Four-Letter Birds: Cussing Parrots Are All the Rage at English Zoo
The African Grey parrots and their blue language are getting lots of local and worldwide attention for their potty mouths, which are equal parts offensive, adorable, and hilarious.
By Gabe Herman · May 1, 2024
Disclaimer: While this article is based on Parrot Grammar–or “PG-rated”–facts, it does contain some feathery R-rated f*****g satire.
Come fly with me, you ****. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in eastern England has a group of foul-mouthed flyers, specifically African Grey parrots, that delight some and make others cry in objection, “I say!”
The cute cussers in the wildlife park in Friskney, England, have drawn many fans, both in person and online. There were five original swearing parrots, who then led three others astray with their bad influence so that there are now eight troublemakers, equal parts obscene and cute.
But efforts are being made to bring the naughty birds into polite society: the park is mixing them into its larger parrot population in the hopes that nicer manners will be learned and any bad language will be drowned out by the other parrots who act prim and proper.
When a park employee was asked if the opposite could happen, that the potty-mouthed parrots could have a bad influence on the entire group of birds, the official had a blank expression and paused for a long moment, then said quietly, “Actually, that hadn’t occurred to us. Oh no, what have we done?”
"I didn't mind the cussing, but it hurt when one bird asked who told me that my shirt looked good, then said that I was wasting my life and that I'm a disappointment to my parents."
To make matters more interesting, this particular species not only copies words but also mimics the sound of a person’s voice. This has led to some interesting moments, such as when a woman donating a parrot said that the bird had learned curse words from her husband, only for park employees to realize that the bird was speaking in the woman’s voice. It was also a giveaway when the bird said, “My husband won’t do the **** dishes, the lazy ***.”
A sign has been posted at the parrots’ area of the park, telling visitors to expect “every common swear word,” and informing that the birds not only cuss up a storm but then follow it with laughter. “Perhaps showing the birds videos of James Bond villains and episodes of Peaky Blinders was a mistake if we wanted to clean up their behavior,” one official said.
It is also advised that children be kept away from the area, which of course is a great strategy for attracting as many children to the parrots as possible.