Psychic parrot?

[givinguptheghost]

kind of an interesting story here. Now, I'm very skeptical about, well, pretty much everything. But this parrot does seem to be able to 'read' her humans mind. And if a parrot can do it, then can all animals, or some more intelligent animals, like dogs and cats? And if animals can read minds, is it then possible that humans could, as humans are in essence an animal?

It should be noted that parrots, and birds in general, are not nearly as instinctual and basic brain-wise as we once thought they were. Their brain is constructed a little differently than the brain of a mammal, but it is still far more evolved and complex than that of reptiles. Several species of birds regularly use tools, and crows have demonstrated the ability to actually make tools, and then use them, such as hooks. This is something that only a few animals can do, most if not all being apes and corvids.

just something to think about. Heres the article.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/2001-02-12-parrot.htm

Nkisi's website: http://www.sheldrake.org/nkisi/

N'kisi was also in Jane Goodall's "When animals talk" animal planet special. here is a youtube link of her section in the video:

[Aaron LeClair]

I wasn't impressed with what I read. I only read through one of the sites. Might check out the rest later. Birds talk constantly. I have had a bird that would say things on his own. You're bound to get hits at random. 20 hits out of seventy (or there abouts)? Not impressive to me.

I'm thrilled they are doing the research however. I find it very well worth the effort to explore.



I've heard of cases where a person would astral travel to their cat in a lab, and the cat would respond.

My father used to test at least one of his dog's psychic abilities and claims to have been successful. I wasn't present and the dog could have been picking up on cues. My father isn't a scientist or parapsychologist. Just a little more fanciful than most maybe.

[givinguptheghost]

Originally Posted by A.LeClair

I wasn't impressed with what I read. I only read through one of the sites. Might check out the rest later. Birds talk constantly. I have had a bird that would say things on his own. You're bound to get hits at random. 20 hits out of seventy (or there abouts)? Not impressive to me.

Thats what I thought as well, but apparently the 20-30 average that the bird gets right is far above that of chance, or so according to the articles/video.

Nkisi is not your typical parrot however. He's being taught and has been taught at a very young age to be able to use speach rather than just mimic, he's basically an experiment. Supposedly he is able to actually speak in simple sentences to express what he wants and how he's feeling, and to respond to people.

[Moshi Dayan]

"The Language of The Birds?" Understood by wizards since before men made a record of days.
Actually we humans have something in common with avians.
We both have a reptilian brain.
The human brain has grown from the vestigal reptilian brain which sits atop our spinal process.
Our most basic instincts, those of fight or flight are housed there, and can over-ride our larger supposedly more complex brain, which is why horror movies can scare you just like it was real.
The Avian also has this same structure though fitted to it's size.
Birds are capable of many higher functions.
I once had a male Lovebird named Pete.
Pete was an onery bastich. We had acquired him from some people who didn't want him because he was mean.
Mean was an understatement, Pete HATED humans.
I decided that I'd try to put a little love in his heart, and spoke softly to him in his cage, and gave him all sorts of delacacies.
Pete couldn't be bought.
He would still viciously bite any hand that got close to him.
I decided he needed to be more aware of hands and humans.
I noticed before removing him from his cage that his wings were in full feather, so to protect him from flying into the ceiling fan, or one of our large plate glass windows, I donned a pair of kid gloves and reached in to get him to trim his wings.
Taking hold of Pete was no problem at all as Pete had taken quite a firm grip on my glove.
With my wife's assistance I trimmed his wings so that he was unable to fly.
Pete continued to fight at my hand until I finished the trimming, so I decided to allow him to walk around the house a while.
Then Pete did something which amazed me.
He began using his beak to cut pieces of my newspaper which I'd put on the floor beside my recliner.
He cut feather shaped pieces.
When he decided he'd cut enough pieces he began shaping one end by twisting it till it formed a quill shape.
Then as god and our video camera as my witnesses, he began placing them into his wings, trying to replace the feathers I'd trimmed.
It was amazing, and funny, and a little sad.
It was obvious that Pete understood the dynamics of flight, and was trying to repair himself.
I gained a whole new respect for Pete that day.
Pete was an aereodynamics engineer!
If he'd had the proper materials he might (but probably wouldn't) have repaired his wings.
It was obvious, Pete was the captain of his own spirit, I could not bear to see him in close confinement.
Pete was a Peach Faced Lovebird, and since I hadn't the means to return him to his native Angola, I got in touch with a friend who worked at the Dallas Zoo and arranged to have him admitted to the aviary at the Dallas Zoo.
I waited till he was once more in full feather, then brought him in to the zoo for a short quarantine (which was silly since wild birds were constantly getting past the double doorways and enjoying the paradise like aviary, and exhibited birds would often make a bid for freedom, but staff usually caught them between the doorways).
Finally Pete was released into the aviary where he met some others of his own kind (possibly for the first time in his life) and when I visited I couldn't tell
Pete from the other Peach Faced Lovebirds.
Since I wasn't attacked (or crapped upon) I presume he couldn't tell me from the other bearded humans.
At it's most basic, the survival instinct in avians and man are the same, both having their root in that little reptile which lives in us all.
Avians have awareness of self, and if raised in close quarters with humans learn to interact with we huge monstrosities.
Even the common chicken is capable of learning the meaning of a few human words, but it is the rare human indeed that understands even one thing a chicken has to say.
A farmer who has been around them long enough knows the chicken words for danger be it hawk. or fox, or snake, and he will have noted that certain hens have a liking for certain roosters and a disdain for others. He knows a mother hen's call to it's young, and the cry of a chick seperated from it's mother...he also knows the trill of contentment when the chick is back beneath it's mothers wing.
Should the farmer place a hen in with a rooster she does not like, when they go to roost if the hen faces opposit of the way the rooster sits on the perch it is a sure sign no chicks will come of the pairing. If a hen is taken from a rooster she has bonded with both will grieve, if they can still hear one another's call they pine for each other.
Language, individuality, social status, preference in mating, ...all in creatures we routinely eat without the slightest twinge of guilt.
I'll bet if we had to do our own murders there would be more vegetarians...who by the way taste just like chicken....which may or may not be true...I heard it from an alligator, but cannibals refer to human flesh as "Long Pig", so you might want to avoid it if you are keeping kosher.
Who wants chilled monkey brains!!!?? YUM!

[philip12]

Birds have small brains...thus the saying bird brain, they are animals going by there basic instincts, and it is our imaginations and creative editing that can make them into genius's. reading minds, is more the animal sensing something, just as dogs can sense when we are angry, possibly by external body language clues that are not noticeable by everyone else.

[Aaron LeClair]

The term bird brain is out dated. Birds are smart. We need a new term like, Bush Brain to hurl at the stupid.

[auntiegrav]

Originally Posted by philip12

Birds have small brains...thus the saying bird brain, they are animals going by there basic instincts, and it is our imaginations and creative editing that can make them into genius's. reading minds, is more the animal sensing something, just as dogs can sense when we are angry, possibly by external body language clues that are not noticeable by everyone else.

This is deceptive. Yes, birds have a small brain in their head, but much of their functions are controlled by ganglia and 'mini-brains' in the spine. That's how they can react so fast while flying, and why chickens run around with their heads cut off (until they bleed to death). That means that the 'small' brain in their head is free to perform higher functions with less mass weighing down their head (figuratively and literally).

Remember that part of "Jurassic Park" where the raptors are testing the fence? My chickens do that all the time. If they find a weakness, they will keep at it until they get out. It's not all just instinct.
The funny part is that if you turn off the lights or it gets dark, their brains shut off.