FAQ

Q: Which survey should I take?
A: Take both if you can! We can do better science if we have data on each bird from both surveys. In the What Does Polly Say? survey you will tell us about your bird and its vocal repertoire. In The Bird Singalong and Speech Project survey you will upload one or more audio files of your bird singing a tune or speaking a phrase plus an audio file of the model the bird learned from singing that tune or speaking that phrase.

If you can't take both, it's perfectly fine to complete whichever survey makes sense for you. When you click on each survey link you will see an introductory page describing more about the survey. 
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Q: How long will it take?
A: That depends on whether you prepare in advance and how much information you provide. Prior to beginning the What Does Polly Say? survey we recommend that you count the number of words, phrases and mimicry sounds your parrot makes. You can find instruction on how to do that at the survey link. Prior to beginning The Bird Singalong and Speech Project survey we recommend that you collect audio recordings of your parrot and of the song or spoken model that it learned from. You can find instructions on how to do that here and at the survey link.
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Q: What equipment do I need?
A: You will need 1) a pad and paper to write down your parrot's repertoire, 2) a cell phone and a space where you can record your parrot singing or speaking with minimal background noise, 3) a cooperative parrot (good luck!)
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Q: What will you do with the information I provide?
A: We will use it for scientific research on parrot vocal learning. You can see the first published article from the project here. All publications will use anonymized data so that you are never identified individually. We will never share your contact information with anyone outside of the research team.  
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