rambler produces videos on a variety of strategy games while dabbling in other things from time to time. Nonhuman rights project july 19, 2011 alan alda interacts with alex, the late great african grey parrot, as he demonstrates his significant grasp of spoken english. Can a parrot understand complex concepts and mean what it says. If you liked this book, try buddy, the first seeing eye dog, eva moore. Alex was an african grey parrot who was born in 1976 and was the subject of a thirtyyear experiment. Central is the authors work with alex the african grey parrot, her achievements and his including learning to add and.
She has a vocabulary of more than 200 words and sounds. Whenever he incorrectly identified an object, alex was told no. No ordinary bird, written by stephanie spinner and illustrated by meilo so, is a nominee for the 1415 south carolina childrens book award. This book tells the tale of irene pepperberg and her work with alex. Books that is the scientific book about irene pepperbergs work with alex and the other grays.
An african grey parrot named alex that was trained by irene pepperberg did show that parrots do have some understanding that goes with speech rather than just repeating sounds. Do parrots trained to speak english really understand what. Before pepperbergs work with alex, it was widely believed in the scientific community that a large primate brain was needed to handle. Pepperberg and alex, an african grey parrot who proved scientists and accepted wisdom wrong by demonstrating an astonishing ability to communicate and understand complex ideas. In 1977, graduate student irene pepperberg walked into a pet store and bought a yearold african. Pepperberg is the true story of how a scientist and a parrot discovered a hidden world of animal intelligenceand formed a deep bond in the process book cover. At the time, it was believed that birds were not intelligent enough to handle.
Alex, as adult readers may recall, was indeed no ordinary bird. If you would like to participate, visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. Pepperbergs are at the center of a highly emotional debate about whether thought is solely the domain of humans, or whether it can exist in other animals. The chapter describes the capabilities of alex, an african gray parrot. Awella bird, bird, bird, bbirds the word awella bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word awella bird, bird, bbirds the word awella dont you know about the bird. Alex the parrot the psychology of writing, reading, and. Alex was a grey parrot and the subject of a thirtyyear experiment by animal psychologist irene pepperberg, initially at the university of arizona and later at harvard university and brandeis university. How a scientist and a parrot discovered a hidden world of animal intelligence and formed a deep bond in the process, the common usually derogatory epithet of birdbrain takes on an entirely new meaning. Alex wasnt supposed to have the brainpower to do them, either. Generally speaking, larger parrots are though to have an intelligence that rivals a 23 year old child. Alex was an african parrot and had the brain size comparable to a walnut. A new york times bestseller and selected as one of the papers critics top ten books of the. Unfortunately, alexs appearance with alan alda on pbs scientific american frontiers havent been youtubed, but if you have time to sit through the whole episode, watch it here. She can also impersonate a spaceship, a monkey and even a skunk.
His last words to his owner, irene pepperberg, were you be good. It flies in through the window, lands close to him on the pillow, bright green this time with purple wings and a yellow break, glowing like a beacon, and snowman is suffused with happiness and love. Alex may 1976 6 september 2007 was a grey parrot and the subject of a thirtyyear experiment by animal psychologist irene pepperberg, initially at the university of arizona and later at harvard university and brandeis university. Irene pepperberg, lab manager arlene levinrowe, and their student assistants as they open a window for us into an unprecedented. Irene pepperberg on teaching alex the parrot to count wed say goodnight, and id tell alex i loved him and he would respond the same. Cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrots 9780674008069. B this article has been rated as bclass on the projects quality scale. In 1977, graduate student irene pepperberg walked into a pet store. Readers who meet the one pound ball of feathers that is alex, an african grey parrot, and follow his educational. The experiment, which ran from 1977 to 2007, was designed to delve into the birds ability to process language. Named alex, short for avian learning experiment, the bird would defy all expectations by learning to use more than 100 words.
The nazi dream of ruling the skies over the european continent, to further their ambitions of controlling the western hemisphere, is not a secret and a quick look at the list of the rocket scientists working for the third. Irene pepperberg on teaching alex the parrot to count. Stephanie spinner has written many highly praised childrens books, including alex the parrot, aliens for breakfast with jonathan etra, its a. Alex parrot is part of wikiproject birds, an attempt at creating a standardized, informative and easytouse ornithological resource. For the last twenty years, the very impressively credited though unremarkably noded dr. Alex the smart parrot 2015 the only nonhuman animal to ever ask an existential question what colour am i. Pepperberg bought alex in a regular pet shop when he was about one year old. Alex 1976 september 6, 2007 1 was an african grey parrot and the subject of a thirtyyear 19772007 experiment by animal psychologist irene pepperberg, initially at the university of arizona and later at harvard and brandeis university.
Cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrots harvard, 2000, dr. The name alex was an acronym for avian language experiment, or avian learning experiment. Follow alex, the african grey parrot, and his colleagues dr. Alexs brain was the size of a shelled walnut, and when irene and alex first met, birds were not believed to possess any potential for language, consciousness, or anything remotely comparable to human intelligence. The bigger the brain, the smarter the creatureor so scientists thought until graduate student irene pepperberg bought an african grey parrot from a pet shop. Doctor irene pepperberg demonstrated that alex can identify colors, shapes and materials. The results of the majority of her experiments are discussed in terms drawn from the general literature of behavior analysis and skinners analysis of verbal behavior. This is one of those books which should become a part of every library collection personal and. Til alex the parrot was trained by having a role modelrival steal the affections of his handler by providing the correct answers to questions.
A scientist and a parrot discover a world of animal intelligence duration. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the. But last week alex, an african grey parrot, died, apparently of natural causes, said dr. The nook book nook kids ebook of the alex the parrot. What is a list of all the words that alex the parrot knew. Alex, the african grey parrot who was smarter than the average us president, has died at the relatively tender age of 31. Massachusetts school of law at andover 86,736 views 1. Since the early 1900s, most studies on animalhuman communication have focused on great apes and a few cetacean species. View the profiles of professionals named alex parrott on linkedin. I hope my 5 year old granddaughter will keep this book forever. Alex the african gray parrot could do more than speak and understand he could also count, identify colors and develop an emotional relationship. The famous african grey parrot named alex died late last week at brandeis university outside of boston.
Trainers then started to use the word no when refusing to relinquish an item desired by the parrot. Accompanied by meilo sos stunning illustrations, alex and irenes story is one of groundbreaking discoveries about animal intelligence, hard work, and the loving bonds of a unique friendship. Join facebook to connect with alex parrott and others you may know. In groundbreaking studies of a grey parrots reasoning ability reported in the alex studies. Alex the famous african gray parrot, renowned for the landmark cognition research conducted by owner dr. Alex, the talking parrot ebsco information services. On september 6, 2007, an african grey parrot named alex died prematurely at age thirtyone. Irene pepperberg, a comparative psychologist at brandeis university and harvard who studied and worked with the parrot for most of its life and published reports of his progress in scientific journals. Awella bird, bird, bbirds the word the trashmen 1963 alex was a bird who knew words. The parrot would effectively get jealous and learn the answer to win back its handlers attention. When alex was about one year old, pepperberg bought him at a pet shop. Irene pepperberg has been working with alex, an african grey parrot. Alex, the brainy parrot who knows about zero slashdot. The avian learning experiment was based on the fact that scientist believed the bigger the brain, the smarter the creature.
When alex died in september 2007, his last words to. His uniqueness not only regarded his ability to learn names of individual objects but also identify the objects and their colors regardless of their shape. Please show your support by likingcommentingsharing and subscribing. As you may have heard, alex, the celebrated african grey parrot, died recently.
Its the amazing, heartwarming, and often comical story of alex, an african grey parrot who challenged the definition of bird brain, and his caretaker, dr. The story gives enough detail to really give you a feel for the work being done to study parrot intelligence, but its not so complex that a reasonably smart 4 or 5yearold couldnt enjoy it. In late 2007, alex the grey parrot stunned the world when he died suddenly and unexpectedly. No ordinary bird by stephanie spinner and meilo so.
He became famous for being the subject of a psychological experiment at three universities university of arizona, harvard and brandeis university. Alex knew english well enough to identify over 50 different objects, seven colors and numerous shapes by name. The true story of an african grey parrot and the thirtyyear experiment by animal psychologist, irene pepperberg, and her quest to dialogue with the bird. In 1977, grad student irene pepperberg purchased him, a yearold. They could be trained to understand spoken commands. Roland piquepaille writes alex is a 28yearold grey parrot who lives in a lab at brandeis university in waltham, mass. Pepperberg proved to scientific standards that a little african grey parrot, ten inches tall and with a brain the size of a peeled walnut, could not only count but add and. The name alex was an acronym for avian language experiment, or avian learning. He could also count and was able to express desires, including, get this, his frustration with the repetitive research. Pepperberg is currently an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, associate professor of psychology, an affiliate in the program in neuroscience all at the.
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