Below is a list of references with an emphasis on my work
about birds using human language and the characteristics of bird speech.
TELEVISION APPEARANCES BY ARIELLE
Interview about speech research/cognitive speech clip @ WTVT-13 FOX, Tampa (29 September 2010)
The original link at the station has been removed (May 2012), CLICK ON LINK TO SEE TV INTERVIEW:
See Arielle on TV ... Hear her talking
If this link does not work, please contact me.
BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT WITH TELEVISION APPEARANCE BY ARIELLE
To see a video clip of Arielle's appearance on WTSP TV-10 from July 2008 click the link below.
(This is a large video file and make take a while to load depending on your connection speed.)
REVIEW OF BOOK, ANOTHER KIND OF MIND: A TALKING BIRD MASTERS ENGLISH
BOOK CLUB REVIEW by John Austin on WTAN Radio. Listen to the interview on the Internet Podcast:
http://www.internetradiopros.com/bookclub/?p=episode&name=2012-10-
18_zbookclub_for_102312_2nd_segment_michael_dalton.mp3
PARROT RELATED PUBLICATIONS
announcing the book Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English (Click to read press release.)
Bird Talk Magazine (May 2008): Announcement for Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English
Parrots Magazine UK (May 2008): Announcement for Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English
The Australian Birdkeeper (August 2008): Announcement and book review of Another Kind of Mind: A Talking
Bird Masters English
INFORMATION ABOUT ARIELLE IN THE NEW WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA
New World Encyclopedia briefly describes "passive speech research" in section about parrots.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Parrot
Additional information about our speech experiment appears in the paragraph "Speech and language
learning" on the page describing macaws.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Macaw#Speech_and_language_learning
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
If you would like to read about my investigations of speech with Arielle, a long article by Rob Farley
called "MORE THAN A 'PRETTY BIRD' // From the beak of a macaw ..." was published on May 12, 2003 as
a lead story in local sections of the St. Petersburg Times. The reference to the article appears below;
unfortunately, you will not be able to retrieve the professional 8 x 10 inch photograph of Arielle that
accompanied the printed article.
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/05/12/Northpinellas/From_the_beak_of_a_ma.shtml
(Click link above to read the article at the St. Petersburg Times site.)
..................
December 2007 ... Rita Sobot wrote a news article about Arielle for the Tenerife News (A newspaper in the
Canary Islands). The on-line edition can be read at the following address:
http://www.tenerifenews.com/cms/front_content.php?client=1%E2%8C%A9=1&idcat=19&idart=7008
.................
25 March 2008 ... An article by St. Pete Times staff writer LaRita Jacobs provides her ideas about bird
speech and opinions about my work in an article called: Yes parrots speak, but do they really understand?
http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article431283.ece A similar article with a picture of Arielle
holding a small bucket on a chain was printed 1 Apr 2008 in a Clearwater Times article, page 4, by LaRita
Jacobs --- Yes, parrots speak, but do they really understand? Click link to read: LaRita Jacobs' article 2008
................
From Orlando Sentinel.... May 18, 2008
Column: AnimalCrazy Headline: This talkative bird has the last word -- 4,000 of them
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/orange/orl-orcrazy1808may18,0,895746.story
.................
ARTICLES & CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS By Michael Dalton
Dalton, Michael. (2012)
"Beyond ... 'Polly Wants a Cracker:'—Humans Limit Interspecies
Communication with Parrots" Presentation made before The 2012
All-American Hookbill Fair & Seminar sponsored by the Gateway
Parrot Club at the Machinists Hall, Bridgeton MO (St. Louis),
25 August 2012 (25th Fair Anniversary).
Bird owners and others do not understand novel speech by talking birds.
The author played speech samples from species of talking birds to
illustrate how poorly we perceive our own language spoken by a bird.
Recordings of bird speech reveal that some parrots understand English.
Dalton, Michael. (2012) "Beyond ... 'Polly Wants a Cracker:'—Parrots Using Language" Presentation made
before The 2012 All-American Hookbill Fair & Seminar sponsored by the Gateway Parrot Club at the
Machinists Hall, Bridgeton MO (St. Louis), 25 August 2012. (Similar topics to those above with emphasis on
the ability of parrots to learn language.)
