Parrots’ ability to mimic human speech is one of the most fascinating things about them, and some of them even manage to develop musical abilities. Instagram page Bird Singalong Project is sharing videos of singing parrots from all around the world, and it’s part of the larger research exploring parrots’ musicality.
Bird Singalong Project is being conducted by researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands, who are trying to gain a better understating of animal cognition and the evolution of language. Since parrots happen to be one of the bird species capable of mimicking human speech, they decided to use them as the main subject in this study.
They asked parrot owners from all around the world to send them videos of their pet birds that engage in singing or whistling along to music.
“We are looking for enthusiastic parrot owners who want to contribute to our understanding of musicality: the capacity to perceive, make, and appreciate music. Is musicality a uniquely human capacity? Or is it something we share with many other animals, and hence a capacity that has a long evolutionary history?” reads the project’s official description.
Despite starting its life as an academic project, Bird Singalong Project became a huge sensation on social media, and their Instagram videos of singing parrots are regularly seen by thousands of people.
