New Zealand’s critically endangered kākāpō, the world’s heaviest parrot, has made a remarkable comeback. After its population fell to just 51 birds in 1995, decades of intensive conservation have helped raise the number to 325 in 2026, including 90 chicks from the latest breeding season. 

World's heaviest parrot was on the brink with only 51 birds left

Scientists have discovered that pet parrots that are allowed to make video calls to other birds exhibit signs of feeling less lonely.&nbsp;Giving the birds a tablet to use for video calls as part of the study led researchers to discover that they started to exhibit more social skills like preening, singing, and play. The research found that the parrots that called other birds the most frequently were the most popular options when the birds were given a choice of which "friend" to call on a touchscreen tablet.

Video interactions, according to co-author of the study and University of Glasgow doctor Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, have made numerous patients feel less alone all through the pandemic, reported The Guardian.&nbsp;

“There are 20 million parrots living in people’s homes in the USA, and we wanted to explore whether those birds might benefit from video calling too. If we gave them the opportunity to call other parrots, would they choose to do so, and would the experience benefit the parrots and their caregivers?” she said.&nbsp;

Their investigation, which was based on more than 1,000 hours of footage of 18 pet parrots, revealed that there were in fact advantages for the birds. Many species of parrots live in big flocks in the wild, but when kept as pets, they frequently live alone or in small groups. Birds that feel alone or bored may experience psychological issues that show themselves as rocking, pacing back and forth, or even self-harming actions like plucking feathers.

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The scientists hypothesised that video calling could replicate some of the social advantages of living in a flock.

The birds were chosen from Parrot Kindergarten's users, a coaching and educational site for pet parrots and their owners. With the help of their owners, the birds initially discovered how to ring a bell before learning to touch a picture of another bird on a tablet device to make a call to that bird. Owners kept careful notes on the birds' behaviour, and the researchers afterwards watched the video of the 147 deliberate calls the birds made to one another throughout the study.

Dr Jennifer Cunha, a professor at Northeastern University and a co-founder of Parrot Kindergarten, claimed that the parrots "seemed to grasp" that they were interacting with other birds because their conduct resembled that of actual interactions.

“All the participants in the study said they valued the experience, and would want to continue using the system with their parrots in the future,” she said.

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Scientists have discovered that pet parrots that are allowed to make video calls to other birds exhibit signs of feeling less lonely. Giving the birds a tablet to use for video calls as part of the study led researchers to discover that they started to exhibit more social skills like preening, singing, and play.

Scientists have discovered that pet parrots that are allowed to make video calls to other birds exhibit signs of feeling less lonely. Giving the birds a tablet to use for video calls as part of the study led researchers to discover that they started to exhibit more social skills like preening, singing, and play. The research found that the parrots that called other birds the most frequently were the most popular options when the birds were given a choice of which "friend" to call on a touchscreen tablet. Video interactions, according to co-author of the study and University of Glasgow doctor Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, have made numerous patients feel less alone all through the pandemic, reported The Guardian. “There are 20 million parrots living in people’s homes in the USA, and we wanted to explore whether those birds might benefit from video calling too. If we gave them the opportunity to call other parrots, would they choose to do so, and would the experience benefit the parrots and their caregivers?” she said. Their investigation, which was based on more than 1,000 hours of footage of 18 pet parrots, revealed that there were in fact advantages for the birds. Many species of parrots live in big flocks in the wild, but when kept as pets, they frequently live alone or in small groups. Birds that feel alone or bored may experience psychological issues that show themselves as rocking, pacing back and forth, or even self-harming actions like plucking feathers. ALSO READ | UN climate report: World's glaciers melted at dramatic speed in 2022 The scientists hypothesised that video calling could replicate some of the social advantages of living in a flock. The birds were chosen from Parrot Kindergarten's users, a coaching and educational site for pet parrots and their owners. With the help of their owners, the birds initially discovered how to ring a bell before learning to touch a picture of another bird on a tablet device to make a call to that bird. Owners kept careful notes on the birds' behaviour, and the researchers afterwards watched the video of the 147 deliberate calls the birds made to one another throughout the study. Dr Jennifer Cunha, a professor at Northeastern University and a co-founder of Parrot Kindergarten, claimed that the parrots "seemed to grasp" that they were interacting with other birds because their conduct resembled that of actual interactions. “All the participants in the study said they valued the experience, and would want to continue using the system with their parrots in the future,” she said. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Study: Parrots taught to video call one another feel less lonely

A family in New Zealand was in for a surprise recently when a mischievous parrot stole their GoPro and flew with it.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This led the Verheul family get an unexpected bird's eye view of Kepler Track trail that they had just hiked at Fiordland National Park, South Island. &nbsp;

The family is from Dunedin, which is in the southeast of the country.&nbsp;The GoPro, which was stolen by New Zealand’s native parrot species ‘kea’, survived the ordeal.&nbsp;

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In an interview with broadcaster Seven Sharp on Thursday, Alex Verheul said that they had turned on the device to film a group of curious birds, who joined them outside the hut they were staying in. &nbsp;

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📹| In New Zealand, a kleptomaniac parrot captured the natural beauty of the country's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Fiordland?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Fiordland</a> region on video with a stolen <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoPro?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoPro</a> camera. <a href="https://twitter.com/docgovtnz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@docgovtnz</a> <a href="https://t.co/5rXCMqpIEd">pic.twitter.com/5rXCMqpIEd</a>
— ‏ًً (@politicalplayer) <a href="https://twitter.com/politicalplayer/status/1489771926503714817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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As the bird had flown in a straight line, they were able to track it, Verheul added.

