ELEANOR HALL: If you think your toddler is bright, meet Alex the parrot, whose scientist owner says the talking bird is smarter than the average two year old.

The American scientist says the results from a 29-year study suggests parrots could be more intelligent than previously thought.

Irene Pepperberg has found that her work with a Grey Parrot called "Alex" is challenging ideas about parrots being simple mimics.

Kirsten Veness has this report.

(sound of parrot squawking)

KIRSTEN VENESS: Alex is an African Grey Parrot. He has a red tail and white patches around the eyes. But intellectually, he's way ahead, and dwarfs other bird-brained breeds.

Bought from a Chicago pet store when he was one, Alex has just celebrated his 30th birthday.

After studying Alex for close to three decades, Professor Pepperberg from Brandeis University says parrots have an impressive intelligence.

IRENE PEPPERBERG: Well, they're about the same intelligence as a five-year-old child, but their communication skills, at least as far as we've looked at in the lab, are only about that of a two-year-old. So no long, complicated sentences, but the ability to answer the questions that we ask.

KIRSTEN VENESS: And how do they communicate? Are they using the same language we're using?

IRENE PEPPERBERG: Well, if you put language in quotes, yes, they use English speech. So if I ask Alex, you know, how many keys; he'll tell me "two". And if I ask him what colour; he'll say "green". And if I ask what shape; he'll say "three-quarter".

KIRSTEN VENESS: Alex can identify 100 objects, most of them food and toys from around his home. He can add up and identify seven colours.

IRENE PEPPBERBERG: What colour?

ALEX: Orange.

KIRSTEN VENESS: Professor Pepperberg says he can use simple phrases to say where he wants to go, and even has a few more complex sentences under his wing.

IRENE PEPPERBERG: There are long phrases that he has that have what we call general reference, but not specific reference. So we'll have what we call the goodnight routine, so when we leave at night this, you know, "you be good, I'll see you tomorrow". Or "I'm gonna go eat dinner, I'll see you tomorrow", things like that, where he has a general sense of the appropriateness of when these are supposed to be said, but probably doesn't understand what all those words mean.

KIRSTEN VENESS: But Alex is no galah. When he doesn't want to do what's asked, he makes it known.

IRENE PEPPERBERG: He'll generally perform with almost perfect accuracy for about the first, oh maybe 12, 15 trials, and then he just does not want to do it, and he'll sit there and he'll preen, or he'll give me all the wrong answers in a row, which takes a lot of intelligence because he's avoiding the one correct answer. So if he's giving me, you know, six wrong answers in a row, you know he's avoiding that seventh answer carefully. So you know he knows it, because by chance he couldn't do that.

KIRSTEN VENESS: Professor Pepperberg became interested in parrots after realising there was little study done in the area. Her research is now being used to help children with learning difficulties.

IRENE PEPPERBERG: I've been working with a colleague, Diane Sherman, who's in Monterey at New-Found Therapies, and she's been adapting our training procedures for work with autistic children, with very good results. She's helped these children immensely. I mean, none of the children have reached completely normal stages, but all of them have progressed significantly.

KIRSTEN VENESS: So is every bird as smart as Alex?

Do you believe animals such as parrots and other higher intelligence animals have consciousness?

IRENE PEPPERBERG: Yes, I'm not sure it's the same as ours. I mean, they certainly have what we call perceptual awareness. They're very much aware of their environment, they're aware of everything around them. Are they aware of being aware? That is the really critical question.

ELEANOR HALL: Surely the question vexing all of us. Professor Irene Pepperberg from Brandeis University in the United States, speaking to Kirsten Veness.

Story courtesy of The World Today