If you want to know about how his training or how he was handled, read the book 'Alex & Me' which details everything about his life. He was treated unbelievably well, there were just some times when funding for the research was scarce which meant Dr. Pepperberg had less time to spend with him while she was looking for new labs to study with him in. He did get a little agitated in these times, but he was always loved so much, and Dr. Pepperberg always went to see him regularly. But most of his t
He died and his last word were see you tommorow you be good I love you and was found dead inhis cage from hardening of the arteries and when he was born they cut his wing so he coundlent learn to fly there life span of his spieces is 50 years old but was die in the 31 and had the intelligence of a 5 year old human and emotion of a 2 year old
"Go pick up corn" - 2:06 - that's the most amazing part really - his ease of use with the english language is truly remarkable. that sentence wasn't solicited by her at all, he did it of his own volition and desire
Who would have thought that these birds have the I.Q. of humans, or rather "be" human. Or to put it more clearly, like there was a human brain in that bird's head and not a bird's. That parrot wasn't hatched from an egg, that parrot came directly from heaven. The loss of that bird's life long before the time it was supposed to have ended is really a true tragedy. Almost all these African Grey parrots can be tought to be like Alex. It's just a matter of knowing how.
I have an African Grey who plucks occasionally. Loud noises can start it and it becomes a habit. It does not mean they are not loved or looked after it is just one of their traits. At the moment my lovely Charlie is looking good but when there were building works near our house, he looked a lot like Alex. Please keep an open mind when looking at Alex. He was looked after and loved. Greys can be easily startled.
@xRanDomNezZ Sorry to hear that - our first grey was owned by my husband's grandfather. He was 34 when he passed - I think he missed Grandad who passed a year before :( X
@loopylaw1 But mine was young he was 20 years and he just had a sudden screech and i came down and found him at the bottom of the cage ive been crying ever since
it doesnt matter what you are trained for a parrot responds to who you are but a parrot is a flock animal. This living situation and environment caused him to PLUCK a healthy moult does not reveal skin and occurs evenly not patchy, in the wild it would make him appear weak and ill making him a target for predadors and his flock would avoid him for those reasons. This little guy could have taught us just as much living with a family happily. Mine do, naturally and freely they teach and learn.
@justkillintyme I agree. My TAG and other parrots are much happier and healthier than Alex was,. I beiieve their intentions were good, but it was too much pressure and stress and not enough natural play time..
Did Alex really use words as symbolic labels for colors, or was he just very good at getting crackers. Dr. Pepperberg has been met with a lot of skepticism, partly because she is actually trained as a chemist, not as a linguist, psychologist or even biologist. Are we convinced that the professor uses the proper controls in her experiments to rule out simpler explanations for Alex's behavior? There is a long history of animal language hoaxes.
not bad for ventriloquism. maybe they show him the same number of square vs round or green vs blue objects every time and teach the answers. count me sceptical.
Anyone who has actually owned an African Grey can feel free to correct me. From what I gather, they are just very emotionally delicate birds and he would not necessarily need to be mistreated or bored to resort to plucking.
@yoru4you You are so right. I do not own an African Grey, but have a hawkhead. We treat her so well and she is on my shoulder all day as I work at home. We play as I work and I take her from room to room but she still plucks from time to time. It is baffling. We cannot figure it out because we love on her and she is loved and played with all the time.
just thought I'd add something here, I just finished the book irene wrote " Alex and me" and the reason Alex plucked was because there were some stages in his 30 years where times were hard, money was scarce and Irene couldn't be with him as long as he wanted... there were always students with him but he wanted Irene. they looked after him very well, better than most pet parrots.
He didnt seem very happy, plucked all of his feathers off, always wanted to go back to his cage and at the end he was hungry but the trainer made him work his ass off. Its no wonder he died at 31 when average African Gray's live over 50.
Mu African grey is a smart Alice and understands! I open the oven... He goes off like a smoke alarm.. Then laughs his lil red feathers off. Bump your elbow, and he will giggle too.
@orkhanify - I can assure you, if he was treated bad, he wouldn't have learnt the things he did and been so chilled out. Parrots live in a non-hierachical society, and so you CAN'T make them do anything they don't want to, and if you treat them badly, they will do they same.
I cried when it said 'I want to go back' to the jungle where it belongs but it can't. :( Its feathers are clipped off so it can't fly & socialise with other parrots. :( Poor thing died so young compared to the average age parrots are supposed to die.
This video answered something I've been wondering about for a long time - when a parrot "talks" to us, can they really understand what we're saying to them?
Apparently they can understand about as much as a small child, if given enough training. I wonder how much training Alex received in a day.
@RadcliffOfCrymod Not any parrot can understand meanings. Some of them just simply copy the voices they hear from you. I know grey parrots and ravens are able to understand words, they are also known as the most intelligent birds in the world.
@dendara100 Well I guess that's why we don't see too many birds like this one. The average pet owner does not spend 12 hours a day with their bird, let alone doing that every day for 31 years. It probably wasn't a solid 12 hours though; he was probably given breaks every few hours or so.
BTW, when I first saw this video, I thought he was just a special bird or something, but no - now she's got Griffin doing it too. (I think Griffin was the one that just mimicked her in this video.)
I´ll just have to step in here and warn you that when you post a comment on youtube you are actually talking to the whole world, and the whole world will read your comment on the video, so please, refrain from posting stupid and ignorant comments that not only pollute the internet but also the eyes of those who are viewing this video of a great parrot and an awesome human being.
Aww...poor guy was under a lot of pressure, you can tell because he obviously plucked his own feathers a lot.
