In all likelihood, they do, said Timothy J. DeVoogd, a professor of psychology at Cornell University, who has long studied both human and bird brains, particularly how the brains of birds encode learned behaviors like song.
Music excites them and they love to hear certain types of notes or instruments which causes them to sing/yell or call along to the noise. This causes them to be happy when singing and being goofs.
Three hand-raised cockatiels were exposed to a musical melody of human whistling produced by an experimenter. All the birds learned to sing the melody.
Parrots groove in rhythm to the tempo of the music they hear because of a “link between the auditory and motor parts of the brain”, according to a theory put forward by Dr Aniruddh Patel from the Neurosciences Institute, San Diego.
In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a collaborative team of Tufts University biologists and psychologists looked at how birds perceive songs and found that, like humans, zebra finches can recognize songs by their rhythmic patterns, even when played at very different tempos.
Birds generally like music. But probably not really loud, amplified music. If the bird can be in another room, it should be fine. I would be concerned about the bird's hearing and well being if you played loudly in the same room as the bird.
Our birds are keen observers of our facial expressions, body language, tone and even energy levels and therefore we have to be cognizant of how our emotions can impact our birds.
Flock recognition
Birds raised in captivity might mimic humans, particularly their owners, to gain acceptance as a member of the family (flock). If they hear a word or phrase repeatedly, they might interpret that as a vocalisation distinct to their flock.
Parrots have musical tastes, with some preferring classical works and others pop tunes, scientists have found. But the creatures do not like dance music.
They just want to dance
Parrots and cockatoos are famous for bobbing their head to the rhythm of the music. They are pretty good at following a tune and they enjoy music very much. Some have even become internet sensations for their dancing talents. We are looking at you, Snowball!
Other studies have supported that parrots can be choosy as to the type of music they prefer. Some seem to prefer calm and complex classical music, some calm Pop, while others appreciate louder, more raucous tunes. But it was determined that most, if not all, of the birds disliked the popular electronic dance music.
New research suggests that some birds may know who their human friends are, as they are able to recognize people's faces and differentiate between human voices. Being able to identify a friend or potential foe could be key to the bird's ability to survive.
Many birds respond to playback of a typical song of their species as if a territorial intrusion were occurring—they approach the speaker from which the song is playing, fly around the sound's source to look for the intruder, and emit their own threatening calls or songs.
Pishing– This is a subtle sound made by humans to attract birds. These little sounds let birds know you are around, maybe setting out food or sitting on the patio with a snack. Pishing could include phrases such as “pssh”, psst, “sip” “seep” “chit-chit-chit”, or various tongue clicks..
Love and affection: Gentle courtship behavior such as mutual preening or sharing food shows a bond between mated birds that can easily be seen as love. Parent birds are just as caring toward their hatchlings, which may be a demonstration of parental love.
Still, males who produced a lot of songs had more variability in their vocal performance, which suggests that some birds might get tired when singing. The study was published last month in the journal Animal Behavior.
Music: Birds may sing beautifully, but they rarely appreciate human music. While a very soft, simple melody might attract birds—some of the tones may be close to noises they recognize—most music will have the opposite effect and should be avoided in the yard.
Of all the creatures on Earth, only two can produce human language: humans…and birds. Of the few birds that can imitate human speech, including mynah birds, crows, and ravens, parrots are clearly the best at it—they give TED talks, speak multiple languages, and even front heavy metal bands.
Is it okay to kiss your bird on the top of their beak or on their head? Yes, it surely is. Kissing or giving your bird a quick peck won't do any harm, and it surely is delightful to show affection towards them.
They imitate many things, from spoken words to creaking doors to barking dogs. Most parrots are simply mimicking their owners. They don't really know what they're saying. But some professionally-trained parrots have learned to understand what they're saying.
So it looks like birds can understand what they are saying. They may not fully comprehend individual words but they can certainly learn to associate certain phrases with the reactions they illicit from people.
It's a beautiful mutualistic relationship that's been known for more than 500 years - but now, for the first time, a team of researchers from the UK and South Africa have shown that the honeyguide birds and humans are actually communicating both ways in order to get the most benefit out of their collaboration.
Few birds develop an emotional relationship with human beings, instead of attachment with other animals. They often return their feeling of love to a human. This is not a materialistic but an emotional attachment.