One of the most frequently asked questions about parrots is why can they talk whereas other animals are unable to? This has been a very interesting question in the past with little to no answer. There have been many successful experiments done on different animals which may show us some clues.
Why can parrots talk and not other animals?
The parrot’s own vocal chords and other organs such as the tongue and lips are not fundamentally different from those of other animals. Even though they lack the larynx, this does not seem to prevent them from producing an abundant supply of sound. This has been caused by a very unique system that allows them to communicate in a way that we humans can understand. The reason that they talk but don’t squak is supposed to be the special organ that would call a parrot’s voice. Do you know How long do parrots live?
The language of parrots is rich in emotions, which vary from tenderness to fury. Actually, there are different types of voices for each emotion by which humans can recognize them easily. Even female parrots tend to use a very high pitch voice with the males having a low pitch tone. If we were able to decode these human-like emotions, we might be able to communicate with them and teach them how to speak like us.
Every parrot has his own individual voice and can imitate sounds he hears such as phones ringing, cats meowing and even police sirens.
What makes parrots different from humans?
Parrot’s voice is very unique in the way that it has many forms of inflection, changes in pitch, volume, rhythm, harshness or softness just like human speech.
They are able to mimic not only with their tongue but also with their wings and feet. And even more impressive is that they can learn to reproduce sounds never heard before like car alarms, ringtones of cell phones and the sound made by a squeaking door.
They are able to distinguish between voices just by hearing them once or twice. They are capable of identifying who is speaking on the phone just by listening to the voice or even reproduce it.
They are able to read our lips and give answers while we are talking with them. This is because not only they can speak, but also understand what we say while using facial expressions and body language.
Why can’t other animals talk?
While all these facts seem pretty amazing for a parrot, some other animals have been proven to be able to communicate with us in their special way too.
In 1857, there was an American Indian from the Cheyenne tribe called “the young chief of the broncos”. He went on a trip to New York where he met many new things. One of these was a cat which he loved to play with. When asked who taught him how to play with it, he answered “my grandfather the cat”. The animal trainer tried to teach him other tricks but got no answer from him. Finally, he took a piece of meat and put it in front of the cat’s mouth. As soon as the young chief saw this, he imitated the cat with his hands. He repeated when the trainer did and was able to train it with this method. This showed that he really understood what the cat wanted, not just imitating its sounds.
It has been a great mystery in the past to understand why parrots talk and not any other animal. After years of experiments, we can conclude that it is not because they possess a unique organ or physiological system, but rather how they use their voices in a very similar way as humans do. Parrot’s voice is rich in emotion which they use to convey their feelings and thoughts, something no other animal can do.