I don't necessarily think he died because of stress, that's unfair to say... you don't know that for sure. But I do feel bad for him and how far they pushed him.. on the other hand the only reason why we are talking about him IS because he got this remarkable, by getting pushed by trainers... So, yeah, who am I to judge.
@SupaAmi One of the problems that Irene and Alex had was that they had to move around a lot due to funding- basically she had to go to where the research grants were, which wasn't something Alex enjoyed.
It is sad mostly because this little bird was proving what a lot of people including myself have been trying to prove..
Animals can indeed think and comprehend things
the difference is the level that they can do so
but you know what I don't even believe they are so limited as we think.. I refuse to fall in to that. I think they learn as much as we give them credit for. If we expected and taught more they might learn more
Maybe part of the reason why he died young was because he was cognitively overworked. Parrots are not naturally as linguistic as Alex, so perhaps all the experiments was more than he could physically handle. That might explain why he gets tired and says he "wants to go back".
its was so sad when i heard that he died and my grandma got the book about him and she couldnt finish is because she was crying so much . Alex will be missed R.I.P
i understand that he was abused by his original owners but a parrot can only take so much stress and when he asked to go back they said not yet they were not letting his on his own will he was tired and they ignored that so he passed early from all the stress plus normaly parrots live longer with a mate or a play mate, he is missed dearly
@linksnake7 He wasn't abused previously, or ever. He was simply bought at a pet store back in the 70's when he was 6 months to a year old. The stress didn't kill him, it was a heart condition that some parrots have.
The researchers took great care of Alex. He is merely molting in this video -- it's normal (and yes it's alarming). The last thing Alex ever said to Dr. Pepperberg was "Good night, I love you". And he was a clown, as soon as he got to "go back", he'd ask to "come out" :)
@Tenwi Im sorry but that isnt molting, that is plucking. Ive had many african greys and at any point during their molt did you ever see raw skin. Im not saying that she treated the bird at all in a bad way, the only thing I can say is that being very social and not having a relationship that also involved love, playing, close companionship will cause them to pluck. Some of my females began to pluck until introduced to another mate and then stopped plucking all together. Love your bird!
@Tenwii No, that's not molting. That's feather plucking. Some say it's a psychological disorder, some say dietary. I believe it's different in different cases. My grey never looks like that. He doesn't pluck.
Anyone who has a parrot knows that molting does not look like that. That's feather plucking. Birds don't molt all of their feathers at once- you wouldn't see those exposed tufts of down on a molting bird.
@Tenwii This is NOT NORMAL MOLTING! If your Parrot looks like this, please take them to the Vet to try to find out what is the cause of it. Molting is NOT alarming. Even Dr. Pepperberg stated he had a problem. If you choose to own a parrot, please do everything you can to ensure their health and happiness!
@aviannightmare It is normal I'm an Bird expert and that bird has a feathers problem a vet can't fix it but the bird is perfectly fine. the feathers problem does not herd the bird!
Oh well although it's sad atleast he lived for some good years other that to say rest in peace, it would have been a shame if he was any younger. Atleast he's in a better place now and God is looking after him. Probably has a new cage in heaven + flyes around+talks all the time there.
It's a shame that Alex died so young. But, about him being mistreated, this woman is a scientist. This is science she's conducting to prove that African Greys can comprehend, not just mimic. He wasn't a pet, he was a subject of research. She wasn't there to coddle him. But you can tell that she wasn't mean to him, and he wasn't neglected. As others have mentioned, he got constant attention.
Hmmmmmmm I wonder why Alex died BITCH!!!!! Every body who wants to see a parrot treated right look up einstien the parrot he is not used for research his owners actually treat him like family and gives him what he wants and he gets rewarded after saying a cool word
PART 2: Yes, he did pluck his feathers at one point, but that was due to the stress he underwent when he was separated from Dr. Pepperberg. Birds like him need stimulation, therefore he was not being overworked. He had time to do want he wanted, and he was sometimes rather spoiled.
Please do your research before you accuse Dr. Pepperberg of animal cruelty. Her research will be remembered for providing evidence that animals are intelligent creatures in need of respect.
To all who say this is cruel: My mother was the founder of a reputable animal rescue and I am against all forms of animal cruelty, myself. However, you don't have anything to support your claims. Alex was not mistreated, he received more attention each day than the average pet bird does, and he was able to use his speech to request what he wanted. However, to discipline him, he couldn't always get what he asked for, at least not until a later time.
I was so excited to see this video... Only I was so sad to see how much damage he had done to himself. Only crappy breeders think this is okay. For a bird who says I want to go back and she keeps ignoring him. I can't imagine what this bird had to deal with. I heard on another video it was several different people. What when one person got tired they had some one else take a shift. For such a smart bird, what sad way to be treated. :^(
@harleythemacaw1 He was not badly treated. Geez! She was treating him like a co-worker, not a pet. He didn't get to do anything he wanted just like the rest of us. You should go read the book "Alex and Me".
@chochooshoe To be honest I really don't care about him being treated like a coworker. Even though they are really smart I wouldn't ask a bird to do more than he was capable of. That is like ask a handicapped person to do trigonometry and keep asking until they freak out. Now this is a big exaggeration .
PART2 but this bird was stressing to the point of pulling most of his feathers out. That is a sign to stop. He is not a co-worker, he is a bird. To be honest, I can't stand this women. I hate animal research as much as I hate cruelty at any level.
