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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior pp 1–10Cite as

Alex the Parrot

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Synonyms

Animal “language”; Avian cognition; Comparative cognition; Nonhuman intelligence; Parrot cognition

Alex, a Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), was known for his extensive cognitive and communicative abilities. He was the subject of a 30-year research project to determine similarities and differences between his capacities and those of humans and various other nonhuman subjects. A description of his life and achievements follows.

Early Life

Hand-raised by a Chicago area parrot breeder, Alex was sold to a local pet store at about 4 months of age, where he resided, in a large cage with other Grey parrots, until approximately 13 months of age. He was then chosen, at random by the store manager, to become a research subject. Random choice ensured that any experimental success was not a consequence of having been bred specifically for intelligence or vocal ability.

Laboratory Environment

Although Alex was a research subject that lived in a laboratory setting at various universities...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Irene M. Pepperberg

Authors
  1. Irene M. Pepperberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Irene M. Pepperberg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University , Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany

    Alexis Garland

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Pepperberg, I.M. (2018). Alex the Parrot. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_80-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_80-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

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