Speech recordings demonstrate that parrot-like birds are learning English. The speaker’s bird, Arielle,
substitutes pronouns, conjugates verbs, speaks series of synonymous terms, and can pose and answer her own
questions. Recordings of free bird speech illustrate that some parrots understand English; a macaw
understands language—sequences of up to four sentences about a single topic are evidence. The bird’s
speech reveals that she is a conscious being with a "Theory of Mind."
Dalton, Michael. (2012) “Goblin.” Squawk ‘n Talk, Vol. 12, 6, pp. 2-4.
Dalton, Michael. (2012) “Word Repetition.” Squawk ‘n Talk, Vol. 12, 5, pp. 2-4.
Dalton, Michael. (2012)
“Disrupted Dialogue: A Macaw
Learning Language” In: Book of Abstracts:
5th EASLCE International Conference on
“Natura Loquens: Eruptive Dialogues,
Disruptive Discourses.” Tenerife,
Canary Islands, Spain (June 27-30, 2012).
(Communication between bird and man
ruptures due to inattention.)
Dalton, Michael. (2012) [Beyond … “Polly wants a Cracker!”TM: Humans Limit Interspecies Communication
with Parrots] Parrot Festival 2012 Conference Presentation 21 January 2012 at the Doubletree Hilton (HIA),
Houston, Texas
Dalton, Michael. (2011) "Speech Productivity by a Talking Bird." Flappers Vol 2 #11, November 2011, pp. 25-
29. Reprinted by permission of the International Listening Association. For more information contact the
editor, Sheldon Orloff: editor@flappingfeathers.org
Dalton, Michael. (2011) "Speech Productivity by a Talking Bird."
Listening Post, (International Listening Association) Volume 106,
November 2011, pp. 18-22.
Dalton, Michael. (2011) "Griffin Was Right: Language Reveals an
Animal's Thoughts" Conference presentation,
Acoustic Communication by Animals Extended Abstracts, Third
International Symposium on Acoustic Communication by Animals,
(1-5 August 2011) Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, p. 25.
Dalton, Michael. (2011) “Speech Productivity by a Talking Bird”
International Listening Association, Conference presentation
2 April 2011 at the Carnegie Hotel, Johnson City, Tennessee.
Dalton, Michael. (2010) "Matthew and Paco" Flappers Vol 1 #9, November 2010, pp. 13-14.
For more information contact the editor, Sheldon Orloff: editor@flappingfeathers.org
Dalton, Michael. (2010) "Why Record Parrot Speech?" Flappers Vol 1 #6, August 2010, pp. 5-8.
For more information contact the editor, Sheldon Orloff: editor@flappingfeathers.org
Dalton, Michael. (2010) "Beyond ... 'Polly Wants a Cracker'" Conference paper and presentation made
before The American Federation of Aviculture at the Hilton (Bayfront), St. Petersburg FL, (6 August 2010).
The American Federation of Aviculture 36th Annual Convention Proceedings, St. Petersburg, FL,
August 4-7, 2009, pp. 36-44. Click here to read "Beyond ... 'Polly Wants a Cracker'"
Bird owners and others do not understand novel speech by talking birds. The author played speech samples
from five species of talking birds to illustrate how poorly we understand our own language spoken by a bird.
From speech recordings, the paper shows how a parrot-like bird, a macaw, is learning English. The bird,
Arielle, substitutes pronouns, conjugates verbs, speaks series of synonymous terms. The author reveals new
information about birds understanding English through recorded evidence of free speech consisting of
sequences of up to four sentences about a single topic. Through speech we learn that Arielle is a conscious
being with a "Theory of Mind."
Dalton, Michael. (2010) “Beyond ... ‘Polly Wants a Cracker’” (early rendition) Presentation at the Exotic Bird
Society of America, June 2010, October 2010 at Orlando, FL. (Improved version 23 Oct 2010)
Dalton, Michael. (2010) “Dialect as a Factor in Interspecies Communication” International Linguistics
Association, Conference presentation 17 April 2010 at State University of New York at New Paltz.
Dalton, Michael. (2010) “Interspecies communication Depends on Listening Skills” International Listening
Association, Conference presentation 27 March 2010 at the Hyatt Regency, Albuquerque, NM.
Dalton, Michael. (2009) “Arielle” (originally called ‘Soliciting a Macaw’) IN: Birds of a Feather (Rebecca
Stockslager, Ed.). Sarasota, FL: Published by the Author/Editor. Pp. 40-41 For more information or to buy
Birds of a Feather, go to http://www.BirdsOfaFeather.embarqspace.com
Dalton, Michael. (2009) Passive Speech Research, Language, and the Animal Mind. The American
Federation of Aviculture 35th Annual Convention Proceedings, Houston, TX, August 5-8, 2009, pp. 76-82.
