Pet parrots enjoy live video calls with their friends.
Parrots are able to tell the difference between live and pre-recorded video calls
Researchers have discovered that the chatty birds have the intellect to tell the difference between live and pre-recorded video footage after being taught how to make calls on Facebook Messenger.
Boffins are hopeful that the discovery could lead to the creation of an "animal-centred internet" that will allow pets to communicate with each other and humans via technology.
Dr. Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, lead author of the study at the University of Glasgow, said: "Working closely with caregivers to design the study has given us new insight into how these intelligent birds react to the complex stimulus digital tablets can provide.
"The appearance of 'liveness' really did seem to make a difference to the parrots' engagement with their screens.
"Their behaviour while interacting with another live bird often reflected behaviours they would engage in with other parrots in real life, which wasn't the case in the pre-recorded sessions.
"Some caregivers believed that their parrots were capable of differentiating between the sessions."
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