I'm not saying Alex wasn't smart. I firmly believe that ALL birds are capable of that capacity of intelligence. I just don't agree with training an animal solely for the purpose of showing him off and pushing him to perform constantly. My bird can rationalize and can do a lot of the same things Alex did. I would NOT want the publicity or the stress it would put on my bird by putting him out there like Alex was...I have seen a lot of birds with this level of intelligence.
Alex is a pimp, and that bitch does everything he says "I want banana...I want Soft corn...Go pick up corn" she gave him corn and he still don't play. "Its cold" he says.
Questo povero uccello voleva che la smettesse con tutte questa domande e lei continua imperterrita!! mi dispiace ma Alex è morto a causa tua!!! non lo hai rispettato in quanto animale - uccello e ti sei fatta i soldi sfruttandolo ma ti porterai sulla coscienza la sua morte.
chi aveva questa meraviglia ha solo speculato sulla sua intelligenza per riempirsi le tasche. Credo che Alex avesse voluto fare più il pappagallo che il genio, magari giocando un po' di più e volando un po' senza dover rispondere per 12 ore sempre alle stesse domande. Questo significa non avergli voluto bene ma averlo usato e soffocato la sua natura. I wanna go back - No you cannot go back yet. Spero che almeno adesso possa vivere come un uccello senza sentire : how many green blocks????
@kamari11694 I don't think it was stress. According to Dr. Pepperburg's book, Alex had plenty of downtime and often engaged in several fun activities, both with her two other birds and with her personally. Also, when Alex said "I want to go back", he got his way most of the time, else he would simply ignore everyone.
In reality, Alex was much smarter than I think most people realize. The two developed a kind of connection that enabled Alex to sense when Dr. Pepperburg got mad at him, and
ok yh hes smart but this aint right.. he dont look healthy at all and he probs died because of all this attention 8-12 hours a day training? omg its a bird leave it alone no wonder it died :(
@jack001122 he was deemed to be in PERFECT HEALTH by a vet just two weeks prior to his SUDDEN UNEXPLAINED death. Dr.Pepperberg LOVED Alex and im sure she took the greatest care of him.
:31-34, Fuck that cunt! The bird said he doesn't want to do it anymore- she says no. He asks for water- she says he interrupted. I hope she dies the most painful death fathomable for making that poor bird work when he didn't want to. It's probably what killed him.
@VeggieNinjah LMAO, you have no clue moron. Alex was found to be quite healthy in the days leading to his death. His death came as a complete shock to Dr. Pepperburg (and those who loved Alex.) The cause of death was found to be atherosclerosis, a disease which is common in birds. It clogs up the arteries. Now stop talking about things you obviously don't know about... it makes you look like an ass.
And if you had an ounce of sense, you'd know that even young Humans have a (cont.)
tendency to divert their parents' attention once in a while. Alex was found to have an intelligence equivalent to a five-year-old child, and the emotional development of a two-year-old.
You would also know that he had a FAR better life than most Humans. He was tended to hand and foot. Dr. Pepperburg would often jokingly comment that Alex had everyone who worked with him in his back pocket.
@RadcliffOfCrymod I know thats not what really killed him you fuck tard! And BTW thanks for pointing out that I'm and ass, but I already knew that. My point was that he obviously didn't fuckin' want to do it anymore! What I said doesn't concern you unless you ARE that cunt I'm talkin' about. Posting comments is about sharing personal opinion- NOT whatt everyone wants to hear, so if you have a problem with that then take a number and get in line; I'll get back to you once I start to care.
@VeggieNinjah Ecowarrior-fruitcake. The human spirit is the most beautiful thing on this planet. I hope you take hostages at a Petsmart soon... see what happens! Who do you think taught the parrot all that it knows? That's like wishing death on Pai-Mei for plucking out that one bitch's eyeball out.... That goes for all bleeding heart left-wing nutjobs!
@Fiverrdrums So you're comparing a human being to a bird...If we're talking about the same movie here, he took her eye for being insolent because yes, she was a bitch. But this is a helpless bird, one of if not the only other species that can talk and say how it feels. It was clear that for whatever reason, Alex didn't want to continue the exercise she told him he couldn't so he asked for some water instead and she got after him. You don't have to be a member of PETA to think that's wrong.
@VeggieNinjah True, you don't have to be a member of PETA, however you must be sorely unintelligent and uninformed to comment that her trainer deserves a horrible death because of it. If there's anything worse than a troll, it's a passive-aggressive troll.
@jeffrey5485 Bull shit. Read her books and watch some of the other videos before you go making judgements and make yourself look like a dumbass. You'll find that Alex had plenty of downtime.
@jeffrey5485 Bull shit. Read her books before you go making judgements and making yourself look like a dumbass. Alex actually had plenty of downtime.
I cried :c Alex was a gift.
ZomgLittle 1 day ago
Sad but ge died because ge never got sleep or had dinner
SCREECHGFX 1 week ago
This almost made me cry :(
TheMkBroadcast 2 weeks ago
bet she maked it talk dirty to her in sex way hhahaha
99gimlis 2 weeks ago in playlist Favorite videos
REST IN PEACE ALEX. You're missed. <333333333333333
MulticoloredFishs 4 weeks ago
only think he knows is 2 and green lol
wilyoustay 1 month ago
If you want to know about how his training or how he was handled, read the book 'Alex & Me' which details everything about his life. He was treated unbelievably well, there were just some times when funding for the research was scarce which meant Dr. Pepperberg had less time to spend with him while she was looking for new labs to study with him in. He did get a little agitated in these times, but he was always loved so much, and Dr. Pepperberg always went to see him regularly. But most of his t
SuperLiquidOcelot 1 month ago
He died and his last word were see you tommorow you be good I love you and was found dead inhis cage from hardening of the arteries and when he was born they cut his wing so he coundlent learn to fly there life span of his spieces is 50 years old but was die in the 31 and had the intelligence of a 5 year old human and emotion of a 2 year old
Neonsungod 1 month ago
most smartest parrot. lmfao. I hope that was intentional.
