Parrots have the special ability to mimic and copy sounds that they hear in their environment. These birds are also known to repeat the words and laughters that they hear from humans so it is not surprising that parrots that are kept as pets would repeat the words that their owner, or visitors, would say.
Unfortunately, for some of these pet owners, the ability of parrots to repeat the phrases that they hear can get them into trouble.
In Kuwait, a married man narrowly escaped prison after the family's pet parrot exposed his secret affair with the housemaid.
The wife was already suspicious about her husband and the maid, but the affair came to light after she heard the bird repeat the flirty exchange of words between them in front of her.
The wife then filed a complaint at the Hawally police station accusing her husband of cheating and claiming she had already been suspicious about the man. She said that she already suspected for a week that her husband was cheating after she caught him surprised and nervous when she returned from the office earlier than usual.
Adultery is illegal in the Gulf state. Those found guilty of this crime face potential prison sentence or hard labor. Fortunately for the husband, the cops rejected the wife's evidence.
The prosecution officer said that the case could not be proven for lack of credible evidence. The parrot's squawking of phrases could not be admissible in court since the bird may have heard the phrases elsewhere such as on TV or the radio.
It isn't the first time though that a parrot outed a secret affair. In 2006, a computer programmer in England learned that his girlfriend was having an affair when the bird kept repeating the lover's name.
The African gray parrot kept repeating "I love you, Gary." The bird's owner, Chris Taylor, realized his girlfriend was having an affair when he noticed her embarrassed reaction. His girlfriend, call center worker Suzy Collins, eventually admitted the affair with a colleague named Gary.
The words of a parrot named Bud, which may have witnessed a murder, were also studied by authorities to see if these could be considered admissible evidence in court.
Parrots are known to be intelligent animals. Alex, a gray parrot that died at age 31 in 2007, is among the most intelligent of these birds. Alex knew 150 words and was able to count small numbers and identify colors and shapes.
