Parrot Uses Alexa to Order Watermelon, Lightbulbs While Owner Is Out

Parrot, Alexa, African Grey, England, Animals
An African Grey parrot bends his head for some attention in a pet shop October 26, 2005, in the central Israeli town of Hod Hasharon. David Silverman/Getty Images

A peckish parrot has been caught ordering strawberries, a watermelon and even a water boiler through his foster owner's electronic personal assistant.

Rocco, an African Grey, requested the items through an Alexa device while his minder was out of the home. Luckily, due to a parental lock, none of his attempted purchases went through.

Read more: Firefighter sent to rescue parrot from roof told to "f*** off" by bird

Rocco, who lives with Marion Wischnewski in Berkshire, U.K., has attempted to order everything from kites and lightbulbs through Alexa since moving to her home. He also gets the device to tell him jokes and play his favorite tunes.

"I've come home before and he has romantic music playing," Wischnewski told The Times of London. "He loves to dance and has the sweetest personality."

Wischnewski agreed to take Rocco under her wing after he caused chaos at the National Animal Welfare Trust sanctuary where he was living. Wischnewski, who worked at the sanctuary, took pity on the boisterous bird after he cursed and threw his water bowl around.

Rocco isn't the only parrot to get in trouble for a foul-mouthed tirade. Jessie, a turquoise and yellow macaw, recently blasted firefighters attempting to rescue her from a roof with a stream of abuse. "Fuck off," Jessie told the crew in London as they tried to coax her down.

Jessie's owner told the firefighters to "bond" with the belligerent bird by telling her, "I love you," the London Fire Brigade reported on Twitter. But she was clearly unimpressed by their attempt at affection.

Jessie "kept swearing, much to our amusement," watch manager Chris Swallow told Sky News at the time. " [She] also speaks Turkish and Greek, so we tried telling her to 'come' in both those languages too."

Parrot owner: To bond with her say 'I love you'
Firefighter: 'I love you'
Jessie the Parrot: 'I love you'
Jessie then turned the air blue & flipped the firefighter the bird. Read the story of the potty-mouthed parrot in Cuckoo Hall Lane https://t.co/Th2nlVkOJ8 © @PaulWood1961 pic.twitter.com/XKd4BFJq4h

— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) August 13, 2018

Although she was initially believed injured, Jessie flew to another roof and a tree after around an hour of curse-filled chaos. She then returned to her owner, who thanked the firefighters for their efforts.

The angry bird herself even said a muffled "thank you" to the firefighters in a video taken by her owners.

Last year in Oregon, police were fooled by the melodramatic wails of a parrot. Officers rushed towards the sound of a screaming woman, only to discover a bird called Diego.

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Katherine Hignett is a reporter based in London. She currently covers current affairs, health and science. Prior to joining Newsweek ... Read more

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