Parakeets teach a lesson in friendship

Smithsonian highlighted a discovery by biologists at the University of Cincinnati that parakeets “test the waters“ of new relationships with other birds.

UC student Claire O'Connell and Associate Professor Elizabeth Hobson have been studying the behavior of social birds called monk parakeets.

When new birds are introduced to a group, monk parakeets will “test the waters” to avoid getting injured by defensive strangers.

The parakeets gradually approach a new bird, taking some time to get familiar before ramping up to more risky interactions that could provoke an aggressive response.

Their findings were published in the journal Biology Letters.

Co-authors also include former UC postdoctoral researcher Annemarie van der Marel and Princeton University Associate Professor Gerald Carter.

Read the Smithsonian story.

Featured image at top: UC researchers discovered that monk parakeets test the waters of new relationships when making new friends. Photo/Nina Conklin