Parrot is ‘Attention Hog’ and Smart as Human Toddler, Owners Say

Okay, I know I am not to play favorites but my favorite birds are parrots and owls. So I am tickled to read about Apollo, a parrot profiled in the Washington Post, who identifies objects, colors and some numbers. He can also distinguish among glass, metal and paper. 

Here is a short excerpt:

Apollo is an African gray parrot with a deep love of pistachios and millions of social media followers. He also has the brain power of a human toddler, according to his owners. “He’s very bubbly, he’s very outgoing, he wants to really perform for everybody,” said Dalton Mason, one of Apollo’s owners. “He’s a complete and total showoff.”

The couple have trained their pet parrot to identify objects, colors and some numbers. He can ask “What’s this?” and then correctly distinguish among glass, metal and paper. He also greets humans with “Hey, buddies” and can complete simple puzzles.

Apollo has a lot of fans. On a TikTok account run by the Masons, the bird has 2.9 million followers. He also has 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube, and 1.3 million followers on Instagram. He started making headlines back in 2022. “We attribute his social media success to his nature,” Dalton said. “He’s an attention hog.”

The Masons now dedicate their lives to training Apollo. They both do it full time, because the earnings from his social media accounts provide an income for them. “We spend a lot of time with him,” Victoria said, explaining that raising a pet parrot requires work, as they can be loud, destructive and demanding. (In one viral video, Apollo says “I want fresh water.”)

African gray parrots have become known for their innate intelligence and capacity for learning, in large part due to the research of Irene Pepperberg, a scientist specializing in animal cognition. She spent decades studying one African gray parrot, Alex, and observing his vocal behavior, including while she was a research associate at Harvard University.

“What Apollo is doing is fascinating,” Pepperberg said in an interview with The Washington Post. “It’s showing that Alex was not just some Einstein parrot, that other parrots are capable.” “I want people to understand and really appreciate the fact that these people are devoting their entire lives to this bird, and very few people in the world can do that,” Pepperberg continued. “It’s time and effort and energy that has to be put into this.”

Pepperberg used a training method for Alex called the model/rival technique, which involves two trainers. One gives the animal instructions while the other models correct and incorrect responses. The model trainer acts as the parrot’s rival student, vying for the other trainer’s attention. When Pepperberg began her research, “parrots were considered mindless mimics, because nobody figured out how to train them accordingly,” she said. “Nobody believed that this could work.”

Apollo enjoys a muffin. (Victoria Mason)

 

African gray parrots have the natural capacity to be strong students, Pepperberg said. Their vocal tract allows them to speak more clearly than other parrots, and “they have an extra bit of brain that seems to be used for learning,” she said. For Alex, “it wasn’t just a simple stimulus response or associative learning. He really understood what we were talking about,” Pepperberg said, noting that she tested Alex’s cognitive skills at the level of a 4-year-old human.

The Masons have used the same training strategy with Apollo.

Apollo caught the attention of Guinness World Records. He recently set the record for most items identified by a parrot in three minutes after naming 12 objects, including socks, a book and a bug.

 

 

 

The Potty Mouthed Parrot

Now here is something you don't hear about every day - A report from the Washington Post on a potty mouthed parrot:

A few days after the Niagara SPCA animal shelter took in a white-fronted Amazon parrot last month, staffers and volunteers got an earful. “Do you want me to kick your [expletive]?” the parrot named Pepper asked a volunteer at the Niagara Falls, N.Y., shelter. Pepper and six parakeets were surrendered by a woman who said she could no longer care for them.

White-fronted Amazon parrots can mimic 30 to 40 sounds, and Pepper’s former owner warned that the bird was likely to unload a bawdry blue streak when the mood hit him, said shelter director Amy Lewis. Right away, Lewis knew exactly how she’d rise to the challenge of finding a new family for Pepper.

“If you think Pepper’s feathers are colorful, you should hear his language,” Lewis wrote on Facebook on June 15, announcing the shelter had a “potty-mouthed parrot” up for adoption.

Pepper after his arrival at the Niagara SPCA in mid-June. (Niagara SPCA)

“Bringing home a cursing conure might seem like a fun idea until Pepper offends grandma’s Tuesday night knitting group,” she continued. The post went on: “On the bright side, if you want to keep unannounced company from dropping in, adopt Pepper. They’ll think twice after being cussed out by your new foul-mouthed feathered friend.”

Lewis then advised that only people with experience caring for birds should apply. “Give us a call if you want to add a spicey Pepper to your life!” she wrote. “Somebody get this guy a bar of soap or a humor-loving home!”

