How do parrots talk? - Grace Smith-Vidaurre and Tim Wright episode artwork

EPISODE · May 12, 2026 · 6 MIN

How do parrots talk? - Grace Smith-Vidaurre and Tim Wright

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Explore the specialized anatomy that allows parrots to talk, scream, curse, and recite facts like humans. --Whether they’re belting Beyoncé, head-banging to classic rock, or rattling off curse words at zoo-goers, parrots are constantly astounding us. They are among the only animals that produce human speech, and some parrots do it almost uncannily well. How is this possible? Grace Smith-Vidaurre and Tim Wright dig into the anatomy that allows parrots to talk, scream, curse, and recite facts. Lesson by Grace Smith-Vidaurre and Tim Wright, directed by Anton Bogaty.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-can-parrots-talk-grace-smith-vidaurre-and-tim-wrightDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-can-parrots-talk-grace-smith-vidaurre-and-tim-wright#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://antonbogaty.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Jeremy Shimanek, Mark Byers, Avinash Amarnath, Xuebicoco, Rare Media, Rayo, Po Foon Kwong, NinjaBoffin, Jesse Jurman, Scott Markley, Elija Peterson, Ovidiu Mrd, paul g mohney, Aravind Battaje, Steven Razey, Nathan Giusti, Helen Lee, Anthony Benedict, Karthik Balsubramanian, John Hong, Annastasshia Ames, Sean, Amy Lopez, Vinh-Thuy Nguyen, Liz Candee, Ugur Doga Sezgin, Anthony Arcis, Karmi Nguyen, John C. Vesey, Yelena Baykova, Harshita Jagdish Sahijwani, Nick Johnson, Carlos H. Costa, Robert Patrick, Jennifer Kurkoski, Ryan B Harvey, Abhishek Bansal, Akinola Emmanuel, Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Sebastiaan Vleugels, JY Kang, Abhishek Goel, Heidi Stolt, Christina Salvatore, Karlee Finch, Michael Goldberg, Denise A Pitts, Doug Henry, Keven Webb and Deepak Iyer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the specialized anatomy that allows parrots to talk, scream, curse, and recite facts like humans. --Whether they’re belting Beyoncé, head-banging to classic rock, or rattling off curse words at zoo-goers, parrots are constantly astounding us. They are among the only animals that produce human speech, and some parrots do it almost uncannily well. How is this possible? Grace Smith-Vidaurre and Tim Wright dig into the anatomy that allows parrots to talk, scream, curse, and recite facts. Lesson by Grace Smith-Vidaurre and Tim Wright, directed by Anton Bogaty.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-can-parrots-talk-grace-smith-vidaurre-and-tim-wrightDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-can-parrots-talk-grace-smith-vidaurre-and-tim-wright#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://antonbogaty.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Jeremy Shimanek, Mark Byers, Avinash Amarnath, Xuebicoco, Rare Media, Rayo, Po Foon Kwong, NinjaBoffin, Jesse Jurman, Scott Markley, Elija Peterson, Ovidiu Mrd, paul g mohney, Aravind Battaje, Steven Razey, Nathan Giusti, Helen Lee, Anthony Benedict, Karthik Balsubramanian, John Hong, Annastasshia Ames, Sean, Amy Lopez, Vinh-Thuy Nguyen, Liz Candee, Ugur Doga Sezgin, Anthony Arcis, Karmi Nguyen, John C. Vesey, Yelena Baykova, Harshita Jagdish Sahijwani, Nick Johnson, Carlos H. Costa, Robert Patrick, Jennifer Kurkoski, Ryan B Harvey, Abhishek Bansal, Akinola Emmanuel, Jose Arcadio Valdes Franco, Sebastiaan Vleugels, JY Kang, Abhishek Goel, Heidi Stolt, Christina Salvatore, Karlee Finch, Michael Goldberg, Denise A Pitts, Doug Henry, Keven Webb and Deepak Iyer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How do parrots talk? - Grace Smith-Vidaurre and Tim Wright

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This episode was published on May 12, 2026.

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Explore the specialized anatomy that allows parrots to talk, scream, curse, and recite facts like humans. --Whether they’re belting Beyoncé, head-banging to classic rock, or rattling off curse words at zoo-goers, parrots are constantly astounding...

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