Name use by companion parrots

Abstract

Humans organize social interactions in part by referring to others using proper names (hereafter "names"). Names might also facilitate the complex social lives of animals. Several animal species produce name-like signature sounds in nature and can vocally target interaction partners, but researchers hesitate to equate these sounds with the human linguistic concept of a name. A more direct way to ask if diverse species can learn names and use them appropriately is with animals that learn human words and phrases. Accordingly, we used survey data to determine whether parrots that live with humans regularly learn names and can potentially use them as individual vocal labels for people and animals. Survey takers were asked about word and phrase use by companion parrots; 47% of reports on 884 birds included examples of name use, with those 413 parrots speaking 802 phrases that included names. For a subset of these individuals, survey-takers provided contextual information that allowed us to assess whether parrots used names in ways consistent with vocal labeling. Parrots used names in a range of social situations, including greetings, separations, and when seeking attention. Reports on 88 different birds of 30 species suggested that parrots applied names appropriately as vocal labels for humans and animals, with strong evidence that some birds applied names only to single individuals and not as category labels. At the same time, many parrots used names in contexts outside of typical human linguistic conventions, such as seeking attention by vocalizing their own name. Results indicate that captive parrots learn and use names in a variety of situations, sometimes applying them as vocal labels when communicating with or about others. This suggests that parrots have the cognitive and vocal capacity to use names but leaves many open questions about how animals label individuals using vocal signals.