Valentimous 1 month ago
i want cooooooooooooorn!!
krsob123 1 month ago
Alex must be really bored to pluck his feathers did she play with him enough
TheGoldendoodle98765 1 month ago
i have a parrot. :3
himynameiseleanor 3 months ago
"Go pick up corn" - 2:06 - that's the most amazing part really - his ease of use with the english language is truly remarkable. that sentence wasn't solicited by her at all, he did it of his own volition and desire
jaylay734 3 months ago 3
i agree with tenwii, i cant help think this parrot is so bored hes tearing his feather apart
domdomdom1993 3 months ago
@GODLOVEEESYOU You know, he's never been in a jungle. He was born in captivity. By 'wanna go back', he means that he wants to go back to his CAGE.
erinirerinirerin 4 months ago
Lol @ razor
pmAcaLot 4 months ago
Most Smartest... Nice.
SmitieAndAHalf808 4 months ago
How many green block? ......green block-TWO!
INEFFABLE2646 4 months ago
Reminds of Micheal Crichton's book "NEXT"
sapperzulu 4 months ago
Aww man he died, what a smart birdie. =(
SittinOnDaToilet 4 months ago
Who would have thought that these birds have the I.Q. of humans, or rather "be" human. Or to put it more clearly, like there was a human brain in that bird's head and not a bird's. That parrot wasn't hatched from an egg, that parrot came directly from heaven. The loss of that bird's life long before the time it was supposed to have ended is really a true tragedy. Almost all these African Grey parrots can be tought to be like Alex. It's just a matter of knowing how.
Pantbera 5 months ago 3
Rofl
alex: GO PICK UP THE CORN
lady: No, i'm not picking up the corn you threw down -_-
razorsharkhead 5 months ago
Aww such a nice bird :( I wish I could meet Alex :)
saphire1235 5 months ago
R.I.p alex
A role model to other parrots.
king6238 5 months ago
Lol, oh alex, you sassy little thing!
"Go pick up the corn."
HikariHime29 5 months ago
R.I.P Alex.
CAPJasonG 5 months ago
I have an African Grey who plucks occasionally. Loud noises can start it and it becomes a habit. It does not mean they are not loved or looked after it is just one of their traits. At the moment my lovely Charlie is looking good but when there were building works near our house, he looked a lot like Alex. Please keep an open mind when looking at Alex. He was looked after and loved. Greys can be easily startled.
loopylaw1 6 months ago
:( He died this almost made me cry because my african grey died yesterday
xRanDomNezZ 6 months ago
@xRanDomNezZ Sorry to hear that - our first grey was owned by my husband's grandfather. He was 34 when he passed - I think he missed Grandad who passed a year before :( X
loopylaw1 6 months ago
@loopylaw1 But mine was young he was 20 years and he just had a sudden screech and i came down and found him at the bottom of the cage ive been crying ever since
xRanDomNezZ 6 months ago
they should have bred him.
mrsinghthe1st 6 months ago
HOLY BAJESUS THIS IS AMAZING I CANT BELIEVE IT!!!
Somespatanwarrior 6 months ago
He replied almost everything with, ''wanna go back''
it is so fucking heartbreaking.
MulticoloredFishs 6 months ago 2
Alex: Go pick up corn.
Even parrots can be bossy. :D
champton321 6 months ago 9
did he say can i have water
allsports249 7 months ago
@allsports249 Yeah, at around 0:22.
champton321 6 months ago
it doesnt matter what you are trained for a parrot responds to who you are but a parrot is a flock animal. This living situation and environment caused him to PLUCK a healthy moult does not reveal skin and occurs evenly not patchy, in the wild it would make him appear weak and ill making him a target for predadors and his flock would avoid him for those reasons. This little guy could have taught us just as much living with a family happily. Mine do, naturally and freely they teach and learn.
justkillintyme 7 months ago
@justkillintyme I agree. My TAG and other parrots are much happier and healthier than Alex was,. I beiieve their intentions were good, but it was too much pressure and stress and not enough natural play time..
aviannightmare 1 week ago
Did Alex really use words as symbolic labels for colors, or was he just very good at getting crackers. Dr. Pepperberg has been met with a lot of skepticism, partly because she is actually trained as a chemist, not as a linguist, psychologist or even biologist. Are we convinced that the professor uses the proper controls in her experiments to rule out simpler explanations for Alex's behavior? There is a long history of animal language hoaxes.
slimturnpike 7 months ago
not bad for ventriloquism. maybe they show him the same number of square vs round or green vs blue objects every time and teach the answers. count me sceptical.
slimturnpike 7 months ago
not bad for ventriloquism
slimturnpike 7 months ago
I got the green block answer wrong, THIS PARROT IS A GENIUS.
xNoOd1eS 7 months ago
Would have been a great video if it weren't for the stupid and infantile end remark about parrot heaven.
