Yesterday, I wrote a poem, “Thanks for the Feathers,” around some bird metaphors, and I used the parrot to embody some of my self-doubt about what I’ve written over the last month. “I mostly fear the parrot, preening her witty feathers, nodding her cocky head to the songs of others.” That was before I saw the dancing cockatoo featured on NPR yesterday. Inspired by Snowball’s You Tube fame, scientists have done some research and concluded that parrots are one of the few animals besides humans (well. some humans anyway) that can genuinely dance. They sense rhythm and innovate moves; they’re not just mimicking (as my metaphor suggested). Here’s the original version:
I must issue a formal apology to parrots everywhere for my lame metaphor. I’m very impressed with Snowball’s moves (though not so much with her family’s choice of music).
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