Parrots can sit in front of a tablet screen and select peers they want to chat with, play with, or socialize through video calls. This idea appeared in a recent study presented at a major conference focusing on human factors in information systems. The researchers explored whether tablets and video conferencing tools can be used to support social interaction for animals kept in captivity, where loneliness and reduced social access can affect behavior.
Parrots are highly intelligent creatures capable of forming intricate social, cognitive, and emotional bonds. In the wild, they often live within family groups and communities. In captivity, the loss of these connections can limit their cognitive engagement and emotional well-being.
To investigate whether digital communication could help parrots maintain social ties, scientists from a well-known university in the United States, a leading technology research lab, and a historic university in the United Kingdom joined forces. They set out to teach parrots the potential benefits of modern communication tools that are common in human social life, such as video calls.
Over three months, 18 birds representing several parrot species, including gray parrots, cockatoos, and macaws, took part in a structured program. The exercises focused on recognizing and eventually enjoying the activity of video calling. The researchers used a bell on a tablet to signal the parrot to select a photo of another bird and then initiate a call with the chosen partner.
The experiment organized the parrots into five groups during the initial phase, allowing each bird to meet another from its group twice. When the bell was rung and the tablet authorized a connection, a reward followed. The sessions concluded when a bird showed signs of apathy, disengagement, or stress.
In a second phase, the 15 parrots were reconfigured into six smaller groups. This time, the birds could make video calls lasting up to three hours. During each session, a bird could invite up to two other group members. After each meeting, the researchers captured the video and had caregivers complete a survey about the experience.
Preference for specific partners
When the researchers reviewed the recordings, an unexpected pattern emerged: the parrots showed preferences for certain conversational partners. Lead author Rébecca Kleinberger explained that each bird used the system in its own distinctive way. Some parrots called more often, moved more quickly toward a call, and stayed engaged longer. Sociability correlated with receptiveness from others, as birds tended to respond more to those who were friendly.
One parrot documented during the study was observed inviting a partner to join the session when the partner appeared on the screen, a sign that digital interaction could mirror real-life bonding in some respects.
Caregivers completed questionnaires, reporting that none of the birds appeared distressed, and many seemed to enjoy the activity. In particular, the parrot nicknamed P2 would invite its mate to join the call whenever P1 vanished from the screen, suggesting a desire to maintain social contact.
Observations also revealed new behavioral patterns among the parrots, including altered locomotion, feeding habits, and calmer dispositions after sessions. By the end of the study, about three-quarters of the birds showed responsiveness to another bird appearing on the screen, and the specific response varied with which congener appeared.
Jennifer Cunha, a co-author and advocate for animal-education initiatives, described the results as encouraging. She noted that the parrots appeared to recognize the screen as representing other birds and that their behaviors during the sessions aligned with what might be expected in real-life social exchanges among their species.
A year after the experiments, most participating birds continued to engage in video calls. Those involved in the study expressed interest in maintaining this resource for parrots and exploring its longer-term benefits for social enrichment and welfare.
For further reading, the study is documented in a published repository with detailed methodology and records, and the researchers emphasize the need for ongoing evaluation of animal welfare as digital interaction tools become more available in captive settings.