Parrots are probably most famous for their ability to imitate different sounds they hear. If you were in the room with your eyes closed, it is possible that you would find it difficult to tell the difference between a parrots "hello" and the "hello" of a human. Unlike humans, parrots do not have vocal cords. They learn to control the movement of the muscles in the throat which directs the airflow in such a way as to reproduce certain tones and sounds—sometimes even human sounds or (words).
There is no question that some parrots show signs of intelligence, Nkisi is definitely one of them. Yet, it is important to understand that these mimicking birds do not really understand what they are saying, is Nkisi the exception to this rule? Parrots repeat sounds that they have been taught. Many scientists still believe that talking to a parrot is basically like talking to a tape player or a Furby doll. (And even then, you never know if a parrot will talk back.) The fact is, even though some birds can be "trained" to do certain things, we do not know if they are able to reason or have real, human-like conversations, Nkisi may be the first but it will take more research to know for sure.
