TED2006
Einstein the Parrot: A talking, squawking parrot
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This whimsical wrap-up of TED2006 -- presented by Einstein, the African grey parrot, and her trainer, Stephanie White -- simply tickles. Watch for the moment when Einstein has a moment with Al Gore.
Einstein the Parrot - African grey parrot
Einstein, the African grey parrot, has a vocabulary of more than 200 words and sounds; she can perform nearly half on cue. Full bio
Einstein, the African grey parrot, has a vocabulary of more than 200 words and sounds; she can perform nearly half on cue. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
Stephanie White: I'm going to let her introduce herself to everybody.
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Can you tell everybody your name?
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Einstein: Einstein.
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00:17
SW: This is Einstein. Can you tell everyone "hi"?
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E: Hello.
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SW: That's nice. Can you be polite?
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E: Hi, sweetheart.
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SW: Much better. Well, Einstein is very honored to be here at TED 2006,
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amongst all you modern-day Einsteins. In fact, she's very excited.
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00:32
E: Woo.
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00:33
SW: Yeah.
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(Laughter)
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Since we've arrived, there's been a constant buzz about
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all the exciting speakers here for the conference.
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This morning we've heard a lot of whispers about
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Tom Reilly's wrap-up on Saturday. Einstein, did you hear whispers?
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E: [Squawks]
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SW: Yeah.
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(Laughter)
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Einstein's especially interested in Penelope's talk.
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A lot of her research goes on in caves, which can get pretty dusty.
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00:54
E: Achoo!
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SW: It could make her sneeze. But more importantly, her research
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could help Einstein find a cure for her never-ending scratchy throat.
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01:02
Einstein: [Coughs]
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01:04
SW: Yeah.
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(Laughter)
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Well, Bob Russell was telling us about his work on nanotubes
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in his research at the microscopic level.
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Well, that's really cool, but what Einstein's really hoping
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01:14
is that maybe he'll genetically engineer a five-pound peanut.
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01:17
E: Oh, my God! My God! My God!
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01:19
SW: Yeah. She would get really, really excited.
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01:21
(Laughter)
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That is one big peanut. Since Einstein is a bird,
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she's very interested in things that fly.
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She thinks Burt Rutan is very impressive.
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E: Ooh.
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SW: Yeah. She especially likes his latest achievement, SpaceShipOne.
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Einstein, would you like to ride in Burt's spaceship?
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01:38
E: [Spaceship noise]
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SW: Even if it doesn't have a laser?
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01:40
E: [Laser noise]
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01:42
(Laughter)
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SW: Yeah, yeah. That was pretty funny, Einstein.
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01:49
Now, Einstein also thinks, you know, working in caves
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and travelling through space -- it's all very dangerous jobs.
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It would be very dangerous if you fell down.
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01:59
E: Wheeeeeee! [Splat]
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02:01
SW: Yeah.
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(Laughter)
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Little splat at the end there. Einstein, did that hurt?
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02:05
E: Ow, ow, ow.
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02:06
SW: Yeah. It's all a lot of hard work.
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02:09
E: [Squawks]
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SW: Yeah. It can get a bird like Einstein frustrated.
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02:12
E: [Squawks]
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02:13
SW: Yeah, it sure can. But when Einstein needs to relax from her job
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educating the public, she loves to take in the arts.
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02:19
If the children of the Uganda need another dance partner,
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Einstein could sure fit the bill, because she loves to dance.
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02:25
Can you get down?
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02:27
E: [Bobbing head] (Laughter)
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SW: Let's get down for everybody. Come on now.
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She's going to make me do it, too. Ooh, ooh.
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02:32
Einstein: Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.
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02:34
SW: Do your head now.
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E: Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.
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02:38
(Laughter)
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02:41
SW: Or maybe Sirena Huang would like to learn some arias
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on her violin, and Einstein can sing along with some opera?
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02:47
E: [Operatic squawk]
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02:48
SW: Very good.
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(Laughter)
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Or maybe Stu just needs another backup singer?
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02:53
Einstein, can you also sing?
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I know, you need to get rid of that seed first. Can you sing?