Click here to read "Passive Speech Research, Language, and the Animal Mind"
This article describes a non-interactive method for analyzing bird speech based on recordings of a bird's free
speech. The concept of a parrot learning human language is advanced supported by recorded evidence.
Dalton, Michael. (Available February 2008) Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English.
Clearwater, FL: Arielle Publishing, December 2007. A macaw's speech reveals her ability to learn language
and to express thoughts in sequences of topical statements. (Click here to go to the book page and press release.)
Dalton, Michael. (2003) Talking with Parrots: A Ten-Year Perspective. The A.F.A. Watchbird, Vol. XXX, No.
1, Summer 2003, pp. 14-16. My article described learning about the speaking capabilities of a taking bird after
working for ten years with Arielle.
Dalton, Michael. (2002) Spontaneous Counting by an African Grey Parrot. The Grey Play Round Table,
Winter 2002, pp. 3-4. Louie, my African Grey parrot, decides to count backwards unexpectedly.
Dalton, Michael. (1996) An Amazing Story. Caged Bird Hobbyist, Vol. 4, No. 1, February 1996, pp. 62-64.
A short article about Arielle's verbal abilities.
Dalton, Michael. (1995) Camphor Wood for Exotic Birds. Caged Bird Hobbyist, Vol. 3, No. 2, February 1995,
p. 8. I tell about using my birds unknowingly as test subject with camphor branches.
Dalton, Michael. (1993) Adventures With A Blue And Gold Macaw. American Cage-Bird Magazine,
Vol. 65, No. 11, November 1993, pp. 93-97. In this article, some of Arielle's early adventures with her human
companion are detailed, including how she named her favorite person.
BOOKS
Barber, Theodore Xenophon. The Human Nature of Birds. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993. If you wish to
gain an understanding for the intelligence of birds, this is a excellent starting point. The author reviews bird
behavior and shows how birds are capable of human-like thought.
Dalton, Michael. Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English. Clearwater, FL: Arielle Publishing,
December 2007. (Available February 2008) Based on recordings of Arielle's speech, it is possible to learn
about her thoughts through sequences of topical statements.
de Grahl, Wolfgang. The Grey Parrot. Neptune City, N.J.: T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1987. This is a specialty
book about African Grey parrots, which includes notable paragraphs concerning use of human language by a
parrot.
Freud, Arthur. The Complete Parrot. Ontario, Canada: Silvio Mattacchione & Co., 1993. The author has a
different viewpoint concerning parrot care. There are good illustrations and the writer dished out advice in a
light-hearted manner.
Howard, Len. Birds as Individuals. London: Readers Union, 1953. This book was my inspiration for close
living with my pet macaw, Arielle. Ms. Howard describes interactions with wild birds that lived in and about
her cottage in the English countryside.
Hurlbutt, Catherine. Adventures with Talking Birds. Neptune, N.J.: TFH Publications, 1981. This book piqued
my interest in bird intelligence. The writer discusses her experiences with a variety of birds including Edgar, a
corvid, who says: "Nevermore!"
Patterson, Francine and Linden, Eugene. The Education of Koko. New York: Holy, Rinehart and Winston,
1981. The study of Koko is the longest on-going investigation of a communicative gorilla. The authors
describe Koko in a way that is quite different from people's expectations; Koko "speaks" using American
Sign Language.
Savage, Candace. The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays: Bird Brains. San Francisco: Sierra
Club Books, 1995. While this book has little to do with parrots or pet birds, the author makes a great case for
the intelligence of corvids. The reader comes away with a new appreciation for avian intelligence, as the
author chronicles one group of smart animals!
Skutch, Alexander. The Minds of Birds. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1996. Dr. Skutch
provides insight into bird intelligence. The book culminates the author's more than sixty years of experience
as an ornithologist.
MOTION PICTURE/VIDEO DISC ABOUT A "TALKING" BIRD
A cute film is PAULIE. Paulie a story about a fictitious talking bird, but Arielle and her abilities are real.
