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This British parrot shops for tasty treats with owner's Alexa

Early Bird Special

This British parrot shops for tasty treats with owner's Alexa

A British parrot shops for tasty treats on his owner's Alexa. (Via Max Pixel)

A British pet parrot has forged a bond with his owner’s Alexa, playing music and ordering tasty treats from the virtual assistant developed by tech giant Amazon.

Rocco, a rescue African Grey, made international headlines when The Times of London reported that he’s bought ice cream and strawberries from Alexa (though the device’s parental lock feature prevents these items from actually showing up at the door). Owner Marion Wischnewski adopted Rocco from the animal sanctuary she volunteers with after the bird’s frequent cussing scared away potential adoptive parrot parents.

African Greys are known for their ability to precisely mimic sounds, natural and mechanical, often very loudly. While Rocco’s now famous, YouTube offers plenty of looks into greys and their relationships with voice-activated devices. Below is a 2017 clip of Petra making fart sounds at Alexa then asking her for a peanut:

While Alexa might be the perfect machine companion for birds like Rocco, (this author, a former African Grey fosterer, speaks from personal experience), the future of smart home technology almost demands that we’ll see more pet-machine bonds in years to come.


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