More than 400 applications poured in, Lewis said.

“We had adoption offers from all over the country,” she said, noting that applicants included a Texas saloon owner named Wild Bill and a former Navy sailor who said he had a vocabulary to rival Pepper’s. “It seemed like everyone wanted a cursing parrot,” Lewis said.

Both bird lovers and lovers of salty language flooded her Facebook post with comments.

“My grandma is about to be 81 years old and swears all the time,” wrote one person.

“Can we have a video of Pepper cussing?!? I can’t be the only one who wants to see this!!” wrote another.

“If I had a cage, pepper and I would be bff’s,” wrote a third, using shorthand for “best friends forever.”

Pepper enjoys hanging around outside his cage in Olean, N.Y. More than 400 people applied to adopt him. (Tiffany Turner)

Lewis and her staff spent three weeks studying the applications and narrowed them to 10 before deciding that Tiffany Turner, a special-education teacher from Olean, N.Y., was the best choice for Pepper.

Turner and her fiancé, Tim Sage, already had another cursing bird at home — an African grey parrot named Shelby. “They had a lot of knowledge about parrots, and their home is like a regular truck stop with another swearing bird,” Lewis said. “It seemed like a perfect fit.” She said she was also impressed that Turner acknowledged the challenges of caring for parrots in her application.

White-fronted Amazon parrots live an average of 40 years but with proper care can live into their 60s, 70s and beyond, she said.

“Pepper is in his mid-20s,” Lewis said. “Tiffany said [she and Tim] were in their 30s and would be able to age with Pepper. That told me they were prepared and had put some thought into applying.”

On Friday, shelter staffers drove Pepper two hours to his new home in Olean. Turner said she and the bird connected right away. “He’s really sweet, and he seems to love women,” she said. “I could tell he was definitely a ladies’ man.” She said she is slowly introducing Pepper to Shelby and has high hopes that they’ll soon be having lively conversations.

Shelby, Tiffany Turner's African grey parrot. (Tiffany Turner)

“Shelby is also foul, so we’re happy to have another swear bird,” Turner said.

So far, she’s heard only one curse word from Pepper, but she said she has a hunch there will be more.

 

“He’s a very vocal and loud bird,” she said. “He’s also very excitable. When my mother came up and visited, he fanned out his feathers and did a little dance with a butt wiggle.”

Turner said she learned about Pepper after her mother-in-law passed along the Niagara shelter’s adoption post.

“We’d wanted another parrot for years, but we didn’t want a young one because they live for so long,” she said. “When we heard about Pepper, we thought he’d be perfect.”

Tiffany Turner with Pepper at home in Olean, N.Y., a few days after she adopted him. (Tiffany Turner)

Once Pepper is accustomed to being outside his cage, he’ll be allowed to roam freely around the house for 6 to 12 hours a day like Shelby, Turner said.

“They get lots of fresh fruits and veggies every day, and we have a living room upstairs where they each have their own window to look out at our bird feeders and free-range chickens,” she said.

“Pepper is really intelligent, so he should soon be adding some new words to his diverse vocabulary,” Turner added. “It’s probably a good thing that we don’t have kids.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been unearthing hilarious and heartwarming photos of creatures basically being their best selves since 2015.

And this year is no exception. The recently announced winners and finalists of the 2021 competition include a visibly uncomfortable monkey, a trio of gossipy raccoons, a joyful bird reunion, gravity-defying fish and an all-powerful prairie dog.

A panel of judges sorts through thousands of submissions from expert and novice photographers alike, and determines one winner for each of the several categories — except for the peoples' choice award, which is left up to members of the public. The overall winner gets a handmade trophy from a workshop in Tanzania and a weeklong Kenyan safari.

Read the full article on NPR 

11 Cat Sleeping Positions and Their Meaning

Evelyn Metric from Honest Paws has sent us an interesting infographic on cat sleeping positions:

I wanted to pass along this informative visual that features 11 common cat sleeping positions, their meanings and what that could say about their personality. I was so happy to find out that when my cat sleeps on her side it means that she trusts me — how does your cat sleep?

 

 

Animals That Laugh

According to Smithsonian Magazine,

Dogs Do It, Birds Do It, and Dolphins Do It, Too. Here Are 65 Animals That Laugh, According to Science

Researchers suggest that laughter in the animal kingdom may help creatures let each other know when it’s playtime, so that play fights don’t escalate.

