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Information about N'kisi (parrot)

This article is about a parrot. For the traditional artifacts from the Congo Basin, see Nkisi.


N'kisi is an African Grey Parrot who exhibits apparently advanced English usage skills and other abilities.

According to news reports and websites,[1] [2] as of January 2004, N'kisi had a vocabulary of about 950 words and used them in context, frequently in complete sentences, has approximated verb forms to maintain the correct tense (such as saying flied as the past tense of fly), and does not depend on learned phrases to communicate his thoughts. According to these sources, N'kisi is capable of understanding photographic images, and is able to name objects (within his vocabulary) appearing in a photo. He is also said to be capable of inventing new terms for things he does not know words for. One anecdote recounted by the chimpanzee scientist, Jane Goodall[3], says that upon meeting her in person after seeing a photo of her, he asked, "Got a chimp?" It is claimed he demonstrates what appears to be a sense of humor.

N'kisi has also taken part in a published scientific study of telepathic abilities,[4] which has been criticized by skeptics. There is also some controversy about whether parrots are capable of using language, or merely mimic what they hear. Some scientific studies conducted with other African Grey Parrots have suggested that they are capable of using words meaningfully in linguistic tasks, and scientists are now beginning to recognize the intelligence of parrots.[5]

References

See also

External links

Psittaciformes
Wagler, 1830

Systematics

(but see below)

Family Cacatuidae (cockatoos)
  • Subfamily Microglossinae (Palm Cockatoo)
  • Subfamily Calyptorhynchinae (dark cockatoos)
  • Subfamily Cacatuinae (white cockatoos)

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Mouth Atlantic Ocean
Basin countries Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo
Length 4,700 km (2,922 mi)

Avg.
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Nkisi (plural Minkisi, also Nkishi/Minkishi), literally translates as "sacred medicine". The term Nkisi is the general name for a variety of objects used throughout the Congo Basin in Central Africa thought to contain spiritual powers or spirits (called
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Psittacus
Linnaeus, 1758

Species: P. erithacus

Binomial name
Psittacus erithacus
Linnaeus, 1758

Subspecies

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English}}} 
Writing system: Latin (English variant) 
Official status
Official language of: 53 countries
Regulated by: no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1: en
ISO 639-2: eng
ISO 639-3: eng  
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Jane Goodall

Dr. Jane Goodall at Hong Kong University
on October 24, 2004.
Born April 3, 1934

Residence England, Tanzania
Nationality British
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Psittacus
Linnaeus, 1758

Species: P. erithacus

Binomial name
Psittacus erithacus
Linnaeus, 1758

Subspecies

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Alex (1976 - September 6, 2007[1]) was an African Grey Parrot and the subject of a thirty-year (1977-2007) experiment by animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg, initially at the University of Arizona and later at Harvard and Brandeis University.
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Koko (born July 4, 1971, in San Francisco, California) is the name of a gorilla taught by Dr. Francine 'Penny' Patterson and other scientists at Stanford University to communicate with more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language, and understand approximately 2,000 words
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