HansTheAtheist 8 months ago 5
i like how he picks up and throws everything that he answers about
13neirad 8 months ago 2
Anyone who has actually owned an African Grey can feel free to correct me. From what I gather, they are just very emotionally delicate birds and he would not necessarily need to be mistreated or bored to resort to plucking.
yoru4you 8 months ago 2
@yoru4you You are so right. I do not own an African Grey, but have a hawkhead. We treat her so well and she is on my shoulder all day as I work at home. We play as I work and I take her from room to room but she still plucks from time to time. It is baffling. We cannot figure it out because we love on her and she is loved and played with all the time.
free2drm 7 months ago 2
@free2drm Maybe she wants another bird to play with? They're social creatures, and enjoy being with their own kind occasionally.
champton321 6 months ago
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Fucking American parrot what a gay accent fucking gay parrot.
hippotoast 8 months ago
@hippotoast dislike
MrCDBing 7 months ago
lqtm *throws corn on the ground* pick up the corn, woman
UserName222222 8 months ago 4
Comment removed
InnocenceExperience 9 months ago
just thought I'd add something here, I just finished the book irene wrote " Alex and me" and the reason Alex plucked was because there were some stages in his 30 years where times were hard, money was scarce and Irene couldn't be with him as long as he wanted... there were always students with him but he wanted Irene. they looked after him very well, better than most pet parrots.
meg88vb 9 months ago 17
@meg88vb thanks. amazing, isn't it?
InnocenceExperience 9 months ago
Amazing but it seemed to have a little but of plucking
DylzaLDBLAH 9 months ago
I can't believe he died so young...parrots are supposed to die at, like, 100 years old or something, right?
I know he died cause of a sickness but still
:(
CoolAlia108 10 months ago
He didnt seem very happy, plucked all of his feathers off, always wanted to go back to his cage and at the end he was hungry but the trainer made him work his ass off. Its no wonder he died at 31 when average African Gray's live over 50.
deveshpatel81 10 months ago
the title of this video was written by someone dumber than this parrot.
PrizeFighter 10 months ago 3
@PrizeFighter
i laughed my ass off when i saw that.
DjMasterBlader 10 months ago
Aww!
micaheunice93 10 months ago
He is great!!!!! :D
maxhosi 11 months ago
Mu African grey is a smart Alice and understands! I open the oven... He goes off like a smoke alarm.. Then laughs his lil red feathers off. Bump your elbow, and he will giggle too.
xXxNyckBishopxXx 11 months ago
the reason why he has bad feathers is because parrotts self harm when there depressed
billyblackburn87 11 months ago
He told her to go pick up the corn, lol. Sounds like he's imitating her voice a bit also.
TheDoctorOvSilly 11 months ago
He's so fucking cute!
=3
TAz69x 11 months ago
smart bird.. I only know my conures understand Yum Yum and poopies.....lol
bab4 11 months ago
fuck this researches!!!!!!!! they treat him bad
orkhanify 11 months ago
@orkhanify - I can assure you, if he was treated bad, he wouldn't have learnt the things he did and been so chilled out. Parrots live in a non-hierachical society, and so you CAN'T make them do anything they don't want to, and if you treat them badly, they will do they same.
sirhubert 11 months ago 5
alex miss you :( <3
StitchLovesJumba 1 year ago
I cried when it said 'I want to go back' to the jungle where it belongs but it can't. :( Its feathers are clipped off so it can't fly & socialise with other parrots. :( Poor thing died so young compared to the average age parrots are supposed to die.
GODLOVEEESYOU 1 year ago
@GODLOVEEESYOU False and stupid.
naphlongs 11 months ago
video title fail
COL3ZY 1 year ago
BTW: LMAO @ Go pick up corn! You tell her Alex! :D
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago 13
This video answered something I've been wondering about for a long time - when a parrot "talks" to us, can they really understand what we're saying to them?
Apparently they can understand about as much as a small child, if given enough training. I wonder how much training Alex received in a day.
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
@RadcliffOfCrymod Not any parrot can understand meanings. Some of them just simply copy the voices they hear from you. I know grey parrots and ravens are able to understand words, they are also known as the most intelligent birds in the world.
Seeting 1 year ago
@RadcliffOfCrymod I heard people were training him up to 12 hours a day...
dendara100 11 months ago
@dendara100 Well I guess that's why we don't see too many birds like this one. The average pet owner does not spend 12 hours a day with their bird, let alone doing that every day for 31 years. It probably wasn't a solid 12 hours though; he was probably given breaks every few hours or so.
BTW, when I first saw this video, I thought he was just a special bird or something, but no - now she's got Griffin doing it too. (I think Griffin was the one that just mimicked her in this video.)
RadcliffOfCrymod 11 months ago
Hes one of the "most smartest" parrots.
MisterWordman 1 year ago 4
lol I thought that too! @MisterWordman
stephy198920011 1 year ago
I want a parrot that acts like a 3 year old too! Wait, that would suck. Or would it?......
furiousajp 1 year ago
Gonna go out on a limb and say he's THE smartest parrot that we know of.
Snatch1414 1 year ago
aww... why did he have to die :(
getchaNerdOn 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
And sadly Alex died in 2007 because he starved to death
BlacKNighT456 1 year ago
@BlacKNighT456 That's bullshit.
MultiUniv3rsal 1 year ago
Amazing bird sad he died but he was truly amazing!
xxadlinkx 1 year ago
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It's a fucking bird. Who gives a shit that it died? Smart bird though.
