Parrots and People

Parrots and People

A Morphodynamic Convergence
Mark F. Riegner
Jahrbuch für Goetheanismus 2023, 2023, P.39-65 | DOI: 10.18756/jfg.2023.39
Zoology | Language: English | €6
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Abstract:

The approximately 398 species of living parrots (macaws, parakeets, cockatoos, etc.) comprise a more or less homogeneous group of birds found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. No other group of wild birds has attracted such strong human interest, and conse- quently parrots are the most popular avian pets around the world, from the tropics to the temperate zone. What is it about parrots that draws our interest? In this paper I propose that parrots share many morphological, developmental, and behavioral features with humans. While parrot intelligence, ability to mimic human speech, and strong family bonds are well- known features that converge with human characteristics, I point out additional overlooked humanlike traits of parrots, from their spherically-shaped head to their highly developed grasping ability. Regarding the latter, the prehensility of the parrot’s foot – which enables birds to manipulate food and bring items to the mouth – has no equal among modern birds and is convergent with the dexterity of the human hand. Furthermore, there is evidently an association between intelligence, i.e., cognitive ability, and prehensility, and additional animal examples are discussed briefly. The sheer number of similarities between parrots and people calls for a reconsideration of evolutionary dynamics. Accordingly, evolution can be under- stood as not only the result of the organism’s cumulative response and accommodation to shifting external conditions of the environment but also to the internal integration and coher- ence of dynamically interacting anatomical, morphological, behavioral, and developmental processes. The phenomenological and conceptual framework of convergent morphodyna- mics is well suited to shed light on these dynamic relationships.

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