Speaker
Description
Vocal production learning (VPL) is considered a crucial component of human language. VPL is rare and among birds has been detected only in songbirds, hummingbirds, and parrots. Parrots are probably the most advanced vocal learners who learn new vocalisations throughout their lives and are known for their ability to imitate human speech. Thus parrots present an intriguing model to shed light on how human language evolved. However, only little is known about how widely vocal learning is distributed in Psitticaformes, an avian order comprising 398 species. In the past decade, surveying behaviour from online video repositories has become a promising research tool for investigating animal behaviour. In this study, we conducted a YouTube survey and provided an overview of the phylogenetic distribution of (allospecific) vocal learning in parrots to enhance our understanding of the evolution of language. We found videos for 163 species, of which 137 species showed evidence for VPL. Socioecological parameters (gregariousness), and life-history traits (longevity, brain and body size) explained the variation when corrected for phylogeny. We thus provide some of the first solid data available on interspecific variation in VPL in parrots and examine potential socio-ecological evolutionary drivers.