ARTICLE RANKING MACAWS AS TALKING BIRDS
Wederich, Jr., Robert P. Choosing the right companion bird. Caged Bird Hobbyist, Spring 1993. In the rating
of talking birds, macaws of the genus Ara ranked 9th overall. In an accompanying chart macaws ranked 7 on a
ten scale which was above some of the other rated birds. According to the chart, the only higher ranking
talkers were African Greys and Amazon Parrots.
Dalton, Michael. (2011) "Speech Productivity by a Talking Bird." Listening Post, (International Listening
Association) Volume 106, November 2011, pp. 18-22.
ARIELLE'S REFERENCES ON THE INTERNET
http://www.squidoo.com/blue-gold-macaws
Meet Arielle: A Blue and Gold Macaw -- An Example Of Interspecies Communication?
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewwork.asp?id=55006 Book at AuthorsDen
Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English by Michael S Dalton
New World Encyclopedia briefly describes "passive speech research" in section about parrots.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Parrot
Additional information about our speech experiment appears in the paragraph "Speech and language
learning" on the page describing macaws.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Macaw#Speech_and_language_learning
about birds using human language and the characteristics of bird speech.
TELEVISION APPEARANCES BY ARIELLE
Interview about speech research/cognitive speech clip @ WTVT-13 FOX, Tampa (29 September 2010)
The original link at the station has been removed (May 2012), CLICK ON LINK TO SEE TV INTERVIEW:
See Arielle on TV ... Hear her talking
If this link does not work, please contact me.
BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT WITH TELEVISION APPEARANCE BY ARIELLE
To see a video clip of Arielle's appearance on WTSP TV-10 from July 2008 click the link below.
(This is a large video file and make take a while to load depending on your connection speed.)
REVIEW OF BOOK, ANOTHER KIND OF MIND: A TALKING BIRD MASTERS ENGLISH
BOOK CLUB REVIEW by John Austin on WTAN Radio. Listen to the interview on the Internet Podcast:
http://www.internetradiopros.com/bookclub/?p=episode&name=2012-10-
18_zbookclub_for_102312_2nd_segment_michael_dalton.mp3
PARROT RELATED PUBLICATIONS
announcing the book Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English (Click to read press release.)
Bird Talk Magazine (May 2008): Announcement for Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English
Parrots Magazine UK (May 2008): Announcement for Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English
The Australian Birdkeeper (August 2008): Announcement and book review of Another Kind of Mind: A Talking
Bird Masters English
INFORMATION ABOUT ARIELLE IN THE NEW WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA
New World Encyclopedia briefly describes "passive speech research" in section about parrots.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Parrot
Additional information about our speech experiment appears in the paragraph "Speech and language
learning" on the page describing macaws.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Macaw#Speech_and_language_learning
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
If you would like to read about my investigations of speech with Arielle, a long article by Rob Farley
called "MORE THAN A 'PRETTY BIRD' // From the beak of a macaw ..." was published on May 12, 2003 as
a lead story in local sections of the St. Petersburg Times. The reference to the article appears below;
unfortunately, you will not be able to retrieve the professional 8 x 10 inch photograph of Arielle that
accompanied the printed article.
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/05/12/Northpinellas/From_the_beak_of_a_ma.shtml
(Click link above to read the article at the St. Petersburg Times site.)
..................
December 2007 ... Rita Sobot wrote a news article about Arielle for the Tenerife News (A newspaper in the
Canary Islands). The on-line edition can be read at the following address:
http://www.tenerifenews.com/cms/front_content.php?client=1%E2%8C%A9=1&idcat=19&idart=7008
.................
25 March 2008 ... An article by St. Pete Times staff writer LaRita Jacobs provides her ideas about bird
speech and opinions about my work in an article called: Yes parrots speak, but do they really understand?
http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article431283.ece A similar article with a picture of Arielle
holding a small bucket on a chain was printed 1 Apr 2008 in a Clearwater Times article, page 4, by LaRita
Jacobs --- Yes, parrots speak, but do they really understand? Click link to read: LaRita Jacobs' article 2008
................
From Orlando Sentinel.... May 18, 2008
Column: AnimalCrazy Headline: This talkative bird has the last word -- 4,000 of them
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/orange/orl-orcrazy1808may18,0,895746.story
.................
ARTICLES & CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS By Michael Dalton
Dalton, Michael. (2012)
"Beyond ... 'Polly Wants a Cracker:'—Humans Limit Interspecies
Communication with Parrots" Presentation made before The 2012
All-American Hookbill Fair & Seminar sponsored by the Gateway
Parrot Club at the Machinists Hall, Bridgeton MO (St. Louis),
25 August 2012 (25th Fair Anniversary).
Bird owners and others do not understand novel speech by talking birds.