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E: La, la.
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SW: There you go. And, of course, if all else fails,
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you can just run off and enjoy a fun fiesta.
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03:04
E: [Squawks]
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03:06
SW: All right. Well, Einstein was pretty embarrassed to admit this earlier,
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but she was telling me backstage that she had a problem.
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03:13
E: What's the matter?
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SW: No, I don't have a problem. You have the problem, remember?
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03:17
You were saying that you were really embarrassed,
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because you're in love with a pirate?
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E: Yar.
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SW: There you go. And what do pirates like to drink?
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E: Beer.
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SW: Yeah, that's right. But you don't like to drink beer, Einstein.
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03:29
You like to drink water.
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E: [Water sound]
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SW: Very good. Now, really, she is pretty nervous.
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Because one of her favorite folks from back home is here,
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and she's pretty nervous to meet him.
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She thinks Al Gore is a really good-looking man.
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What do you say to a good-looking man?
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E: Hey, baby.
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(Laughter)
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SW: And so do all the folks back home in Tennessee.
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E: Yee haw.
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03:51
(Laughter)
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SW: And since she's such a big fan,
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she knows that his birthday is coming up at the end of March.
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And we didn't think he'd be in town then,
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so Einstein wanted to do something special for him.
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04:01
So let's see if Einstein will sing "Happy Birthday" to Al Gore.
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Can you sing "Happy Birthday" to him?
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04:06
E: Happy birthday to you.
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04:08
SW: Again.
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04:10
E: Happy birthday to you.
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04:11
SW: Again.
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04:12
E: Happy birthday to you.
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04:15
SW: Big finish.
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E: Happy birthday to you.
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SW: Good job!
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04:20
(Applause)
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Well, before we wrap it up, she would like to give a shout out
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to all our animal friends back at the Knoxville Zoo.
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Einstein, do you want to say "hi" to all the owls?
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E: Woo, woo, woo.
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04:35
SW: What about the other birds?
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04:37
E: Tweet, tweet, tweet.
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04:38
SW: And the penguin?
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04:39
E: Quack, quack, quack.
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04:40
SW: There we go.
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(Laughter)
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Let's get that one out of there. How about a chimpanzee?
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E: Ooh, ooh, ooh. Aah, aah, aah.
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SW: Very good.
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(Laughter)
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04:48
What about a wolf?
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E: Ooooowww.
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SW: And a pig?
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E: Oink, oink, oink.
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SW: And the rooster?
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E: Cock-a-doodle-doo!
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SW: And how about those cats?
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E: Meow.
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(Laughter)
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SW: At the zoo we have big cats from the jungle.
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E: Grrrrr.
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(Laughter)
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SW: What about a skunk?
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E: Stinker.
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(Laughter)
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SW: She's a comedian. I suppose you think you're famous? Are you famous?
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E: Superstar.
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SW: Yeah. You are a superstar.
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05:13
(Laughter)
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05:14
Well, we would like to encourage all of you to do your part
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to help protect Einstein's animal friends, and to do your part
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to help protect their homes that they live [in].
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Now, Einstein does say it best when we ask her.
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Why do we want to protect your home?
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E: I'm special.
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SW: You are very special. What would you like to say
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to all these nice people?
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E: I love you.
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SW: That's good. Can you blow them a kiss?
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05:34
E: [Kissing noise]
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05:35
SW: And what do you say when it's time to go?
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05:36
E: Goodbye.
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SW: Good job. Thank you all.
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05:39
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Einstein the Parrot - African grey parrotEinstein, the African grey parrot, has a vocabulary of more than 200 words and sounds; she can perform nearly half on cue.
Why you should listen
Einstein, the African grey parrot, squawked to fame after a winning performance on the Animal Planet game show Pet Star. She has a vocabulary of more than 200 words and sounds; she can perform nearly half on a cue from her trainer, Stephanie White. She can also impersonate a spaceship, a monkey and even a skunk.
Einstein is part of the Knoxville Zoo's outreach program, helping educate thousands of visitors about the natural world every year
Einstein the Parrot | Speaker | TED.com