Last Updated on March 22, 2023 by Lily Aldrin
A pet owner or not, you must have wondered about the smartness of a parakeet at some point. Given its small size, one naturally underestimates its genius. However, the bird is a bright and clever creature.
Parakeets are small birds, but their size does not limit their cognitive strengths. They are intelligent birds and can do a lot of things that one would normally not expect off an 18 cm bird.
Parakeets can perform a range of entertaining activities which will be discussed in detail in the given article.
Are Parakeets Smart?
Yes, Parakeets are incredibly smart birds. They have a lot of natural characteristics which describe them as smart. They can talk, they can understand humans, they can have fun and many more.
How Smart Are Parakeets?
The insightfulness of a parakeet can be judged by the various attributes that it has:
1. Parakeets Can Talk
It is astonishing to learn that parakeets can actually talk. But owners would confirm that these birds can not only talk but are also really good at memorizing.
2. Parakeets are Trainable
Parakeets are quick learners and easy to train. If trained well, they can perform a number of activities like. Parakeets can be trained to talk, train to entertain, train to understand, and more.
3. Parakeets Can Play Games with You
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Parakeets are playful pets. They can learn and play multiple games. One of the most common of those includes the ring placement game where the parakeet is given small rings. It holds the ring in its beak and places it on a hook. This is an interesting game. It can be a fun playtime with a parakeet. The game is interesting for both, the pet itself as well as the pet owner.
4. Fly Directly Towards You
Once you train your parakeet, they are likely to understand your cue words and actions. You can place your finger pointing towards your parakeet and say your cue word that it understands for example, ‘come’ or it may be his name or any other thing, or you can act like you are calling it, and it will respond accordingly.
Another technique can be of giving your pet parakeet a small treat such as sunflower seed or praise him with words that it understands. Or you can also use a whistle to call it towards you.
5. Do Tricks like Somersaults
A parakeet may do somersaults or flipping on the owner’s hands as a sign that it wants something, or maybe as an indicator that it wants to play, or may do it just as a fun activity. However, this shows that how creative and thoughtful these creatures are in their actions.
6. Mimic Words, Actions, As Well As Behaviors
Parakeets are considered to be one of the most vocal birds in the family of a parrot. Usually, when the parakeet is typically tweeting a song, or mimicking some words, or talking; it means that they are happy. Parakeets basically have thick tongues which allow them to mimic and imitate human speech sounds.
Moreover, the thickness of the tongue and the place where the parakeet positions it in its mouth enables it to produce such sounds. These sounds are produced when the air passes through the syrinx, following the movement of the tongue that produces sound in the bird’s mouth and throat. Parakeets can mimic the words that they have most often heard.
7. Parakeets Can Socialize With Their Owners
Being a highly intelligent species, parakeets are able to recognize the voices of their owners and respond accordingly. They love to play with their owners and act likewise to what is being said if domesticated properly. Moreover, they are likely to talk around their owners which is a sign of attentiveness and affection towards their owners.
8. Parakeets Can Socialize With Others
If a person other than their owner tries to interact with a parakeet, he would have to be soft and humble and not terrorizing. However, they may hesitate at first but if you’ll make them comfortable and assure them of not hurting them by your actions, they are more likely to socialize with you in a very short time. Parakeets are usually not frightened of interacting, but they are not likely to interact when they are terrorized.
9. Parakeets Can Socialize With Other Parakeets
Parakeets are very loving and immensely social birds. They love speaking to each other and would contently spend their time inside the cage if they are with another parakeet. Moreover, they love spending time with their partners so much so that if they have one, you may forget about your bonding with your parakeet.
10. Parakeets Can Express Emotions
Parakeets are very affectionate birds towards humans. They may flap their wings, follow you, cuddle you, mimic you, regurgitate food as a means of affection. These birds are able to bond with you and love you hence, they show their affection in such ways.
However, there are some exceptional cases where a parakeet may not express its emotions. And it may be because of some external and internal factors. These factors may impact their feather picking or self-mutilation, loss of appetite, fear, aggression, boredom, sickness, and change in vocalization, etc.
11. Parakeets Can Adapt Easily
Parakeets are smart since they can adapt to new environments, as well as new places. They become friends in no time and get adjusted and in a changed atmosphere accordingly.
12. Scientifically Proven
Though the above-mentioned abilities of a parakeet are enough evidence to label them as smart birds but to make the claim stronger, it should be noted that parakeets are considered to be one of the smartest birds according to the brain to body size ratio. They have smaller bodies therefore the brain size is a longer number in the numerator.
Fun Fact
According to the standard pet intelligence tests, parakeets are much smarter than dogs!
Astonishing, right?
How to Keep Parakeets Smart?
Parakeets should be taken well care of, and it should be ensured that they use their brains routinely.
- Their brain should be regularly and frequently stimulated to keep them active and avoid the boredom and depression of the bird.
- They should be given different toys and perches.
- It should be made sure that the parakeet gets regular exercise.
- Health care shall be maintained.
- Place them in big enough cages so that they have plenty of living space.
- Let them out of cages to fly and play from time to time.
Conclusion
Parakeets are smarter than one could have expected. They are not only pretty and attractive but also clever and smart. A perfect fit for beauty with brains. The given article has explored all the ways of parakeet’s quick-wittedness can be judged.
FAQ
What brain portion does a parakeet use?
A parakeet uses half of its brain at any point in time. Half their brain is asleep while the other one is awake even when they are in a deep slumber.
