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Why can parrots talk? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
Talk it out!
Animals cannot talk, but they're still able to communicate in certain ways.
What are some things an animal might do to tell you certain things, like that it's hungry, happy, scared, or tired?
What are some things that you would do if you couldn't talk in order to tell someone about what you need or how you feel? For example, how might you show someone that you're happy without saying so? What would you do to let others know that you're tired, or ready to eat??
You've probably noticed that even though they can communicate, animals cannot talk using words like people. But parrots seem to use words and talk…!?
Although parrots “talk,” what they’re really doing is imitating. Instead of forming words to have specific meanings and uses, they’re just repeating sounds that they’ve heard before. (And not everything a parrot utters is a word, either – a parrot might imitate “hello” and “goodbye,” or the sound of a squeaky door!)
A speaking “parrot” forms its words differently than a talking human. Humans use their vocal cords, lips, and tongue to create words and sounds. Parrots, on the other hand, make sounds by moving muscles in their throat and directing airflow to produce learned noises. It might be hard to understand, but it’s sort of like the difference between drawing a picture you think of yourself (forming words like a human) versus making one by tracing another (forming words like a parrot)!
Talk it out!
Animals cannot talk, but they're still able to communicate in certain ways.
What are some things an animal might do to tell you certain things, like that it's hungry, happy, scared, or tired?
What are some things that you would do if you couldn't talk in order to tell someone about what you need or how you feel? For example, how might you show someone that you're happy without saying so? What would you do to let others know that you're tired, or ready to eat??
