Can a Grackle Do This?

by Abhijat Bhide
(India)

In India, we don't have grackles but we do have parrots.

Indian parrots are very well known for their trait of repeating human words. I had heard many stories about parrots telling some secrets to others or repeating some words on inappropriate occasions.

But I treated those stories as some imaginary tales created by bird lovers, and obviously, I did not belive in this super-human ability of birds, until I personally had an experience.

I am a singer by profession. My grandfather had a parrot at his house. Once I had an opportunity to perform at his house. As my grandfather is very old and cannot attend many musical concerts now, which he loves immensly, he organized my concert at his place. It was a family get together.

In India, there is type of song which is called as 'Natyageet' which means a song from a opera. I was singing a song 'Chandrika hi janu'. In Natyageet, the first line of the song is repeated several times. I also repeated the first line several times. The performance was appreciated by everybody.

The next day when I woke up in the morning, and passed by the parrot's cage, the parrot repeated the first line of the song.

I was astonished. Not only did the parrot repeat my song, but it also recognized me who sang the same song the night before.

Now I am a believer in the parrots ability to sing.