Today I Learned …

Bongo Marie, an African gray parrot, was always picking on another parrot named Paco. One night, parrot behavior expert Sally Blanchard was cooking dinner at her home in Loveland, Colorado, where Bongo Marie and Paco lived with her. Pulling a chicken out of the oven, Blanchard set the steaming bird on the kitchen counter. “Oh no! Paco!” Bongo Marie shrieked, tossing her head back and chuckling.

“That’s not Paco,” laughed Blanchard. She showed Bongo Marie that Paco was in the other room. “Oh … no,” Bongo Marie repeated, before chuckling again.

“I’m convinced she knew she was being funny,” Blanchard said. “It was like she was laughing at her own joke.” (From National Geographic Kids, August 2024)