A few weeks ago, we were "adopted" by a colorful parrot, which, standing in the window of our balcony, managed to capture our attention with his sounds and funny movements. And I say "we were adopted" because it seems that it was the parrot who decided to stay in our house, and since then he is our pet.

<center>![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmR4CpEUdjpGuDc1iAEKh3Sm2krKHyDDBXoi7LStU1pmw9/image.png)</center>

He is docile to everyone in the house, except to me. The parrot doesn't like me for reasons I don't know. Because I am the one who feeds him and is waiting to clean his "poop" on the floor. He has tried to bite me on four occasions, of which succeeded in two. This morning, he pounced on me with his claws and it grabbed me by my blouse. Imagine my scared reaction.

Trying to find the reason for such behavior, my youngest daughter told me that perhaps in his old home there was a girl or woman who mistreated him and that when he saw me he remembered, for what it produced in him that behavior of rejection.

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<center><h3>He remembered?</h3></center>
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<center><h3>Can parrots remember?</h3></center>
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<center><h3>Do they have memory?</h3></center>
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I was left with the doubt, so I started looking for information.

I found an article about the case of [gray parrot Alex that could repeat up to 150 words](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_(parrot)).  <b>Wow 150 words! Amazing!</b>

<center>![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQ5CM1EwEtoo2Ha47f4UGrm1eodLKT5RnJJ2cK1tPU5k3/image.png)</center>
<center><em>[Gray parrot Alex]( http://static.naukas.com/media/2012/10/biotay1a.jpg)</em></center>

According to this research, carried out by [psychologist Irene Pepperberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Pepperberg), parrots have the ability to memorize sounds by repeating them and knowing what to emit depending on what they want to get, be it attention, food, etc. The research on Alex lasted 30 years and made this adorable bird recognize sizes, colors, shapes and numbers. I invite you to watch the next video of the amazing parrot Alex!

https://youtu.be/p0E1Wny5kCk
<center><em>[Alex the Smart Parrot - Talking bird distinguishes colors, shapes, sizes, numbers - Yuotube]( https://youtu.be/p0E1Wny5kCk)</em></center>

But ... <b>can parrots talk?</b> They cannot. Parrots do not have vocal cords, so it is incorrect to say that "parrots speak". They have a vocal organ called [syrinx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrinx_ (bird_anatomy)) located in their trachea, which through vibrations allows them to generate sounds. Using their rounded tongue makes these vibrations that pass through the syrinx, reproduce the sounds they imitate. But for the parrot these sounds have no meaning, because they have no capacity for understanding. They use them as a means of communication to relate to their environment.

<h3>And what makes them remember the repeated sounds?</h3>

We have all heard the term "photographic memory", used to refer to a memory capable of recording anything just by looking at it, and can preserve this information in great detail for a period of time. It is also known as <b>Eidetic Memory</b>, and according to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eidetic_memory), this type of memory is more common to find in children between 3 to 5 years of age and very scarce in adults.

Studies made to these colorful animals conclude that they have eidetic memory, so through continuous repetition we will succeed in making them repeat some words and sounds.

I kept looking for information and found something that might explain the aggressive behavior of our pet.

<b>Parrots can suffer stress!</b>.  That’s right, it doesn't affect us only.

<b>These beautiful birds can get bored for lack of stimulation. Due to his great memory, any noisy event or where the animal feels threatened awaken in him a stress that can eventually make him sick and even cause his death. The separation from their environment or partner also affects them, poor diet, lack of exercise or health problems.</b>

Then, my daughter could be right to say that maybe our pet had a bad experience and that's why their behavior. 

Bad luck mine!

I'm not an expert on the subject, but I guess with this little research I've learned a lot about these pretty birds.

To finish, I want to share this video that I found on YouTube about another amazing parrot called Einstein the African gray parrot.

https://youtu.be/LIiYHgB5nfU
<center><em>[Loro inteligente](https://youtu.be/LIiYHgB5nfU)</em></center>

<h3>References:</h3>

* https://animalmascota.com/memoria-de-los-loros/
* https://blogs.20minutos.es/yaestaellistoquetodolosabe/por-que-los-loros-pueden-hablar/
* http://www.ilvem.com/shop/otraspaginas.asp?paginanp=694&t=MEMORIA-DE-LORO.htm
* http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2015/08/150715_ciencia_memoria_fotografica_finde_egn
* https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siringe
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eidetic_memory
* https://www.vix.com/es/btg/curiosidades/4034/por-que-los-loros-hablan
* http://www.mascotadomestica.com/articulos-sobre-aves/estres-en-los-loros.html