KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Not all birdbrains are small and Einstein, an African Grey Parrot at Zoo Knoxville, wanted to show off her intelligence in a video released Wednesday.
In the video, Adam Patterson from the zoo and Einstein stand side-by-side as Patterson asks Einstein to copy sounds from other animals. He starts off by asking the bird to make a sound like a red wolf. Einstein howled back.
The two continue to make sounds similar to other animals in the zoo, including a chimpanzee and an owl.
"Right when you walking to the zoo entrance, you may see the Boyd Family Asian Trek and see a tiger!" Patterson said to Einstein. The bird growled back.
The video ends with Einstein wishing the audience a happy birthday during the COVID-19 pandemic and waving goodbye.
Einstein was donated to the zoo in 1992 and has since developed a vocabulary of more than 200 words and sounds, according to officials. African Grey Parrots are notorious for having advanced cognitive skills and can imitate sounds.