McNugget06 1 year ago
He is just molting!!!!!!
daltongal1 1 year ago
Most smartest? I would have to say, Alex seems a little smarter than the person that titled this video. It is just smartest, not most smartest.
turbovtec93 1 year ago 17
pick up that corn!!!!!!!!!
sparker456able 1 year ago
I´ll just have to step in here and warn you that when you post a comment on youtube you are actually talking to the whole world, and the whole world will read your comment on the video, so please, refrain from posting stupid and ignorant comments that not only pollute the internet but also the eyes of those who are viewing this video of a great parrot and an awesome human being.
ok?
thanks
lesadorables 1 year ago
alex: CAN I GO BACK? CAN I GO BACK?
owner: NO. not until you amuse the audience
alex: :(
GiantEnemyCrab63 1 year ago 41
Damn, I wish I went to Brandeis, that bird could've helped me with my Algebra! :D
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
Aww...poor guy was under a lot of pressure, you can tell because he obviously plucked his own feathers a lot.
I don't necessarily think he died because of stress, that's unfair to say... you don't know that for sure. But I do feel bad for him and how far they pushed him.. on the other hand the only reason why we are talking about him IS because he got this remarkable, by getting pushed by trainers... So, yeah, who am I to judge.
SupaAmi 1 year ago
@SupaAmi One of the problems that Irene and Alex had was that they had to move around a lot due to funding- basically she had to go to where the research grants were, which wasn't something Alex enjoyed.
Macrochenia 1 year ago
@SupaAmi The only reason his feathers are like that is because he's MOLTING!
daltongal1 1 year ago
"Pick up corn!"
"Er, no, I'm not gonna pick up the corn you just threw down."
Good! Parrots need discipline.
Joe1729 1 year ago 4
DAT BIRD IS CRAZY,I HATE MATH!
59catz 1 year ago
man i think shes hot for some reason!
hallal55 1 year ago
I just read Alex and Me..
it really is so sad to lose this marvel..
It is sad mostly because this little bird was proving what a lot of people including myself have been trying to prove..
Animals can indeed think and comprehend things
the difference is the level that they can do so
but you know what I don't even believe they are so limited as we think.. I refuse to fall in to that. I think they learn as much as we give them credit for. If we expected and taught more they might learn more
orangie84 1 year ago 4
Maybe part of the reason why he died young was because he was cognitively overworked. Parrots are not naturally as linguistic as Alex, so perhaps all the experiments was more than he could physically handle. That might explain why he gets tired and says he "wants to go back".
UNIT301092203 1 year ago
@UNIT301092203 His heart just gave out. It's a condition that happens with many African Grey parrots.
S0XF0X 1 year ago 2
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agent0sephiroth 1 year ago
its was so sad when i heard that he died and my grandma got the book about him and she couldnt finish is because she was crying so much . Alex will be missed R.I.P
numb3r1justinbfan 1 year ago 3
lol how hilarious is it that the uploader wrote 'most smartest'... smart parrot surrounded by not-so-smart people.
MissAlrac11 1 year ago
i understand that he was abused by his original owners but a parrot can only take so much stress and when he asked to go back they said not yet they were not letting his on his own will he was tired and they ignored that so he passed early from all the stress plus normaly parrots live longer with a mate or a play mate, he is missed dearly
linksnake7 1 year ago
@linksnake7 He did have a playmate - Griffin.
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
@linksnake7 He wasn't abused previously, or ever. He was simply bought at a pet store back in the 70's when he was 6 months to a year old. The stress didn't kill him, it was a heart condition that some parrots have.
S0XF0X 1 year ago 2
The researchers took great care of Alex. He is merely molting in this video -- it's normal (and yes it's alarming). The last thing Alex ever said to Dr. Pepperberg was "Good night, I love you". And he was a clown, as soon as he got to "go back", he'd ask to "come out" :)
Tenwii 1 year ago 66
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agent0sephiroth 1 year ago
@Tenwii
its pretty clear hes not molting
playwithtoy 11 months ago
@Tenwi Im sorry but that isnt molting, that is plucking. Ive had many african greys and at any point during their molt did you ever see raw skin. Im not saying that she treated the bird at all in a bad way, the only thing I can say is that being very social and not having a relationship that also involved love, playing, close companionship will cause them to pluck. Some of my females began to pluck until introduced to another mate and then stopped plucking all together. Love your bird!
bnacco 10 months ago
@Tenwii no, he asked if he would see her tomorrow
acdctnt38 9 months ago
@Tenwii No, that's not molting. That's feather plucking. Some say it's a psychological disorder, some say dietary. I believe it's different in different cases. My grey never looks like that. He doesn't pluck.
TwinMountain 7 months ago
@Tenwii
Anyone who has a parrot knows that molting does not look like that. That's feather plucking. Birds don't molt all of their feathers at once- you wouldn't see those exposed tufts of down on a molting bird.
maximum411 4 months ago
@Tenwii This is NOT NORMAL MOLTING! If your Parrot looks like this, please take them to the Vet to try to find out what is the cause of it. Molting is NOT alarming. Even Dr. Pepperberg stated he had a problem. If you choose to own a parrot, please do everything you can to ensure their health and happiness!
aviannightmare 4 months ago
@aviannightmare It is normal I'm an Bird expert and that bird has a feathers problem a vet can't fix it but the bird is perfectly fine. the feathers problem does not herd the bird!
benpl14 1 month ago
Wouldn't it be great if we could all go back in time and meet Alex the talking parrot!
MusicanoftheFuture 1 year ago
Oh well although it's sad atleast he lived for some good years other that to say rest in peace, it would have been a shame if he was any younger. Atleast he's in a better place now and God is looking after him. Probably has a new cage in heaven + flyes around+talks all the time there.
MusicanoftheFuture 1 year ago
the parrot was inestine ?