Most of the 65 species identified by the study, which was published last month in the journal Bioacoustics, were mammals, such as primates, foxes, killer whales and seals, but three bird species also made the list, according to the statement.

For animals, the researchers suggest, a laughing noise may help signal that roughhousing, or other behavior that might seem threatening, is all in good fun.

“[Some actions] could be interpreted as aggression. The vocalization kind of helps to signal during that interaction that 'I'm not actually going to bite you in the neck. This is just going to be a mock bite,'” Sarah Winkler, an anthropologist at the University of California, Los Angeles and the paper’s lead author, tells Doug Johnson of Ars Technica. “It helps the interaction not escalate into real aggression.”

Winkler witnessed firsthand that vocalizations often accompany animals playing during past work with rhesus macaques, which pant while they play, according to Live Science. To find out how widespread such play vocalizations might be in the animal kingdom, Winkler and Bryant scoured the scientific literature for descriptions of play activity in various animals. In particular, the study authors looked for mentions of vocalizations accompanying playtime.

Per Ars Technica, many of the animal laughs identified by the study sound nothing like a human chuckle. For example, Rocky Mountain elk emit a kind of squeal and, per Live Science, New Zealand’s kea parrot whines and squeaks when it’s time to have some fun.

Back in 2017, another study found that playing a recording of kea laughter around the parrots in the wild would cause the birds to spontaneously break into playful tussles.

Another key difference between human and animal laughter could be its volume and thus its intended audience, according to Live Science. Human laughs are pretty loud, so the whole group can hear, but most animals, by contrast, have laughs that are quiet and may only be audible to the play partner. (By the study's definition, cats hissing during playtime qualified as laughter.)

 

Winkler tells Ars Technica that though the study aimed to be comprehensive, that there may be even more laughing animals out there. “There could be more that, we think, are out there. Part of the reason they probably aren't documented is because they're probably really quiet, or just [appear] in species that aren't well-studied for now,” she says. “But hopefully there could be more research in the future.”

 

 

Pets of the Art World

From Artnet -

Pets of the Art World! Meet 15 of the Adorable (Yet Edgy) Furry Friends Keeping Artists, Gallerists, and Curators Sane These Days

Perhaps the only beneficiaries of the pandemic today are pets, who are suddenly getting around-the-clock attention while their owners work from home. And the joys are mutual: With their fluffy cuddles, unconditional love, and inability to talk back, pets make great quarantine companions for people, too.

We asked art world insiders to share pictures of their whiskered work-from-home buddies, and how they’re helping to make this difficult time a little bit sweeter.

Here is one and there is a link to see the rest at the bottom of this post.

Princess Buttercup
(Caroline Goldstein’s Jug [Jack Russell x Pug])

HRH Princess Buttercup in bed. (Courtesy of Caroline Goldstein)

“Princess Buttercup is thrilled to have a captive audience whilst her humans are social distancing.”

—Caroline Goldstein, editorial assistant, Artnet News

 

Check out this link to see all of the pets.

Hail New Zealand's Bird of the Year - The Green Parrot

He’s never gonna stop talking about this. The kākāpō, a flightless, nocturnal parrot, has been named New Zealand’s Bird of the Year in its annual online competition. It’s the first bird in the contest’s 15-year history to win twice, beloved as the heaviest and longest-lived parrot species on Earth. The competition was marred by vote rigging in favor of the little spotted kiwi, but authorities spotted the fraud and disqualified the suspect votes. While the win doesn’t carry a cash prize, it’s hoped it will raise awareness and affection for the critically endangered bright green birds.

Sources: New Zealand Herald, The Guardian

10 Dog Sleeping Positions and What They Mean

Casper mattresses has produced a fun and informative guide on dog sleeping positions and what they mean. Just like humans, dogs sleep in a variety of positions. From sleeping on their side to sleeping on their back with their paws in the air, we can learn a lot about our furry friends through their sleeping positions and habits. And here is an insight into dog beds.
 
Dog sleeping positions are like little clues that can give insight into how they are — both physically and mentally. To truly understand the meaning behind common dog sleeping positions, we tapped the minds of dog experts to reveal what 10 common dog sleeping positions mean. Read on to learn more about the adorable meaning behind these sleeping positions.

1. The Side Sleeper

Just like humans, dogs love to sleep on their side. Lying on their side with their legs extended is one of the most common sleeping positions for dogs. This sleeping position is especially prominent in puppies and older dogs who may be suffering from stiff joints.
 
