Clever parrot who can identify colours breaks record with his organizational skills

Clever parrot Xiaogui can tell colours apart.

He’s very handy to have around if you ever need some colour-coordinating done.

With the help of his owner Qin Feng (China), the brainy bird set the record for fastest time to identify 10 colours by a parrot in an impressive 33.50 seconds.

Taking on the challenge in Jiaozuo, Henan, China, in November 2024, Xiaogui was presented with 10 tiny plastic bins and a line of 10 straw balls of the same colours.

The orders were mixed up, and Xiaogui had to retrieve a ball and put it in the right bin, completing all 10 as quickly as he could.

Qin Feng’s feathered friend worked his way down the line of balls, picking them up one at a time and carrying them over to the correct bin before dunking them inside.

Amazingly, he could even tell the difference between two shades of pink, initially dropping the dark pink ball into the light pink bin before noticing his mistake and correcting it.

Zooming around his table-top course, Xiaogui appeared to relish the challenge.

Qin Feng first met Xiaogui when he was just a baby in 2020.

He needed to be hand-fed several times a day, which meant his bond with Qin Feng grew incredibly strong.

When Qin Feng noticed his pet’s strong interest in toys – especially coloured balls – he began training him to recognize colours and sort them accordingly.

Xiaogui would surely become fast friends with African grey Apollo if they ever met.

Apollo, who was trained by Dalton and Victoria Mason (all USA), holds the record for most items identified by a parrot in three minutes.

He successfully identified 12 objects, including 'bug,' 'book' and 'socks'.

The most playing cards identified by a parrot in three minutes was achieved by Kira and Stefania Pedone (both Italy) with a total of 11.

Chico the cockatoo, from Bulgaria, is lightning-quick on his scooter.

He set the record for fastest 5m on a scooter by a parrot with a time of 14.56 seconds.

Zac the Macaw (USA) achieved the most basketball slam dunks by a parrot in one minute with a total of 22.

And the most tricks performed by a parrot in one minute was set by Cola (China) with a total of 21.