Parrots Name their Young! Who Knew?

I don't remember where this pair of earrings came from. I recall wearing them when one of my kindergartners chose pirates as the theme for a day in May. I know that I used to wear them when I taught about birds and flight. I vaguely recall a catalog, a ridiculously low price, free shipping with 3 or more pairs... But however it happened, I own a pair of parrots.

Yesterday my son read me some excerpts from an article on the humor website http://www.cracked.com/. According to researchers from Cornell University, Venezuelan parrot parents name their young and communicate with them by name. Here's a quote from cracked.com:

Dolphins, primates, and crows  have all been observed using unique calls when they want the attention of specific members of their groups. This means that, at least among these species, individual animals actually have the equivalent of their own names. Most perplexing of all seems to be parrots, because according to pirate-movie logic, it should scientifically turn out that every single parrot ever has the same name.

Parrots are in some pretty illustrious company. No wonder I wanted a pair of parrot earrings! (I've been watching politicians engage in revisionist history. Thought I'd try it out.)