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Alexa, Polly want a cracker! Meet the parrot that makes Amazon Echo buy him fruit

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By Daniel Petrov

Published: Dec 18, 2018, 2:59 AM

Rocco, an African grey parrot, is having a love affair with Amazon's Alexa. He's been chatting her up the whole day, says his owner, and even manages to order stuff that the owner then has to check and cancel each day, reports The Times.

The African grey population is dwindling precisely because they imitate human speech so well and people love to use them as pets. Rocco got bumped from a National Animal Welfare Trust sanctuary for swearing too much, landing him with his current owner. According to her:

He knows the telephone and can make different mobile ringtones. He can do the microwave or the squeaking door on my fridge. He can do the ice cream van in the summer, and a truck reversing so loud you think it’s in your living room.

This robust skillset didn't pass her Amazon Echo smart speaker, too, and Rocco has been asking Alexa to play music or tell him jokes, the most mischievous undertaking is ordering stuff on Amazon.

Imitating his owner, the parrot managed to order stuff like fruit, snacks, and even a kettle, so his human has to now check her account every day to make sure she cancels any orders that Rocco made. Sign of the times and the perils of having overly smart speakers and pets at home.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.