Alex (the research parrot) found dead

[tony hipchest]

many of you may know him from his discovery channel specials, where he identifies "truck" and "wool".

Alex's advanced language and recognition skills revolutionized the understanding of the avian brain. After Pepperberg bought Alex from an animal shop in 1973, the parrot learned enough English to identify 50 different objects, seven colors, and five shapes. He could count up to six, including zero, was able to express desires, including his frustration with the repetitive research.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

i've owned alot of pets throughout the years and none have had the personality and cognitive abilities of my bird.

just to have an animal that will address you in a human voice by your name is pretty amazing (let alone knowing the names of the rest of the family.)

many have believed that is just a product of repetition and mimicking, but the research alex provided (about 8 hrs a day for 30 years) showed these animals possess true cognitive abilities.

it was only fitting this story was found in the obituaries as opposed to "strange news".

[83-Steelers-43]

I heard the Patriots organization used him in a spying network. He would go over to opposing team sidelines, listen in and read the playbook and fly back over to "The Genious" and spill the beans.

[fansince'76]

I think a suspect has been found in Alex's untimely death:

Foul-Mouthed Parrot Not a Pretty Polly

His boot-button eyes and spotless blue-and-gold plumage finger him as a dandy at least, if not a gentleman.

But when he opens his beak, Barney the macaw reveals himself to be a bottom-drawer bird — the most potty-mouthed parrot in Britain, in fact.

The six-year-old bird has a vocabulary that would strip paint — together with a piercing delivery.

In recent months, he has brought disgrace upon his home, the Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary in Nuneaton, by telling the town's mayoress to "f--- off" and calling a pair of transport policemen "wankers".

The sanctuary's owner, Geoff Grewc0ck, became increasingly alarmed when Barney fixed his beady eye on a visiting vicar, announcing "And you can f--- off too".

But when the bird cussed out a visiting troupe of Beavers (entry-level Cubs and Brownies) he had clearly gone too far.

"He'd done the Brownies already," sighs Mr Grewc0ck. "'But when he said 'f--- off' to the Beavers, that's when I knew it was time to bring him in."

Nowadays, Barney spends his days in the cooler, a solitary cage inside Mr Grewc0ck's house.

Barney keeps in trim by swinging briskly back and forth on his perch, singing "bollocks, bollocks, bollocks", to himself.

Occasionally, he will break for a Rich Tea biscuit.

Mr Grewc0ck is attempting to correct Barney's language by stealth, forcing him to listen to Radio Four (the British equivalent of Radio National).

But it doesn't appear to be doing much good.

"Last week I dropped something on the floor next to the cage and when I bent down to pick it up, he leaned down off his perch and whispered really quietly, 'You twat'," Mr Grewc0ck recalls remorsefully.

"Unfortunately, I think he picked up that one from me; it's something I say when I'm annoyed, and anyway I can tell because he says it in my voice."

One theory is that Barney — who came to the sanctuary two years ago when his previous owner and language coach, a truckie, moved to Spain — has a natural suspicion of authority figures.

To test this theory, The Sunday Age visited Barney in the company of a local uniformed bobby, Gareth Evans.

PC Evans kept his bulletproof vest and bobby's hat firmly about his person as he advanced gingerly into Barney's parlour.

"F--- off," muttered Barney warily, as the fuzz approached.

The pair did not hit it off.

The bird, as jumpy as a pickpocket at a store detective's convention, nervously consumed The Sunday Age's ball-point pen and a button off Mr Grewc0ck's shirt before consenting to sidle over to PC Evans.

After biting the constable's proffered index finger, Barney finally unwound sufficiently to accept a biscuit and call the policeman a "twat", but otherwise remained mute.

Only canaries sing to the cops.

"Barney"

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by 83-Steelers-43

I heard the Patriots organization used him in a spying network. He would go over to opposing team sidelines, listen in and read the playbook and fly back over to "The Genious" and spill the beans.

no, that wasnt alex. only a pigeon would be stupid enough to try and pull that off infront of 70,000 people, week in and week out.

[tony hipchest]

Mr Grewc0ck

(great article fansince)

[tony hipchest]

*BREAKING NEWS*

video footage of whom is believed to have whacked Alexandro-

[YOUTUBE]XZC1jiwKMHc&eurl=[/YOUTUBE]



(rip alex)