Parrots Name Their Babies

We already knew that parrots can learn our human languages, but as turns out, they also speak to one another with an incredibly complex language. Even more impressive, they actually name their chicks—and the names follow them for life, just like when we name our kids. The chicks recognize the names their parents have given them and each bird has a unique moniker that he or she will respond to individually. Also like humans, the chick may sometimes tweak the chirp their parents have given them, to better suit their own tastes—essentially creating their own nicknames. It's yet another example of a trait we once thought was uniquely human, but that animals have been doing on their own for years.

[Image courtesy of Flickr user TJL23.]