Scientific American: Parrots are taking over the world
UC researcher explains why parrots are so adaptable
Scientific American turned to a University of Cincinnati researcher to explain what makes parrots so adaptable, particularly in cities they share with people.
According to the magazine, at least 60 of the world's 380 parrot species have breeding populations outside their historic geographic range. These transplants are thriving in new places where they have learned to adapt.
“They're animals that are really social. They live in cognitively complex social environments,” Grace Smith-Vidaurre, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cincinnati, told Scientific American. “They're like humans in a lot of ways.”
Smith-Vidaurre studies birds in UC Assistant Professor Elizabeth Hobson's lab.
Monk parakeets, in particular, have adapted to city life in places like Chicago, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, New York. They were introduced to the United States from South America through the pet trade.
So far, concerns that monk parakeets would become an agricultural pest in the United States have not come true. Instead, they seem to enjoy city life.
Now Smith-Vidaurre is comparing the vocalizations of the U.S. birds to those found in their native South America. She found that the calls made by birds living in this noisy city soundscape are less complex than those found in South America.
“Something about their environment might be constraining their ability to produce or perceive these vocal signatures,” she says.
Read the Scientific American story.
Featured image at top: Monk parakeets perch in a tree in Cape Coral, Florida. These nonnative, invasive species are thriving in many cities across the United States. Photo/Michael Miller
More UC biology in the news
Related Stories
Smithsonian: UC finds pollution in ancient Maya city
July 2, 2020
Smithsonian Magazine examines research by University of Cincinnati that found toxic pollution in ancient Maya reservoirs.
Haaretz: UC study sheds light on environmental collapse
June 29, 2020
Haaretz and other international media report on UC's research into ancient Maya water pollution.
Cincinnati Edition: Did ancient Maya build parks?
July 20, 2021
UC biology professor David Lentz talks to Cincinnati Edition about their multi-disciplinary investigation of plants that grew along ancient Maya reservoirs more than 1,000 years ago.
BBC: Maya's ingenious secret to survival
August 9, 2021
UC researchers discover evidence of water filtration in ancient Maya city of Tikal.
WaPo: Ancient Maya beat heat by planting trees
August 4, 2021
The Washington Post's KidsPost features University of Cincinnati research in the ancient Maya city of Tikal that found evidence of ancient natural parks at reservoirs.
Smithsonian: UC researchers uncover ancient Maya water filtration
November 6, 2020
International news media highlight UC archaeologists' discovery of advanced water filtration system in ancient Maya city.
WVXU: UC finds pollution in ancient Maya reservoirs
August 6, 2020
A study by experts across disciplines at UC found that ancient Maya reservoirs in Tikal were polluted with toxic cyanobacteria and mercury, which likely hastened the demise of the ancient city during droughts. UC biology professor David Lentz tells Cincinnati Edition the findings could help explain the mystery of why people abandoned the city.
NPR: Excavations reveal sophisticated Mayan water filtration
November 9, 2020
Weekend Edition's Scott Simon interviews UC researchers who discovered that the ancient Maya used sophisticated water filtration system at Tikal.
Ancient Origins: Maya cities had unique neotropical forest parks
June 25, 2021
Ancient Origins highlights UC research at the ancient Maya city of Tikal that found evidence of trees and wild vegetation growing along two reservoirs.
AP: Study details environmental impacts of early Chaco residents
November 1, 2021
The Associated Press highlights UC research at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, that found evidence suggesting people cultivated crops to live there year round.