FreshDaKiidx 1 year ago
NOOOOOOOOOOOO he died =( bring him back to life =( she should have let him go back wen he was alive !!!!
FreshDaKiidx 1 year ago 2
It's a shame that Alex died so young. But, about him being mistreated, this woman is a scientist. This is science she's conducting to prove that African Greys can comprehend, not just mimic. He wasn't a pet, he was a subject of research. She wasn't there to coddle him. But you can tell that she wasn't mean to him, and he wasn't neglected. As others have mentioned, he got constant attention.
hakutheblindedsoul 1 year ago 4
Hmmmmmmm I wonder why Alex died BITCH!!!!! Every body who wants to see a parrot treated right look up einstien the parrot he is not used for research his owners actually treat him like family and gives him what he wants and he gets rewarded after saying a cool word
cj24241 1 year ago
that lady is a rude bitch
monsterman785 1 year ago
PART 2: Yes, he did pluck his feathers at one point, but that was due to the stress he underwent when he was separated from Dr. Pepperberg. Birds like him need stimulation, therefore he was not being overworked. He had time to do want he wanted, and he was sometimes rather spoiled.
Please do your research before you accuse Dr. Pepperberg of animal cruelty. Her research will be remembered for providing evidence that animals are intelligent creatures in need of respect.
Alykxa 1 year ago 8
To all who say this is cruel: My mother was the founder of a reputable animal rescue and I am against all forms of animal cruelty, myself. However, you don't have anything to support your claims. Alex was not mistreated, he received more attention each day than the average pet bird does, and he was able to use his speech to request what he wanted. However, to discipline him, he couldn't always get what he asked for, at least not until a later time.
Alykxa 1 year ago 5
he was so stressed. should of lived double the age he died at.
BrandonToddCarr 1 year ago
I was so excited to see this video... Only I was so sad to see how much damage he had done to himself. Only crappy breeders think this is okay. For a bird who says I want to go back and she keeps ignoring him. I can't imagine what this bird had to deal with. I heard on another video it was several different people. What when one person got tired they had some one else take a shift. For such a smart bird, what sad way to be treated. :^(
harleythemacaw1 1 year ago
@harleythemacaw1 He was not badly treated. Geez! She was treating him like a co-worker, not a pet. He didn't get to do anything he wanted just like the rest of us. You should go read the book "Alex and Me".
chochooshoe 1 year ago
@chochooshoe To be honest I really don't care about him being treated like a coworker. Even though they are really smart I wouldn't ask a bird to do more than he was capable of. That is like ask a handicapped person to do trigonometry and keep asking until they freak out. Now this is a big exaggeration .
harleythemacaw1 1 year ago
PART2 but this bird was stressing to the point of pulling most of his feathers out. That is a sign to stop. He is not a co-worker, he is a bird. To be honest, I can't stand this women. I hate animal research as much as I hate cruelty at any level.
harleythemacaw1 1 year ago
@harleythemacaw1 Where did you get this info?
chochooshoe 1 year ago
@chochooshoe His ass
stingyzx 1 year ago
I'm not saying Alex wasn't smart. I firmly believe that ALL birds are capable of that capacity of intelligence. I just don't agree with training an animal solely for the purpose of showing him off and pushing him to perform constantly. My bird can rationalize and can do a lot of the same things Alex did. I would NOT want the publicity or the stress it would put on my bird by putting him out there like Alex was...I have seen a lot of birds with this level of intelligence.
Syykkogrl 1 year ago
@Syykkogrl plenty of human children refuse to do any work at school unless they are disciplined
beastinblack 1 year ago
Alex is a pimp, and that bitch does everything he says "I want banana...I want Soft corn...Go pick up corn" she gave him corn and he still don't play. "Its cold" he says.
alextrubin 1 year ago 2
@alextrubin Yeah, when I first heard him say "Go pick up corn", I must have laughed for 5 minutes non-stop, LOL!
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
OMG this is amazing!
RIP Alex!
jryanjane 1 year ago
Questo povero uccello voleva che la smettesse con tutte questa domande e lei continua imperterrita!! mi dispiace ma Alex è morto a causa tua!!! non lo hai rispettato in quanto animale - uccello e ti sei fatta i soldi sfruttandolo ma ti porterai sulla coscienza la sua morte.
filolilly 1 year ago
chi aveva questa meraviglia ha solo speculato sulla sua intelligenza per riempirsi le tasche. Credo che Alex avesse voluto fare più il pappagallo che il genio, magari giocando un po' di più e volando un po' senza dover rispondere per 12 ore sempre alle stesse domande. Questo significa non avergli voluto bene ma averlo usato e soffocato la sua natura. I wanna go back - No you cannot go back yet. Spero che almeno adesso possa vivere come un uccello senza sentire : how many green blocks????
filolilly 1 year ago
wats wrong wif the feathers
this aint fair they live purely to tell ppl wat things are and i dont think he likes it :(
they shud just let him fly about a bit more and let him live!
ryana97 1 year ago
@ryana97
Exactly, he most likely died due to stress
kamari11694 1 year ago
@kamari11694 I don't think it was stress. According to Dr. Pepperburg's book, Alex had plenty of downtime and often engaged in several fun activities, both with her two other birds and with her personally. Also, when Alex said "I want to go back", he got his way most of the time, else he would simply ignore everyone.
In reality, Alex was much smarter than I think most people realize. The two developed a kind of connection that enabled Alex to sense when Dr. Pepperburg got mad at him, and
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
would even apologize to her like a child would to their parents.
