Pet parrots that are allowed to make video calls to other birds show signs of feeling less isolated, according to scientists.
科学家表示，允许与其他鹦鹉进行视频通话的宠物鹦鹉变得不那么孤立。
The study, which involved giving the birds a computer that they could use to make video calls, found that they began to engage in more social behaviors including preening, singing and playing. The birds were given a choice of which “friend” to call on a touchscreen computer and the study showed that the parrots that called other birds most often were the most popular choices.
这项研究包括给这些鹦鹉一台可以用来进行视频通话的电脑，发现它们开始进行更多的社交行为，包括梳理羽毛、唱歌和玩耍。这些鹦鹉可以在触摸屏电脑上选择呼叫哪个“朋友”，研究表明，最常呼叫其他伙伴的鹦鹉最受欢迎。
Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, of the University of Glasgow and a co-author of the study, said that video calls had helped many people feel less isolated in the last few years. She added, “There are 20 million parrots living in people’s homes in the USA, and we wanted to explore whether those birds might benefit from video calling too. If we gave them the chance to call other parrots, would they choose to do so, and would the experience benefit the parrots and their caregivers?”
格拉斯哥大学的Ilyena Hirskyj Douglas是这项研究的合作者，她说，在过去几年里，视频通话帮助许多人减少了孤独感。她补充道：“在美国，有2000万只鹦鹉生活在人们的家中，我们想探索这些鹦鹉是否也会从视频通话中受益。如果我们让它们有机会打电话给其他鹦鹉，它们愿意这样做吗？这种经历会对鹦鹉和它们的照顾者有益吗？”
Their study of 18 pet parrots suggested that there were, indeed, benefits for the birds. In the wild, many species of parrots live in large groups, but as pets they are, kept alone or in a small group. Living alone can cause birds, to develop mental problems, which include rocking, walking back and forth, or self-harming behaviors such as feather-plucking.
他们对18只宠物鹦鹉的研究表明，这样做对鹦鹉确实有好处。在野外，许多种类的鹦鹉以大群为单位生活，但它们是宠物，单独饲养或以小群为单位。独自生活会导致鹦鹉出现精神问题，包括摇晃、来回走动或拔毛等自残行为。
The parrots first learned to ring a bell and then touch a photo of another bird on the screen of a computer to make a call to that bird, with the help of their owners. In total the birds made 147 calls to each other during the study, while owners took detailed notes on the birds’ behavior and the researchers later reviewed the video footage.
鹦鹉们首先学会了按铃，然后在主人的帮助下触摸电脑屏幕上另一只鹦鹉的照片，向那只鹦鹉发出叫声。在研究过程中，这些鹦鹉总共打了147次电话，主人详细记录了这些鹦鹉的行为，研究人员随后查看了视频片段。
Jennifer Cunha of Northeastern University said that the parrots “seemed to know” that they were communicating with other birds. “All the bird owners in the study said they valued the experience, and would want to continue using the system with their parrots in the future,” she said.
东北大学的Jennifer Cunha说，这些鹦鹉“似乎知道”它们正在与其他鹦鹉交流。她说：“研究中的所有鹦鹉主人都表示，他们重视这一体验，并希望未来继续在鹦鹉身上使用该系统”。
“I was quite surprised at so many different behaviors,” said Hirskyj-Douglas. “Some would sing, some would play around and go upside down, others would want to show another bird their toys.”
“我对这么多不同的行为感到非常惊讶，”Hirskyj Douglas说，“有些鹦鹉会唱歌，有些鹦鹉会玩得很嗨，有些鹦鹉想给另一只鹦鹉看它们的玩具。”
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