DO WE ALL SUFFER FROM VIDEO CALLING PARROTS, BY ANYA P

In the UK alone, 1 6 million birds are kept as pets. Although they are friendly companions and can make you laugh, there are also downsides for the birds in captivity, the largest issue being those experiencing loneliness. Parrots in the wild generally live in large flocks but, in captivity, they are almost exclusively kept alone or in very small groups. When parrots are isolated, they tend to feel lonely or even bored; this can be shown through pulling out their feathers

The Northeastern University and the University of Glasgow decided to tackle this issue by training parrots how to video call. This is what we did during lockdown to stay in touch with family and friends.

After the video calls, the parrots that the study used started to show more social and playful behaviours such as communicating with their owners and being more vocal. The parrots who made the most calls, received more calls which suggests that the birds became more social