Meaning: When your dog sleeps on their side, it means they feel relaxed and safe in their environment. According to Dr. Jennifer Coates, DVM, who serves on the advisory board for Pup Life Today, “dogs will sleep in this position when they are feeling comfortable with their surroundings and are at a comfortable temperature.”
 
It’s also when they’re likely to get the most deep sleep. Jen Jones, a professional dog trainer, behavior specialist, and founder of Your Dog Advisor, says that “this position is also where you’ll often notice ‘sleep running’ and twitching during your dog’s dreams, as their paws are loose and free to move.”

2. The Lion’s Pose

The lion’s pose sleeping position (also called ‘the sphinx’) is when your dog sleeps with their head on top of their paws — similar to statues of lions you might see outside of large buildings. Your dog can also fall asleep in this position with their front paws tucked in and their back legs at one side.
 
Meaning: When dogs sleep in this position it means they are resting, but not sleeping deeply. According to Dr. Sarah Wooten, DVM, CVJ, and the vet expert at Pumpkin Pet Insurance, “dogs will often start out in this position if they feel like they will need to jump up quickly.”

3. The Superman

The superman position is when your dog lays sprawled out on the ground with their belly pressed to the floor, their back legs behind them, and their front legs stretched forward. This is a common position among puppies and very playful dogs.
 
Meaning: When your dog sleeps on their stomach in the superman position, it means that they’re tired but ready to play if the opportunity arises. Jen Jones says that “this position allows for dogs to snooze quickly, but be ready to hop up at a moment’s notice to play.” This is a common sleeping position for high energy dogs during the day.

4. The Donut

The donut position is when your dog sleeps curled up in a ball with all of their limbs tucked close to their body. Sometimes their nose will touch their hind legs and they may even drape their tail over their body.
 
Meaning: This position keeps all of the dog’s vital organs tucked and hidden. When a dog sleeps in this position, it means that they seek to protect themselves while sleeping or that they’re still getting used to their environment. This is especially common in stray or new dogs.
 
This is also a favorite position for dogs when they are cold. By curling up in a ball, they are attempting to preserve their body heat. Dr. Linda Simon, a Veterinarian and Veterinary Consultant for ThePets, says that this is a popular position “when the weather is cold and/or windy, as it would have protected dogs from the elements when they slept outside.”

5. The Cuddler

One of the most adorable dog sleeping positions is ‘the cuddler’ position. This is when your dog prefers to sleep on top of you or another dog cuddled up. This is a great position for those that love to let their dog sleep in bed with them.
 
Meaning: Peter Laskay, a pet expert and pet care blogger at Petworshiper, says that this position is a clear sign of bonding and “that the dog wants to get close to you or other dogs.”

6. The Burrower

Have you noticed that your dog seeks out pillows, clothes, or blankets to sleep under? If so, your pooch likes to sleep in the burrower position.
 
Meaning: When dogs sleep in the burrower position, they are searching for comfort and security. They often need lots of attention and affection to fall asleep.

7. The Belly Up

Arguably one of the cutest dog sleeping positions, the belly up position is just as it sounds. This position is when your dog lies on their back with their belly up and paws in the air. As uncomfortable as this position may look, this is a sign of true comfort and relaxation in dogs.
 
Meaning: Dogs who sleep on their back with their tummy and paws in the air do so for a few reasons. One of them is to keep cool. Jen Jones says, “dogs sweat through their paws and their belly is a source of heat. When they sleep on their back with their belly in the air and paws up, they are trying to keep cool.”
 
Because this is such a vulnerable position to be in, when dogs sleep on their back with their paws in the air, it also means that they are fully trusting you and their environment. Dr. Sarah Wooten says that “because they are exposing their belly and their vital organs to the world, you have to know that they feel really secure to fall asleep in this position.”
 
As dogs age, you’ll notice that they no longer sleep on their back as much. According to Steffi Trott, a professional dog trainer and the owner of SpiritDog Training, this is due to arthritis and you should not assume that your dog is no longer trusting you.

8. Back to Back

Similar to the cuddler sleeping position, when a dog likes to sleep back to back, it means they like to cuddle up and get as close as possible by placing their back next to either you or another dog. In the simplest form, this position is a sign of love and comfort.
 
Meaning: Sleeping back to back indicates a sense of intimacy. When a dog sleeps in this position, they are showing you affection and trust. According to Jen Jones, “dogs may choose to sleep this way with one person in the home they feel safest with.” This can include additional family members or other dogs and cats.

