Parrots who learn to video call feathered friends feel less lonely, study finds

Polly want a cracker? Maybe after a FaceTime catchup with an old friend.

According to a recent study at Northeastern University in Boston, parrots that have been taught to contact their feathered peers with a video call app showed signs of feeling less isolated or lonely.

Parrots are a highly social species, said Northeastern University assistant professor and co-researcher Rébecca Kleinberger.

Many parrot species live in large flocks — when they live with humans, they're usually isolated from other birds. That can lead to heightened loneliness and boredom.

"When they're kept as pets, very often they're the only bird in the household," she said. "They do not have the opportunity to develop their own species identity." 

The parrots were taught the association between ringing a bell and their owner bringing an iPad with a selection of birds. Then, the parrot could choose which one they'd like to call via video. 

It was important to allow the parrots to choose which of their "friends" to call, according to Kleinberger.

Rebecca Meagher, assistant professor at Dalhousie University's Department of Animal Science & Aquaculture, said similar experiments could benefit other social animals. 

She said similar work has been done before, involving showing videos of other animals to primates.

"Finding new ways to allow social contact when animals can't actually be housed with other members of the species certainly has the potential to benefit the welfare of social species," said Meagher, who was not involved in the study. 

"This type of technological approach has potential applications to many animals kept as companions or in zoos and on farms if they have to be housed alone." 

The study took about three months. But it also included a three-week meet-and-greet session, where they were familiarized with other bird friends involved in the study.

Some caught on quickly, but it took longer for others to get introduced. 

"It took a little while," she said. "For others it took longer to understand that they really had this choice."