Renowned for their vibrant feathers, playful personalities, and uncanny ability to mimic human speech, parrots have long captivated the world. These intelligent birds are talented talkers and possess impressive problem-solving skills. The video, captured in Foshan, China, features a young boy holding a parrot. As the boy opens his mouth, he moves the parrot closer, enabling the bird to latch onto a loose tooth. With a swift and accurate motion, the parrot expertly pulls out the tooth, leaving the internet amazed. The bird then drops the extracted tooth into the hand of someone nearby, completing its remarkable task.
Posted on X, Discover Guangzhou, the video caption reads, "A parrot can be a dentist? On May 5, a deciduous tooth of a boy in China's Zhejiang province was pulled out by his pet parrot in just one second!"
See the video here:
This isn't entirely unprecedented. In the wild, birds like the Egyptian Plover have a symbiotic relationship with crocodiles, cleaning their teeth in exchange for food. These small birds enter the mouths of crocodiles and remove food particles and leeches stuck between their teeth. This cleans the crocodiles' teeth, preventing infections, and provides a food source for the plovers.
The crocodile, in turn, benefits from having its teeth cleaned, reducing the risk of infections and promoting better oral health.
While parrots may exhibit impressive skills, an important safety concern should not be overlooked. Experts from the Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital caution that human saliva contains pathogens that can be harmful and potentially toxic to birds. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to avoid letting birds place their beaks near human mouths or noses.