9. On a Cold Surface

Whether it’s lying face down on the kitchen floor or sprawled out on your pavement, dogs tend to sleep on a cold surface when they are hot. This type of position can take the form of the superman pose or could be similar to the lion’s pose. Whatever it is, your dog is likely making sure their tummy is touching the cold surface.
 
Meaning: This position is directly related to temperature. “Dogs may be hot if they sleep sprawled out on cool surfaces, particularly when they’re on their bellies with legs extended maximizing the amount of unhaired skin that touches the cold floor or ground,” says Dr. Jennifer Coates. If you notice your dog seeking out cold surfaces to sleep on, try your best to cool them down and give them some water.

10. Head and Neck Raised

Some dogs seek out a sleeping position where their head and neck are raised. They will usually leverage the side of their dog bed or a couch cushion.
 
Meaning: If your dog likes to sleep in a position where their head and neck are raised, it could mean that they may have issues breathing properly — something commonly seen with chronic heart disease and other health problems.
 
According to Dr. Linda Simon, if your dog sleeps in this position “keep an eye out for worrying symptoms such as faster breathing rate, noisy breathing, or a reduced ability to exercise.” If you notice any of these symptoms, make sure to contact your veterinarian.

 

I Need a Cute Kitty Video

Barry the Barrel Owl - Central Park's Latest Celebrity

The New York Times just reported on NYC's latest celebrity.

‘I Had to See That Owl’: Central Park’s New Celebrity Bird

New Yorkers are so obsessed with Barry the barred owl that some are concerned he could be scared away. So far, he seems to like the attention.

It was late afternoon in the North Woods of Central Park, and the sun was setting fast. Joshua Kristal, a photographer with a penchant for birds, was starting to feel despondent as he searched along the creek, looking for any movement. This was the third time he’d traveled more than an hour from Brooklyn to see Manhattan’s newest celebrity bird: an ethereal and majestic barred owl.

Currently known as Barry, the owl has intense black eyes and elegant poufs of white feathers streaked with brown and gray. He looks like a perfect stuffed animal from a high-end toy store. But Barry is also unusual. Though owls are typically nocturnal, he makes regular daytime appearances, and has become something of a performer. Practically vogueing, he stares, preens and swoops into the shallow stream to wash and flick his feathers. Barry will turn his head 270 degrees right and left and up above to check for his archenemy, the hawk. He plucks chipmunks with his talons and devours them, seemingly unfazed by adoring fans and the paparazzi, many of whom have already made him Instagram-famous.

Barry the Barred Owl was first spotted on Oct. 9 by a group of devoted birders including Robert DeCandido, a New Yorker who has conducted bird walks in Central Park for some 32 years and is known as Birding Bob. The owl was an overnight sensation, not as flamboyant as the Mandarin duck two years ago but no less magnetic. Birders flock from all over to the Loch, a creek near 103rd Street and Central Park West, for a chance to see Barry.

Owls are more common in the city than people realize, and they have been spotted in every borough, Mr. DeCandido said. In Central Park, though, only one or two owls are usually spotted in a year, he added, and Barry is believed to be the only one in Central Park at the moment.

Barry most likely flew in from up north for a warmer temperature in which to hunt, but “only God knows,” Mr. DeCandido said. Barry is not nesting, as owls haven’t been found to nest in Central Park. He is roosting and putting on weight.

As social media bird alerts have become popular, there are more unique and rare birds reported in the city — like a recent sighting of a Virginia rail in Central Park, Mr. DeCandido said. “Before, if you saw something rare, who would you tell?” Mr. DeCandido said. “Now there is E-Bird and Manhattan Bird Alert, where bird sightings are reported almost immediately.”

But there are disagreements among birders on how healthy it is for humans to be stalking Barry, some using recorded bird calls to lure him out, surrounding him (at a respectful distance) and brandishing their cellphone cameras to capture the perfect image of a creature who typically does not like to be bothered.

Mr. Kristal learned of the owl from Manhattan Bird Alert, a Twitter feed that posts bird sightings throughout the city. When a Barry alert goes out, dozens of people show up, and fast. Therein lies the problem, said Dennis Hrehowsik, president of the Brooklyn Bird Club, based near Prospect Park. Owls are much too sensitive to be thronged, he said.

Birding in the city has grown more popular during the coronavirus outbreak, said Mr. Hrehowsik, who has led hundreds of bird tours. The quiet, meditative search for special birds — as many as 300 species of which live and migrate through New York City — can be soothing. And it’s a fresh-air activity, a key detail when it comes to safe pandemic pursuits.