Parrots No Birdbrains, Says MIT Professor by George Sommers, Somerville, Massachusetts , , P OllY want a cracker?" may yield to "Polly want computer time?" if Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Irene Pepperberg has her way. Dr. Irene Pepperberg pOints Ottt Cameroon, home to wild African Parrots, as a rapt Arthur looks 011 in her Massachusetts Institute of Technology Office. Dr. Pepperberg is already well­ known in avian circles as the trainer of Alex the African grey parrot Psittacus been applied to the teaching of devel­ were threatened by poachers and this erithacus. The celebrated Alex doesn't opmentally disabled children, with an was in a reserve. The problem is that just "parrot" human English - he can astonishing degree of success. there's not enough money to police recognize and name nearly 100 differ­ Alex remains at the University of the reserve," she points out. Fully one ent objects, including color texture Arizona, where Dr. Pepperberg did her quarter of parrot species are in trouble, and quantity. Unprompted, he will groundhreaking work on avian COIU­ with poaching and habitat loss as lead­ identify the color of a human visitor's munication. ing culprits_ clothes, ask for various treats or even Currently, Irene Pepperberg is an "One of the reasons we do our to go to another room. He even impro­ associate professor at the MIT Media work is to luake the public more vises - referring to an apple as a Lab. She returns to Arizona one week aware of the intelligence of these crea­ "banerry," an apparent combination of out of each month, as she continues in tures. It's sad but true, the more intelli­ banana and cherry. New England with her African grey gent the creature, the more likely it is "Up to this point, Alex has per­ research. that the general public will be interest­ formed as well as the chitups or dol­ Would you believe - a Web ed in the general conservation of that phins," says Dr. Pepperberg of the Browser for birds? As parrot owners species," she continues. psittacine celebrity'S communicative know, the birds are very social and To this end, one of her MIT projects ability. crave attention. Left alone during the is developing a lightweight radio track­ Next up, the professor even sees day, they often develop such bad ing device for wild parrots. "Radio col­ potential for Alex to read, and has habits as feather picking and excessive lars don't work, they chew them off," been experimenting with refrigerator screaming. "We're developing comput­ the doctor explains. magnet letters. er-based gadgets to enhance the par­ Conventional wisdom holds that Dr. Pepperberg's findings have rot/ human interaction. We're hoping apes and dolphins have the most they will respond to video clips on a potential for advanced communica­ liqUid crystal display and this will be a tion. "Nobody was looking at birds positive thing for them," explains Dr. and it was clear frolu the anecdotal lit­ Avicultu,ral Society f" ~t ~ Pepperberg. Some potential reward erature that something was going on of Amen ca ~ -- -. ..' ; ~ images may be the birds' owners or there," reasoned Professor Pepperherg. - ~~ Founded in 1927 • other parrots in the wild. Negative Still, past tests on talking birds proved The ASA welcomes new members and behavior may yield such images as a inconclusive at best. One researcher's publishes the ASA Bulletin six times a year menacing osprey - or perhaps the fun birds mastered imitating the sound of a with articles on all aspects of aviculture. For membership and information new toy, the COluputer, will simply tape recorder going on and off but not contact: ASA c/o Helen Hanson shut itself off. much else! Dr. Pepperherg thought P.O. Box 551 6, RiverSide, CA 92517 Dr. Pepperberg has become greatly that maybe past results had "less to do Yearly dues $ 2 5 concerned with the status of parrots in with the intelligence of hirds than the Overseas members add $-5 postJge. U.SJunds only. the wild. "My students in Cameroon intelligence of the researchers doing 20 September/October 2000 the tests." to make. Initially, she ran up against a wall of To potential parrot owners, Dr. skepticism. "They asked me what I Pepperberg advises, "On one level, was smoking," she says of some of her they can be incredibly wonderful pets. 1 colleagues. "Birds have brains the size At another level it's really upsetting of walnuts and their brains are orga­ that these very social birds are often nized so completely different from left alone for long periods of time. ours. The argument was they simply That's why I'm trying to come up with could not do this type of work." these things at MIT." Inspired by "Nova" programs on the "You want them well socialized," subject (and perhaps her girlhood she adds, not smuggled and not force Parakeet, or Melopsittacus undulatus) weaned. "That's a real problem - sort PETE she decided to set about to prove oth­ of like a puppy mill problem." erwise. While a young affiliate with the Dr. Irene Pepperberg received her University of Arizona's program on bachelors degree from MIT and her neuroscience, Dr. Pepperberg thought, graduate degrees from Harvard. She is "Suddenly, mathematical modeling of an associate professor at the the reaction pathways of molecules Department of Ecology & Evolutionary seemed a lot less exciting than trying Biology and the Department of to understand communication in ani­ Psychology at the University of mals." (That went right over this cor­ Arizona, and is an affiliate in their pro­ respondent's head, too.) gram on neuroscience. "The Grey Parrot was the logical As the 2000 winner of the presti­ species. They live in social groups, in gious 2000 Selby Fellowship from the tropical forests where the foliage is Australian Academy of Sciences, she dense and they might need complex recently completed a lecture tour vocal signals to stay in touch," the New Down Under. Scenic Jungle Mix This correspondent exclUSively inter­ York native continues. : .. ... Training for her birds (Alex is the viewed Dr. Pepperberg as a guest of the most famous in a group) is pattemed New Hampshire Avicultural SOCiety, for after German scientist Dietmar Todt's whom she did a presentation. so-called Model/Rivalry Technique, in She's unsure if she will remain in which two humans name and pass New England or return to Arizona after this year, hut she's hoping to have <r, • _ • .~~, '''.~., objects hetween themselves as the hird :~sf':}"' J',."., ...";" ,... ><w . NET ;y:, 32 Ol observes. Alex has learned the ropes so Alex with her wherever she ends up. ... $48.00/251bs+s/h $8.00/21bs+s/h well that he sometimes substitutes for Dr. Irene Pepperberg has made one of the humans - and the suhject enormous strides in proving that if hird usually learns even more quickly! man can fly, birds can talk (and com­ For when the humans are away, the prehend). scientist rigged up a pulley system to reward the birds for positive hehaviors. For more information on Alex and Dr. She laughingly compares it to Groucho Irene Pepperberg, including video clip, visit: Marx's "secret woid" duck on You Bet http://www.cages.org/research/ Your Ltfe. pepperberg/index.html Alex's voice resemhles that of Irene Pepperherg. Other hirds, or colleagues Thanks to New Hampshire Avicultural as she refers to them, sound more like Society for inviting George Sommers to cover her male associates. Kyaara is clearly and exclUSively interview Dr. Irene the Mel Blanc of the crowd, adept at Pepperberg at a Nashua, NH presentation. imitating many voices! For more information on the New Hampshire Griffin the Grey took five years to Avicultural Society, e-mail master the word "paper," with initial [email protected] efforts sounding more like "A-UH". ROSES PET EMPORIUM "Think ahout saying 'paper' without Freelance writer George Sommers has lips!" explains Dr. Pepperberg. owned a Goffin's cockatoo for eleven years. 32 Santa Ana Ave At MIT, the professor is working Visit: Santa Barbara, CA 93111 with an African Grey Parrot named http://members.aol.com! Arthur, or "Wart" from a noise he likes georgesommers/index.html ~ (888) 418-2269 the afa wATCHBIRD 21 .