Alex, an African grey parrot has amazed scientists with his language . The clever bird can over 50 different objects using English words , and he can also answer questions about their , size and colour. Alex can even create sentences.

African grey parrots have been for thousands of years. They have been pets since the times of Ancient Egypt, perhaps because they're and fun. They are able to repeat words and phrases they hear , and they can even copy the sound of laughter or a ringing phone. However, Alex's show that parrots can actually use language , not just repeat it.

Because they are so intelligent , parrots can get easily. They are very active and need things to stimulate their curiosity. Dr. Irene Pepper, a , who has been working with Alex, created a computer programme in which the parrot could from four activities - watching a video, listening to music, seeing pictures or playing a game. At the beginning Alex was and played with the system, but then he got bored with it. The psychologist to get the parrot interested again by changing the content.

Another grey parrot who has been in the news is N'kisi, from New York. Obviously, N'kisi has an vocabulary of almost a thousand words and can even jokes.