Rocco the African Grey parrot is a smart creature and knows exactly what he wants when he goes shopping.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on April 20, 2020. It has since been updated.
Some pets are just naughtier than the rest and there is nothing we can do about it except laugh at their ingeniousness. A parrot owner in the UK had the surprise of her life when she discovered that her parrot can speak to Amazon's Alexa via the Echo device and order things online.
Rocco, the African Grey parrot, loves speaking to Alexa all day, said her owner Marion Wischnewski of the Berkshire-based National Animal Welfare Trust (NAWT). Rocco has so far ordered treats like strawberries, watermelon, raisins, broccoli, and ice cream. He's also ordered a kite, light bulbs and even a kettle. He orders so often that his owner has to go through the Amazon order list after coming home to cancel Rocco's doing.
"Rocco and Alexa chat away to each other all day. Then I have to check the shopping list and cancel all the items he’s ordered," she told the Sun. Her voice sounds completely like a human's and it can confuse anyone if they didn't know it was a bird.
Not just that, the parrot also likes to dance and tell the voice-activated device to play her favorite songs, which are mostly rock songs. However, he likes slow romantic numbers from time to time.
Wischnewski spoke about how her parrot surprises her at times. "Often I come home from being out all day and find romantic music playing," she told the Sun. "And he loves a boogie with Alexa. But it has to be something fast, like his favorite Kings of Leon," she said.
The parrot had been at the NAWT but he was a mischievous and foul-mouthed bird, the organization told Geek. He used to swear at people because he was taught so by the previous owner and threw his water bowl around, but Marion wanted to find a home for him. So, the 49-year-old NAWT staffer took him home because the organization did not want him displaying his colorful skills to the public. The African Greys have a reputation for how intelligent they are and their mimicking skills.
The NAWT relies on donations to rescue birds and other animals and then find homes for them. If you would like to help them visit www.nawt.org.uk to find out more.
Recently, there has been another African Grey parrot called Petra, who went viral because of her friendship with the Amazon Alexa. The parrot is able to switch off and on lights with Alexa and order things online from Amazon as well. Petra is a talkative parrot and her voice is very human-like.
References:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7974676/parrot-relationship-amazon-alexa/
https://www.geek.com/tech/parrot-falls-in-love-with-amazon-alexa-uses-it-to-order-treats-1766153/
