Researchers took a look at parrots in different geographical locations and their vocalizations such as their contact calls and other ways that they communicate through sound. They found that many parrots tended to share in their wild neighbor’s call types, creating a shared “accent” or dialect. Let’s take a moment to learn about how their dialect can change and how this information is important for wild parrots and their conversation.

Parrot Communication and Dialect

Parrots use calls and other sounds to communicate things like group movement, opportunities for resource acquisition, danger, and to facilitate mating and bonding. Sometimes, birds will split from their flock temporarily while conducting other activities and use a specific contact call to check in and locate one another from a distance. Each species sounds different from the other, but members of a flock communicate seamlessly, learning their flock’s language from the day that they hatch and as they leave the nest to join the rest of their group. Even parrots that are raised domestically will adopt the vocal habits of the humans or even other animals in a house because they are their flock. We can see an example of how wild parrots sound as opposed to those in captivity by taking a look at some video examples below. 

Here is an example of a wild call from the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo:

Now, let us look at an example of the same species of cockatoo in a domestic setting, imitating the sound of a dog:

Just as with humans, in order to communicate with one another, parrots must have a shared language. Fitting in with the flock is important and how a parrot vocalizes is a huge part in how they fit in with others. Fitting in means that a bird will have the safety and benefits of belonging to a group which is essential to survival. But it turns out that sometimes, even if a species shares a common language, there can be varying vocal dialects. For example, someone speaking English in the far northeast coast of the United States might speak in a different accent than someone from the south. It appears that this also happens with parrots.

Dr. Timothy Wright, a Professor for the Biology Department at New Mexico State University studies parrot communication and the evolution of vocal learning and communication signals of birds. He has spent time studying the vocalizations of parrots in different regions and noticed that there seems to be varying dialects among them depending on their geographic location. In fact, he even mentioned in an interview that some of their calls were so different, that if he were blindfolded while comparing them that he would not have known that they were even the same species. 

As with humans, changes in a bird’s dialect can happen naturally over time. When there is a difference in a parrot 's vocalizations due to natural circumstances like a large distance from other flocks, it isn’t as big of an issue since a bird will likely stay close to the area it was born in. However, if that change in dialect happens faster and in closer approximation to other flocks due to unnatural circumstances, that can create serious challenges for a bird seeking acceptance. When a parrot’s dialect is different from a flock they are needing to integrate with, even a small divergence can be the difference between acceptance and rejection. Existing groups of birds might not readily accept another whose vocalizations are too different from their own.

How Does Dialect Change Happen and How Does It Affect Wild Birds?

Let’s take a look at one example of how dialect change can occur. The Puerto Rican parrots, Amazona vittata, were being bred in captivity due to conservation efforts. At the time of beginning the program, the number of those birds in the wild was very low due to issues like deforestation and devastating hurricanes that had taken place. In order to help improve the parrot’s population, they took some of the remaining birds, bred them in captivity, and then released them into the wild to join and integrate back into existing flocks. However, it turns out that captive breeding changed the vocal signals of the parrots that they raised. Normally, baby birds will learn behaviors and vocalizations from other wild birds. When introducing the birds that were in the program into the wild, they compared the vocalizations of two groups of the captive bred parrots and two groups of the wild ones and noticed a vocal divergence between them. Tanya Martínez and David Logue stated in the study that “Fine-scale acoustic analysis revealed vocal divergence in all four populations.” 

It’s not just captive breeding that can create a divergence in dialect, however. Population decline due to issues like deforestation and forced relocation caused by animal trafficking is also leading to serious social disruptions for parrots in different areas. Birds find themselves needing to integrate into flocks that they might not have considered before because of the change in location or having fewer birds in the area. Another study examining the implications of parrot vocal dialect change stated that “Ideally, reintroductions should be made within the original locality of the specimen. However, determining the exact origins of individuals from animal trafficking apprehensions is almost impossible because they typically occur along trade routes, far from the region where the individuals were captured and little information is retrieved from arrested traffickers.”

Whatever the reason, when a parrot adopts new vocal signals from those of their wild counterparts, that can make it harder for them to integrate into a flock. This is an important consideration for those working in conservation. Efforts should be made to help the birds in breeding programs to integrate back into their wild habitat by facilitating a way for them to adopt the vocal signals of the wild birds where they will be introduced. We should also find ways to have less of a negative impact on the environment and help stop animal trafficking so that birds aren't forced to adapt to challenges in their environment caused by our actions.

If you've got a parrot in your home, Bird Street Bistro would love for you to try one of our delicious, enriching foods with your bird. We also offer parrot tea! We recommend starting with our Parrot Tea Bundle Pack so you can decide which is your favorite. 

References:

Pouncy, Jeremiah. “TEACH ME All About How Parrots Are Able To Talk w/ Dr. Timothy Wright.” YouTube, Thru Jeremiah’s Eyes. 

Martínez, Tanya M., and David M. Logue. “Conservation practices and the formation of vocal dialects in the endangered Puerto Rican parrot, Amazona vittata.” Animal Behaviour, vol. 166, Aug. 2020, pp. 261–271, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.06.004. 

Martins, Bruno Araujo, et al. “Vocal dialects and their implications for bird reintroductions.” Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, vol. 16, no. 2, Apr. 2018, pp. 83–89, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecon.2018.03.005.