household pets.

　　Naturalist Martyn Robinson said：“We've had people calling us thinking they've had something put into their drink because they've gone out to look at the flock of birds in their back yard and all the birds have been saying something like ‘Who's a pretty boy, then？’？”

　　Mr.Robinson, who is based at the Australian Museum in Sydney, said the usual sequence of events saw a caged parrot of some kind which had been taught phrases but had then made its escape. It would then join a wild flock and chatter away in the trees，its words being learned by younger birds in the flock.The older ones would be unlikely to start learning. When chicks are born, they hear the words being spoken by the older birds and grow up repeating the phrases.And so it continues, generation after generation.

　　Mr.Robinson said that because of a drought in the western regions of New South Wales, flocks of wild birds—“speakers”among them—have been flying to Sydney, where more food is available, and have been hanging around suburban gardens.

　　From the tree tops in gardens, from chimney pots and lamp posts, the flocks have been talking away, leaving many people wondering if their minds were playing tricks on them.

　　“These birds are very smart and very social, meaning that communication and contact is important between them，” said Mr.Robinson.“I just hope a pet bird that's been taught dirty words doesn't join a flock because we don't want to hear that kind of thing going around the back gardens.”

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