Lincolnshire Wildlife Park set to move foul-mouthed parrots to larger flock to reduce swearing habit

A wildlife park has decided to move its famous potty-mouthed parrots to a larger flock to reduce their swearing. The move comes after three more birds developed the habit, joining the five African greys relocated to the park in 2020.

The Lincolnshire Wildlife Park said it intends to incorporate the explicit parrots into a group of over 100 birds in an effort to dilute their fondness for swear words, with visitors alerted via a disclaimer that reads: "We cannot be responsible for what you hear!"

Speaking to the BBC, Chief Executive Steve Nichols said the decision is based on the knowledge that parrots are social beings, and being part of a larger flock improves their well-being. However, Nichols acknowledged the potential for other birds learning the spicy vocabulary, saying: "We could end up with 100 swearing parrots on our hands...Only time will tell."

Despite reservations, he believes the habit of screaming obscenities will gradually fade, if not disappear entirely. Nichols said the priority is the birds' welfare, hoping that the overall commotion of the larger flock will drown out the swearing. After three months of seclusion, the initial five parrots, called Billy, Tyson, Eric, Jade, and Elsie, became the park's main attraction.

Eric, Captain, and Sheila are the three additional birds to have picked up the swearing habit. The park acknowledged their cheeky behaviour with a hilarious Instagram post that read: "I 'swear' I just heard you say something. We've been having a great time wreaking chaos again on Monday."

Nichols, who has spent 35 years with parrots, admitted that the eight parrots may not fully give up their swearing because once it is in their vocabulary, it tends to stick around. However, he said he is confident that they will learn to imitate other sounds, citing an example of 30 birds replicating a reversing vehicle beeping sound.

The Lincolnshire Wildlife Park's National Parrot Sanctuary is home to one-third of these types of birds in the UK, including over 1,000 relocated parrots and parakeets from more than 100 species.