A recent study has shed light on how parakeets are able to mimic human words by examining their brain activity. Researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine recorded the brain activity of parakeets as they vocalized for the first time. The study revealed that the patterns of brain activity observed in parakeets while speaking closely resemble those seen in humans.
Published in the journal Nature, the study focused on a group of nerve cells in the parakeet’s brain known as the central nucleus of the anterior arcopallium (AAC). These cells have a significant impact on the bird’s vocal muscles and were found to produce sounds similar to consonants and vowels.
The research team discovered that when parakeets sing, specific cells in the AAC become active at particular pitches, resembling the organization of human speech. This unique connection between higher brain activity and sound production in parakeets and humans has not been observed in any other animal species studied thus far.
According to senior study author Michael Long, Ph.D., these findings could provide valuable insights into speech-related brain processes and potentially lead to new treatments for speech disorders such as apraxia and aphasia, which can be caused by conditions like stroke.
The study compared the brain activity of budgerigars (parakeets) to that of zebra finches, a species of songbird known for producing complex vocalizations. While both species have specialized brain regions and vocal organs for sound imitation, only parakeets have the ability to mimic human words.
Unlike zebra finches, which require extensive practice to learn a fixed song pattern, parakeets can adapt their vocal behavior quickly and creatively. Researchers found that parakeets use an internal “vocal keyboard” to flexibly reuse and combine motor commands to produce various sounds.
Moving forward, the research team plans to investigate the higher brain functions involved in controlling vocal pitch in parakeets. Understanding these processes could provide insights into human cognitive abilities and enhance artificial intelligence models used in chatbots.
Lead author Zetian Yang, a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Long’s lab, emphasized the significance of parakeets as a new model for studying speech motor control. The study establishes a strong link between the brain activity of parakeets and human speech, paving the way for future research in this area.
The study, titled “Convergent vocal representations in parrot and human forebrain motor networks,” was published in Nature. For more information, you can access the full article at www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08695-8.
This groundbreaking research was conducted by NYU Langone Health and offers promising insights into the mysteries of human and parakeet communication.
