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Parrots can be very talkative and intelligent birds, but nothing compares to the talents of a bird named Apollo. The 4-year-old African grey parrot broke the Guinness World Record for the most items identified by a parrot in three minutes after successfully identifying 12 items on December 18, 2023. Now, he's the star of the Guinness World Records 2025 book.
Apollo lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, with his human parents, 25-year-old content creators Dalton and Victoria “Tori” Mason. The couple adopted Apollo in 2020 after spotting him at their local pet store. “He immediately got our attention, and we knew upon meeting him that we’d be taking him home,” they told Guinness World Records.
Among the 12 objects Apollo identified were “bug,” “book,” and “socks,” which he spots by getting a close look and taking a bite to check the texture. The achievement reinforcers his parents' goal “to spread awareness of the natural intelligence found in animals.” That's why he is currently receiving what the Masons describe as a “preschool-level homeschooling education.”
The couple has trained Apollo using Dr. Irene Pepperberg's Model/Rival method, which has helped Apollo master his skills and acquire a large vocabulary. The intelligent parrot is always excited to get a pistachio as a reward for learning something new.
Apollo is said to have the intelligence of a human toddler, and is able to recognize color, words, and objects. His verbal skills are developed enough to allow him to count, as well as ask and answer elaborate questions—a resource that comes in handy, as the curious bird likes to learn about the world around him.
When he's not training, he can be seen playing with his bird sisters, two white-bellied caiques named Soleil and Ophelia. He also loves playing with his toys, particularly a Super Mario figurine of the villain Wario, who he now identifies by name. On top of being incredibly clever, Apollo has amassed a large following on social media thanks to his charming personality.
Today, Apollo continues perfecting his skills and discovering more and more things. “He loves learning new things and applying his knowledge outside of his training environment,” his humans say. With a little work, they'll see their dream come true—for Apollo to be “the smartest parrot ever.”
This is Apollo, a 4-year-old African grey parrot who just broke a Guinness World Record.
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He earned the distinction for most items identified by a parrot in three minutes after successfully identifying 12 items on December 18, 2023.
Now, he has been named of star of the Guinness World Records 2025 book.
Today, Apollo continues perfecting his skills and discovering more and more things. “He loves learning new things and applying his knowledge outside of his training environment,” his human parents said.
Apollo G. Bird: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
h/t: [IFL Science]
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