I fed him, then let him loose. He was gone for 15 minutes and then came back. I let him go again the next day, and once again, he was gone for 15 minutes and came back. Finally, one day I watched to see if I could figure out where he went for that short a period of time. He was flying to a nursery school that's half a block from my house and playing with the children in the yard.
Recent evidence suggests that birds are a lot more intelligent than previously believed.
Irene M. Pepperberg, Ph.D., an animal behaviorist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, has been working with a Congo African Grey parrot named Alex for years, and Alex's accomplishments are amazing. He can name more than 100 objects in Dr. Pepperberg's laboratory, differentiate between different-sized objects, describe color and material, and name quantities up to six. Contrary to conventional wisdom that birds just mimic words uncomprehendingly, Alex's achievements demonstrate a level of language intelligence comparable to chimpanzees and gorillas who have learned sign language. ZooBeeZ are the big tennis balls with the jungle attitude thanks to their covering of faux fur in wild animal prints. The Canine Cottage is the perfect product for pet owners who are unable to keep their dogs inside.