From NPR: Alex the famous African gray parrot, renowned for the landmark cognition research conducted by owner Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Ph.D., has died at the age of 31. By ... understood the concept of bigger and smaller and same and different. Pepperberg says they were in the midst of learning basic mathematics skills. Alex the Parrot, An Apt Student, Passes Away

... with them. They had a large fuzzy dog, Bella, who was gentle as a mother hen with Chick, and a West African Gray parrot named Pano, who had the run of the house, and with whom Chick had many long conversations. The beautiful bird was quite content in the loving care of his human companions, would sing Toscanini at the drop of ...