| 30 years ago, avian researchers began to study the | | | | better". It was not clear whether Alex was correcting |
| avian brain with Alex a very young African Grey | | | | his associates (Griffin and Arthur) or just mimicking |
| parrot. Just recently Alex's advanced language and | | | | what the researches said. |
| recognition skills shattered sciences understanding of | | | | In 2007 Alex was demonstrating the ability to take |
| the avian brain. | | | | distinct sounds from words he knew and combine |
| The parrot learned enough english to identify 50 | | | | them to form new words. |
| different objects, seven colors and five shapes. Alex | | | | Unfortunately the study with Alex came to a halt |
| learned to count quantities up to six including zero and | | | | when he passed away last September 2007. Arthur |
| was able to articulate certain desires. He even | | | | who is eight years old and Griffin who is twelve years |
| expressed frustration with repetitive scientific trials. | | | | old, still remain in the lab and continue to be studied by |
| Alex's emotional development was that of a | | | | researchers. |
| 2-year-old human child. And he had the intelligence of a | | | | More recently, researchers had used what they had |
| typical 5-year old child. | | | | learned about how Alex's brain developed to test new |
| He could communicate with phrases, "I want water" | | | | ways of helping disabled children to communicate. |
| and "Wanna go back" (return to his cage). | | | | Alex was extraordinary in breaking the perception that |
| Alex also worked with 2 other parrots, Griffin and | | | | birds were not intelligent. Now we can say that birds |
| Arthur. When Griffin or Arthur would mumble their | | | | are very intelligent beings. |
| words during lab work, Alex would tell them to "talk | | | | |