Finally, the bird settled on some ground and tapped at the gadget repeatedly with its beak. It also seems to have been able to rip off a chunk of plastic from the camera casing. &nbsp;&nbsp;

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"We just followed the sound, went down there, could see them hanging out in the tree. They'd obviously heard us coming and abandoned the GoPro -- and my son, he decided to go check the rocks... and there it was, just sitting there, still filming," said Verheul. &nbsp;

"I downloaded (the footage) onto my phone... It was amazing. It was totally unexpected," added Verheul. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

A family in New Zealand was in for a surprise recently when a mischievous parrot stole their GoPro and flew with it. This led the Verheul family get an unexpected bird's eye view of Kepler Track trail that they had just hiked at Fiordland National Park, South Island.

A family in New Zealand was in for a surprise recently when a mischievous parrot stole their GoPro and flew with it. This led the Verheul family get an unexpected bird's eye view of Kepler Track trail that they had just hiked at Fiordland National Park, South Island. The family is from Dunedin, which is in the southeast of the country. The GoPro, which was stolen by New Zealand’s native parrot species ‘kea’, survived the ordeal. Also Read: Meta's 'Personal Boundary' feature to make VR world sexual harassment-free In an interview with broadcaster Seven Sharp on Thursday, Alex Verheul said that they had turned on the device to film a group of curious birds, who joined them outside the hut they were staying in. 📹| In New Zealand, a kleptomaniac parrot captured the natural beauty of the country's #Fiordland region on video with a stolen #GoPro camera. @docgovtnz pic.twitter.com/5rXCMqpIEd — ‏ًً (@politicalplayer) February 5, 2022 × As the bird had flown in a straight line, they were able to track it, Verheul added. Finally, the bird settled on some ground and tapped at the gadget repeatedly with its beak. It also seems to have been able to rip off a chunk of plastic from the camera casing. Also Read: Where can we expect the existence of alien life? Study makes the revelation "We just followed the sound, went down there, could see them hanging out in the tree. They'd obviously heard us coming and abandoned the GoPro -- and my son, he decided to go check the rocks... and there it was, just sitting there, still filming," said Verheul. "I downloaded (the footage) onto my phone... It was amazing. It was totally unexpected," added Verheul. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: Parrot steals GoPro, films unexpected bird's eye view of trail in New Zealand

A new study has found that kea, an endangered New Zealand parrot, was clever enough to use touchscreens, but was unable to rell the difference between real and virtual worlds.

Researchers at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch taught six keas to operate touchscreens. The birds were shown a series of tasks that were either entirely physical, entirely on-screen or a mixture of both.

Amalia Bastos, a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland and the study’s first author, told the Guardian that while keas were trained to use electronic devices in the past, the research showed virtual tests could be used to study the bird’s natural behaviour in the real world.

“They’re really hard to keep in captivity because they’re so intelligent, so they need to constantly be mentally enriched so that they stay mentally healthy,” said.

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This requires zookeepers giving the birds fun games to play, Bastos said, but “they’re very curious and they will very quickly learn that if they spend time around humans, humans are a positive thing”.

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Named New Zealand’s bird of the year in 2017, the kea is the world’s only alpine parrot.&nbsp;It is notorious for attacking windscreen wipers and stealing people's valuables.&nbsp;&nbsp;In one case, the parrot reportedly&nbsp;stole a Scottish man’s passport.

Also read |&nbsp;Watch: 6-month-old injured tiger rescued by forest officials&nbsp;in India's southern Tamil Nadu state

Threats to its survival include&nbsp;lead poisoning&nbsp;from housing finishings and deaths from human interactions.

Bastos said kea bred in captivity and given mental enrichment through screens, without human interaction, might be more suitable for release in the wild. “It’s really important to keep them away from human environments as much as possible,” she said.

(With inputs from agencies)

A new study has found that kea, an endangered New Zealand parrot, was clever enough to use touchscreens, but was unable to rell the difference between real and virtual worlds.

A new study has found that kea, an endangered New Zealand parrot, was clever enough to use touchscreens, but was unable to rell the difference between real and virtual worlds. Researchers at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch taught six keas to operate touchscreens. The birds were shown a series of tasks that were either entirely physical, entirely on-screen or a mixture of both. Amalia Bastos, a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland and the study’s first author, told the Guardian that while keas were trained to use electronic devices in the past, the research showed virtual tests could be used to study the bird’s natural behaviour in the real world. “They’re really hard to keep in captivity because they’re so intelligent, so they need to constantly be mentally enriched so that they stay mentally healthy,” said. Also read | Scientists unearth fossils of rare Eagle species that lived 25 million years ago This requires zookeepers giving the birds fun games to play, Bastos said, but “they’re very curious and they will very quickly learn that if they spend time around humans, humans are a positive thing”. Also read | US says ivory-billed woodpecker, 22 other species extinct Named New Zealand’s bird of the year in 2017, the kea is the world’s only alpine parrot. It is notorious for attacking windscreen wipers and stealing people's valuables. In one case, the parrot reportedly stole a Scottish man’s passport. Also read | Watch: 6-month-old injured tiger rescued by forest officials in India's southern Tamil Nadu state Threats to its survival include lead poisoning from housing finishings and deaths from human interactions. Bastos said kea bred in captivity and given mental enrichment through screens, without human interaction, might be more suitable for release in the wild. “It’s really important to keep them away from human environments as much as possible,” she said. (With inputs from agencies)

New Zealand’s kea parrots trained to use touchscreens, but can’t tell difference between real and virtual world

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