Alex & Me

"How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence - and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process". Alex, the African Grey parrot in this story may have started out as an Avian Language EXperiment, but ended up a charming, sometimes cranky, and often mischievous companion to researcher Irene Pepperberg, shattering just about every pre-conceived notion about animal intelligence and emotion in the process. Despite Alex' fame, finding research funding proved to be a never-ending struggle for Dr. Pepperberg; amazingly, much of the groundbreaking work was done with student volunteers on a shoestring budget. See http://brightcove.newscientist.com/services/link/bcpid1873822884/bctid1902498604 for a video of Alex in action.