Study wants to develop tablets for parrots in the United States

Parrots are intelligent, and some species have the problem-solving skills of a small child. So if young children can use technology in some way, why can't parrots?

Researchers hoping to answer why parrots should use technology for cognitive enrichment set out to answer how tablets could be improved for optimal use by intelligent birds, according to a recent study.

By designing a balloon-popping tablet game and collecting data from 20 pet parrots, researchers found that the birds' interest in the game indicated that mental stimulation could be a potential benefit. However, the anatomy of the creatures was an obstacle to interacting with the screens. Each parrot popped virtual balloons using its tongue and beak, often with its eyes very close to the screen. As a result, the bird would have to turn its head or back away to find its next target.

The findings establish a framework that researchers can use to design more bird-friendly tablets, according to the study, which was peer-reviewed ahead of a May presentation at the ACM (Association of Computing Machinery) CHI conference on Factors Humans in Computing Systems, said lead author Rébecca Kleinberger.

“Many animals in managed care, in zoos, in homes, interact with technology on a daily basis. They see the screens we use. Sometimes they use some as toys,” said Kleinberger, an assistant professor of humanities and voice technology at Northeastern University in Boston. “But there is very little research into how technology affects animal experiences and how we could potentially create better technologies for animal enrichment.”

Kleinberger is the principal investigator of the INTERACT Animal Lab, a team of researchers studying how technology can enrich the lives of dogs, orcas and birds, according to a press release from Northeastern University. The team released a 2023 study that revealed that a group of parrots liked to make video calls with other feathered friends.

As long as a caregiver is present, incorporating tablets into a parrot's routine can help the intelligent creature receive more stimulation, according to Irene Pepperberg, an associate research professor in the department of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University who specializes in parrots. grey.

“(Wild parrots) spend their days cracking nuts, extracting shells and interacting with all kinds of other birds in the flock. … They have very exciting days, full of different things,” said Pepperberg, who was not involved in the new study. “And so what we want to do is give birds in captivity some kind of enrichment.”

Tablets designed with parrots in mind

Seventeen birds completed the study, which involved interacting with a touchscreen for a maximum of 30 minutes a day for three months. Two birds dropped out due to lack of interest in the tablet, while one bird showed signs of stress and anxiety. Caretakers registered their parrots at home, keeping them in a familiar routine. The study's human participants also chipped in to praise and encourage their creatures to stay engaged, Kleinberger said.

Some parrots were accurate when tapping a target on the screen, while others seemed to be more involved in interacting with their caregivers.

“The (games) were not meant to be used in isolation, for the bird to do it alone, but to consider the social context of its existing interaction with its caretakers, and how the system can also help reinforce human-to-human bonding. and animals,” Kleinberger said.

One way to improve bird tablet designs is to use the device's camera to get a better sense of where the bird is and adjust accordingly, or redesign a game's layout keeping in mind the parrot's proximity to the screen so that the bird can see targets better, Kleinberger said. Another improvement the researchers identified solved the problem of birds hitting a target multiple times too quickly and apparently becoming frustrated. One bird showed more interest in playing after researchers adjusted the tablets to count just one tap every 300 milliseconds, she added.

It was not surprising that birds could learn to follow a circle on a screen because of their greater intelligence, said Kurt Sladky, clinical professor of zoological medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Sladky was not involved in the new study.

“We see many birds that, for whatever reason, out of boredom or sexual frustration, pluck their feathers. … I think to avoid some of that boredom, I can see (playing games) being helpful — they love noises, they love music, they love watching things,” said Sladky, who has patients who have expressed interest in watching YouTube videos of other birds. .

Mobile games to enrich the parrot environment

If a parrot owner plans to introduce tablets into a pet's schedule, it's important to remember that the activity must be collaborative between the owner and the bird, Pepperberg said. “But if you leave it in the cage, for the birds, it’s like leaving your little kids with a tablet all day.”

Each bird will have individual likes and dislikes, favoring one game over another, she added. Pet owners should watch their birds for symptoms of aggression and irritability on tablet use, while keeping the birds on a schedule and not having them play with the tablets for long periods.

“When we look at the way technology has changed human lives, both for good and for bad, it is tremendous how much our lives have changed in the last 100 years,” Kleinberger said. “Much of our research studies providing ethical, sustainable and meaningful enrichment for animals (with technology) designed for their own well-being…rather than systems that are used to reduce the interaction that we as humans need to provide them.”