The author played speech samples from species of talking birds to
illustrate how poorly we perceive our own language spoken by a bird.
Recordings of bird speech reveal that some parrots understand English.
Dalton, Michael. (2012) "Beyond ... 'Polly Wants a Cracker:'—Parrots Using Language" Presentation made
before The 2012 All-American Hookbill Fair & Seminar sponsored by the Gateway Parrot Club at the
Machinists Hall, Bridgeton MO (St. Louis), 25 August 2012. (Similar topics to those above with emphasis on
the ability of parrots to learn language.)
Speech recordings demonstrate that parrot-like birds are learning English. The speaker’s bird, Arielle,
substitutes pronouns, conjugates verbs, speaks series of synonymous terms, and can pose and answer her own
questions. Recordings of free bird speech illustrate that some parrots understand English; a macaw
understands language—sequences of up to four sentences about a single topic are evidence. The bird’s
speech reveals that she is a conscious being with a "Theory of Mind."
Dalton, Michael. (2012) “Goblin.” Squawk ‘n Talk, Vol. 12, 6, pp. 2-4.
Dalton, Michael. (2012) “Word Repetition.” Squawk ‘n Talk, Vol. 12, 5, pp. 2-4.
Dalton, Michael. (2012)
“Disrupted Dialogue: A Macaw
Learning Language” In: Book of Abstracts:
5th EASLCE International Conference on
“Natura Loquens: Eruptive Dialogues,
Disruptive Discourses.” Tenerife,
Canary Islands, Spain (June 27-30, 2012).
(Communication between bird and man
ruptures due to inattention.)
Dalton, Michael. (2012) [Beyond … “Polly wants a Cracker!”TM: Humans Limit Interspecies Communication
with Parrots] Parrot Festival 2012 Conference Presentation 21 January 2012 at the Doubletree Hilton (HIA),
Houston, Texas
Dalton, Michael. (2011) "Speech Productivity by a Talking Bird." Flappers Vol 2 #11, November 2011, pp. 25-
29. Reprinted by permission of the International Listening Association. For more information contact the
editor, Sheldon Orloff: editor@flappingfeathers.org
Dalton, Michael. (2011) "Speech Productivity by a Talking Bird."
Listening Post, (International Listening Association) Volume 106,
November 2011, pp. 18-22.
Dalton, Michael. (2011) "Griffin Was Right: Language Reveals an
Animal's Thoughts" Conference presentation,
Acoustic Communication by Animals Extended Abstracts, Third
International Symposium on Acoustic Communication by Animals,
(1-5 August 2011) Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, p. 25.
Dalton, Michael. (2011) “Speech Productivity by a Talking Bird”
International Listening Association, Conference presentation
2 April 2011 at the Carnegie Hotel, Johnson City, Tennessee.
Dalton, Michael. (2010) "Matthew and Paco" Flappers Vol 1 #9, November 2010, pp. 13-14.
For more information contact the editor, Sheldon Orloff: editor@flappingfeathers.org
Dalton, Michael. (2010) "Why Record Parrot Speech?" Flappers Vol 1 #6, August 2010, pp. 5-8.
For more information contact the editor, Sheldon Orloff: editor@flappingfeathers.org
Dalton, Michael. (2010) "Beyond ... 'Polly Wants a Cracker'" Conference paper and presentation made
before The American Federation of Aviculture at the Hilton (Bayfront), St. Petersburg FL, (6 August 2010).
The American Federation of Aviculture 36th Annual Convention Proceedings, St. Petersburg, FL,
August 4-7, 2009, pp. 36-44. Click here to read "Beyond ... 'Polly Wants a Cracker'"
Bird owners and others do not understand novel speech by talking birds. The author played speech samples
from five species of talking birds to illustrate how poorly we understand our own language spoken by a bird.
From speech recordings, the paper shows how a parrot-like bird, a macaw, is learning English. The bird,
Arielle, substitutes pronouns, conjugates verbs, speaks series of synonymous terms. The author reveals new
information about birds understanding English through recorded evidence of free speech consisting of
sequences of up to four sentences about a single topic. Through speech we learn that Arielle is a conscious
being with a "Theory of Mind."
