Reply #25: Parrots are *VERY* agile with their beaks [View All]

[Tesha]

> He actually lifts up the latch (which was difficult, because
> he was using his beak), ...

Parrots are *VERY* agile with their beaks and tongues,
using them for many purposes besides cracking open
sunflower seeds. Not having fingers, they use their
tongues as fingers, touching many things with them
to see how they feel. Their beaks are used as a third
limb so they will climb a bit with their feet, hang
on with their beak, and move their feet up. They are,
naturally, *POWERFUL* chewers and it's very common
to give a parrot a large wooden toy and they'll reduce
it to toothpicks within a day or two. Alternatively,
they'll happily chew your clothes to shreds.

It's pretty safe to think of a parrot as a "perpetual
two year-old (human)" and this is another area where
it's true: they experience a lot of the world through
their mouths.

Tesha