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Why can parrots talk? - Grace Smith-Vidaurre and Tim Wright

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Whether they’re belting Beyoncé, head-banging to classic rock, or rattling off curse words at zoo-goers, parrots are constantly astounding us. They are among the only animals that produce human speech, and some parrots do it almost uncannily well. How is this possible? Grace Smith-Vidaurre and Tim Wright dig into the anatomy that allows parrots to talk, scream, curse, and recite facts.

Do parrots that mimic human speech understand the words that they articulate? Explain why many captive parrots might be motivated to mimic human words, and what evidence we have that some parrots can learn to understand human words.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Grace Smith-Vidaurre, Tim Wright
  • Director Anton Bogaty
  • Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
  • Music Jarrett Farkas
  • Sound Designer and Mixer Weston Fonger
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Anna Bechtol
  • Editorial Producer Cella Wright
  • Associate Producer Sazia Afrin
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler

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