Dalton, Michael. (2010) “Beyond ... ‘Polly Wants a Cracker’” (early rendition) Presentation at the Exotic Bird
Society of America, June 2010, October 2010 at Orlando, FL. (Improved version 23 Oct 2010)
Dalton, Michael. (2010) “Dialect as a Factor in Interspecies Communication” International Linguistics
Association, Conference presentation 17 April 2010 at State University of New York at New Paltz.
Dalton, Michael. (2010) “Interspecies communication Depends on Listening Skills” International Listening
Association, Conference presentation 27 March 2010 at the Hyatt Regency, Albuquerque, NM.
Dalton, Michael. (2009) “Arielle” (originally called ‘Soliciting a Macaw’) IN: Birds of a Feather (Rebecca
Stockslager, Ed.). Sarasota, FL: Published by the Author/Editor. Pp. 40-41 For more information or to buy
Birds of a Feather, go to http://www.BirdsOfaFeather.embarqspace.com
Dalton, Michael. (2009) Passive Speech Research, Language, and the Animal Mind. The American
Federation of Aviculture 35th Annual Convention Proceedings, Houston, TX, August 5-8, 2009, pp. 76-82.
Click here to read "Passive Speech Research, Language, and the Animal Mind"
This article describes a non-interactive method for analyzing bird speech based on recordings of a bird's free
speech. The concept of a parrot learning human language is advanced supported by recorded evidence.
Dalton, Michael. (Available February 2008) Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English.
Clearwater, FL: Arielle Publishing, December 2007. A macaw's speech reveals her ability to learn language
and to express thoughts in sequences of topical statements. (Click here to go to the book page and press release.)
Dalton, Michael. (2003) Talking with Parrots: A Ten-Year Perspective. The A.F.A. Watchbird, Vol. XXX, No.
1, Summer 2003, pp. 14-16. My article described learning about the speaking capabilities of a taking bird after
working for ten years with Arielle.
Dalton, Michael. (2002) Spontaneous Counting by an African Grey Parrot. The Grey Play Round Table,
Winter 2002, pp. 3-4. Louie, my African Grey parrot, decides to count backwards unexpectedly.
Dalton, Michael. (1996) An Amazing Story. Caged Bird Hobbyist, Vol. 4, No. 1, February 1996, pp. 62-64.
A short article about Arielle's verbal abilities.
Dalton, Michael. (1995) Camphor Wood for Exotic Birds. Caged Bird Hobbyist, Vol. 3, No. 2, February 1995,
p. 8. I tell about using my birds unknowingly as test subject with camphor branches.
Dalton, Michael. (1993) Adventures With A Blue And Gold Macaw. American Cage-Bird Magazine,
Vol. 65, No. 11, November 1993, pp. 93-97. In this article, some of Arielle's early adventures with her human
companion are detailed, including how she named her favorite person.
BOOKS
Barber, Theodore Xenophon. The Human Nature of Birds. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993. If you wish to
gain an understanding for the intelligence of birds, this is a excellent starting point. The author reviews bird
behavior and shows how birds are capable of human-like thought.
Dalton, Michael. Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English. Clearwater, FL: Arielle Publishing,
December 2007. (Available February 2008) Based on recordings of Arielle's speech, it is possible to learn
about her thoughts through sequences of topical statements.
de Grahl, Wolfgang. The Grey Parrot. Neptune City, N.J.: T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1987. This is a specialty
book about African Grey parrots, which includes notable paragraphs concerning use of human language by a
parrot.
Freud, Arthur. The Complete Parrot. Ontario, Canada: Silvio Mattacchione & Co., 1993. The author has a
different viewpoint concerning parrot care. There are good illustrations and the writer dished out advice in a
light-hearted manner.
Howard, Len. Birds as Individuals. London: Readers Union, 1953. This book was my inspiration for close
living with my pet macaw, Arielle. Ms. Howard describes interactions with wild birds that lived in and about
her cottage in the English countryside.
Hurlbutt, Catherine. Adventures with Talking Birds. Neptune, N.J.: TFH Publications, 1981. This book piqued
my interest in bird intelligence. The writer discusses her experiences with a variety of birds including Edgar, a
corvid, who says: "Nevermore!"
Patterson, Francine and Linden, Eugene. The Education of Koko. New York: Holy, Rinehart and Winston,
1981. The study of Koko is the longest on-going investigation of a communicative gorilla. The authors
describe Koko in a way that is quite different from people's expectations; Koko "speaks" using American
Sign Language.
