The verb "to parrot" something means to repeat it back exactly as heard. Some birds learn to do this with amazing accuracy. Parrots not only learn to talk like humans, many of them seem to understand what they are saying. Why do parrots do this, but dogs and cats and cows do not? The answer lies in their anatomy and their natural inclinations. This TED-Ed lesson goes over the natural parts of parrots that give them the gift of human speech. The bigger question is whether they understand the speech or not. Some parrots are pretty good at using language in context, but is that a totally learned response or an understanding of how language works? And is there really a line between those two possibilities? -via Geeks Are Sexy