why of all the animals, only parrots has the gift of speaking?

Question

they say human's are the highest form of God's creatures, and are actually considered as animals..it fascinates me that of all the animals ever exists only parrots could talk..
somehow peculiar for science says monkeys/apes is where human came from.. so why do they can't talk?

Answer 1

I guess the ultimate answer to that is because they are lucky. Just like how parrots and some species of Sturnidae (starlings and mynahs) have been gifted with the ability to imitate speech, humans too are the most sophisticated creatures out of all other animals - our ancestors were lucky enough to be gifted with the potential to develop into a successful species. Parrots must have developed their "talking" abilities through a similar gift as well.

Answer 2

It's not just parrots.. As has been mentioned above, members of the Thrush family can talk... Some of the larger Corvids have been known to speak..

As have Seals..

And don't forget Gef the Mongoose..

Although this can usually be explained as just mimicry, on very rare occasions it seems that the animals can understand what they are saying.

I guess the real reasons that most animals don't speak human languages is that they don't have the equipment (either mental or vocal) to do what is, in essence, quite a difficult thing - And that they've got nothing to say

Answer 3

I dont know why apes and monkeys do not talk, but some in captivity have quite a large "vocabulary" and can recognize certain objects, and have even learned sign language.

Some bird species tend to "mimic" what they hear a lot, even in the wild... and i have heard that starlings can learn to say words, if they are kept as pets. Crows will also talk, as well as minah birds... so there are just a few other than the parrot who will copy what they hear.

take care.

Answer 4

Hmm... while I don't know the answer to your question (except for maybe we didn't come from monkeys? could just be related), yes, it is fascinating that birds can talk.

Not just parrots, but ravens, canaries, finches, starlings, and more. And they don't just mimic either. They do have the ability to associate human words with objects and actions.

Other animals can mimic human languages too though, like dogs and cats. But they don't understand what they are saying.

Answer 5

Actually parrots aren't the only bird able to mimic human speech, there are several species with that ability. I have known birds accurately imitate speech, car alarms and creaking doors.
Interestingly, as a creationist, your view about apes and monkeys puts another nail in the coffin of evolution.

Answer 6

I can speak any language that I hear -- although I have no idea what I'm actually saying. :) That's the same thing birds do.

Apes don't have the right kind of vocal chords and stuff to make the same sounds as Humans, but unlike birds, they can actually communicate with Humans. There have been several apes who learned a fairly extensive vocabulary in sign language and accurately responded to questions...

Answer 7

For some reason, apes did not develop a vocal cord system like humans. Apparently, apes did not need sophisticated vocal apparatus to survive. Birds happen to be smart and spend a lot of time communicating vocally and developed a pretty remarkable vocal apparatus called a syrinx which allows many species to mimic human speech as well as other complicated sounds.

Answer 8

there have been apes and gorillas that have learned sign language and have used it effectively to communicate simple ideas- they can make the link between a word/gesture and an object or concept, and link a few of these together to form simple sentences.

they have also gone on to incorporate sign language into their own intra-species communication: that is, they will teach these words to each other and to their young, and use them while talking with each other, even when humans aren't around (seen with the use of video surveillence)

Answer 9

Hmmm...parrots do not have the gift of speaking...they have the gift of imitating noises and sounds. To say speak is to imply that birds have a cognitive ability to sperate between words, which they do not.

Other animals can also imitate sounds, dogs for instance (teaching a dog to howl "hello", etc.), not just birds. I think, to play devil's advocate, that ALL animals in some form or another are like humans...

Answer 10

Without language I would think it almost impossible to form such thoughts. I would also think that the energy expended for the purpose of survival would make it unlikely too. I think evolution has blessed them with sensory perception above that of humans and has engineered (maybe a wrong choice of word) their brains to constantly filter and decipher that input for survival. Now, If you are talking higher mamals with higher brain development, such as the great apes or dolphins, I say the possibility may exist that they are self aware.