Savage, Candace. The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays: Bird Brains. San Francisco: Sierra
Club Books, 1995. While this book has little to do with parrots or pet birds, the author makes a great case for
the intelligence of corvids. The reader comes away with a new appreciation for avian intelligence, as the
author chronicles one group of smart animals!
Skutch, Alexander. The Minds of Birds. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1996. Dr. Skutch
provides insight into bird intelligence. The book culminates the author's more than sixty years of experience
as an ornithologist.
MOTION PICTURE/VIDEO DISC ABOUT A "TALKING" BIRD
A cute film is PAULIE. Paulie a story about a fictitious talking bird, but Arielle and her abilities are real.
ARTICLE RANKING MACAWS AS TALKING BIRDS
Wederich, Jr., Robert P. Choosing the right companion bird. Caged Bird Hobbyist, Spring 1993. In the rating
of talking birds, macaws of the genus Ara ranked 9th overall. In an accompanying chart macaws ranked 7 on a
ten scale which was above some of the other rated birds. According to the chart, the only higher ranking
talkers were African Greys and Amazon Parrots.
Dalton, Michael. (2011) "Speech Productivity by a Talking Bird." Listening Post, (International Listening
Association) Volume 106, November 2011, pp. 18-22.
ARIELLE'S REFERENCES ON THE INTERNET
http://www.squidoo.com/blue-gold-macaws
Meet Arielle: A Blue and Gold Macaw -- An Example Of Interspecies Communication?
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewwork.asp?id=55006 Book at AuthorsDen
Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English by Michael S Dalton
New World Encyclopedia briefly describes "passive speech research" in section about parrots.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Parrot
Additional information about our speech experiment appears in the paragraph "Speech and language
learning" on the page describing macaws.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Macaw#Speech_and_language_learning
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| History/Background |
In Retrospect ... Records are necessary
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Background
Background
Does Arielle look calm as I kiss her?
RELIABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION
One important factor is to keep detailed written notes about a bird's behavior and speech. Without a written
account as the years pass, it is more difficult to remember events of long ago.
I know, because I have been keeping records for more than ten years. Those notes are invaluable in
evaluating what happened, the meaning, and the relationship between events. In my case, I discovered
that there were patterns in Arielle's speech and that she used words knowingly to refer to objects, places,
and animals that she experienced in her environment.
At the suggestion of a friend, ten years ago I started recording Arielle's speech. Low cost methods include
tape, CD, or digital recording as ways to document a shy bird's speech! (Does your bird clam-up when
strangers visit?)
Even if you or friends do not understand what your bird says, recorded sounds can be evaluated by others.
Arielle says many things that people do not understand without clues. There are many reasons for a person
unfamiliar with a parrot's speech to find strings of speech incomprehensible. A few of the reasons are that
she speaks in different voices, her dialect is that of a bird, and she uses a wide variety of words that most
people do not conceive that a bird would know, let alone utter. For more information, click on the link to go
to the Words & Sound page.
Keep recording your bird's speech. Others interested in this topic and I will help you to evaluate what your
bird is saying.
One important factor is to keep detailed written notes about a bird's behavior and speech. Without a written
account as the years pass, it is more difficult to remember events of long ago.
I know, because I have been keeping records for more than ten years. Those notes are invaluable in
evaluating what happened, the meaning, and the relationship between events. In my case, I discovered
that there were patterns in Arielle's speech and that she used words knowingly to refer to objects, places,
and animals that she experienced in her environment.
At the suggestion of a friend, ten years ago I started recording Arielle's speech. Low cost methods include
tape, CD, or digital recording as ways to document a shy bird's speech! (Does your bird clam-up when
strangers visit?)
Even if you or friends do not understand what your bird says, recorded sounds can be evaluated by others.
Arielle says many things that people do not understand without clues. There are many reasons for a person
unfamiliar with a parrot's speech to find strings of speech incomprehensible. A few of the reasons are that
she speaks in different voices, her dialect is that of a bird, and she uses a wide variety of words that most
people do not conceive that a bird would know, let alone utter. For more information, click on the link to go
to the Words & Sound page.
Keep recording your bird's speech. Others interested in this topic and I will help you to evaluate what your
bird is saying.
| Arielle understands speech and speaks thoughtfully using English words, phrases, and sentences. |
Photo by Linda Carpenter
References & Background Material
See Videos about Arielle