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
ok yh hes smart but this aint right.. he dont look healthy at all and he probs died because of all this attention 8-12 hours a day training? omg its a bird leave it alone no wonder it died :(
jack001122 1 year ago
@jack001122 he was deemed to be in PERFECT HEALTH by a vet just two weeks prior to his SUDDEN UNEXPLAINED death. Dr.Pepperberg LOVED Alex and im sure she took the greatest care of him.
counterclockwise123 1 year ago
@counterclockwise123 ok yh she loved him BUT look at his feathers.. thats just stress
jack001122 1 year ago
@jack001122 shit heppens
counterclockwise123 1 year ago
the fact the such an intelligent parrot is dead almost brings me to tears. what an immense loss
counterclockwise123 1 year ago
WTF! Why the fuck would she call him parrot?! Why wouldn't she call him by his name?!
Vay5895 1 year ago
everyone can be an Einstein you Fricken talk about same thing for days.... r.i.p alex<3theparrot <3
clover330 1 year ago
hes so good
GoldenRubyFlame 1 year ago
poor parrot :(
848coolguy 1 year ago 2
:31-34, Fuck that cunt! The bird said he doesn't want to do it anymore- she says no. He asks for water- she says he interrupted. I hope she dies the most painful death fathomable for making that poor bird work when he didn't want to. It's probably what killed him.
VeggieNinjah 1 year ago
@VeggieNinjah LMAO, you have no clue moron. Alex was found to be quite healthy in the days leading to his death. His death came as a complete shock to Dr. Pepperburg (and those who loved Alex.) The cause of death was found to be atherosclerosis, a disease which is common in birds. It clogs up the arteries. Now stop talking about things you obviously don't know about... it makes you look like an ass.
And if you had an ounce of sense, you'd know that even young Humans have a (cont.)
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago 2
tendency to divert their parents' attention once in a while. Alex was found to have an intelligence equivalent to a five-year-old child, and the emotional development of a two-year-old.
You would also know that he had a FAR better life than most Humans. He was tended to hand and foot. Dr. Pepperburg would often jokingly comment that Alex had everyone who worked with him in his back pocket.
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago 3
@RadcliffOfCrymod I know thats not what really killed him you fuck tard! And BTW thanks for pointing out that I'm and ass, but I already knew that. My point was that he obviously didn't fuckin' want to do it anymore! What I said doesn't concern you unless you ARE that cunt I'm talkin' about. Posting comments is about sharing personal opinion- NOT whatt everyone wants to hear, so if you have a problem with that then take a number and get in line; I'll get back to you once I start to care.
VeggieNinjah 1 year ago
@VeggieNinjah Ecowarrior-fruitcake. The human spirit is the most beautiful thing on this planet. I hope you take hostages at a Petsmart soon... see what happens! Who do you think taught the parrot all that it knows? That's like wishing death on Pai-Mei for plucking out that one bitch's eyeball out.... That goes for all bleeding heart left-wing nutjobs!
Fiverrdrums 1 year ago
@Fiverrdrums So you're comparing a human being to a bird...If we're talking about the same movie here, he took her eye for being insolent because yes, she was a bitch. But this is a helpless bird, one of if not the only other species that can talk and say how it feels. It was clear that for whatever reason, Alex didn't want to continue the exercise she told him he couldn't so he asked for some water instead and she got after him. You don't have to be a member of PETA to think that's wrong.
VeggieNinjah 1 year ago
@VeggieNinjah True, you don't have to be a member of PETA, however you must be sorely unintelligent and uninformed to comment that her trainer deserves a horrible death because of it. If there's anything worse than a troll, it's a passive-aggressive troll.
Fiverrdrums 1 year ago
@Fiverrdrums Troll...? Eh, I prefer stubborn jackass. Nice try though!
VeggieNinjah 1 year ago
Go pick up corn LOL hahahahahahaha xD
jennysuka 1 year ago
"Go pick up corn!"
LMAO every time I hear that it makes my day. :D
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
awww R.I.P Alex =/
NewsPaperTV101 1 year ago
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Wesleech 1 year ago
The 8 people who gave this thumbs down are scared of birds...What pussies!!!!
DangerD205 1 year ago 2
that lady needs to be killed i bet hes been taking lessons all day long if i saw her i would smack the ass out of her
jeffrey5485 1 year ago
@jeffrey5485
you are such a mean person.
don't you know the last words of alex?
he said "i love you" to Dr. Pepperberg (the lady) the night before he died.
MsApplecafe 1 year ago
@MsApplecafe omg, he's sooo cute and sweet. she really loved him ay? i nearly cried watching this :(
SuperPrettyPink101 1 year ago
@SuperPrettyPink101 yes, it made me wanna cry too ;(
if ur interested, you can watch alex say his last words on
/watch?v=O_Fpad20Zbk#t=07m54s
so sweet and sad...
MsApplecafe 1 year ago
@MsApplecafe cool thanks!
SuperPrettyPink101 1 year ago
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RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@jeffrey5485 Bull shit. Read her books and watch some of the other videos before you go making judgements and make yourself look like a dumbass. You'll find that Alex had plenty of downtime.
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@jeffrey5485 Bull shit. Read her books before you go making judgements and making yourself look like a dumbass. Alex actually had plenty of downtime.
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
why did he have to die
MRAWESOMEDUDE6 1 year ago
Alex kicked ass! And now he's where all good parrots go.
Goodbye Alex, whereever you are. :)
RadcliffOfCrymod 1 year ago
r.i.p :(
TheLinneakorv 1 year ago
ok sweetie u need to lighten up and give him a break
girlingreensocks 1 year ago