British Zoo Reveals Plan to Curb Parrots' Swearing: Could 'Turn Into Some Adult Aviary'

Lincolnshire Wildlife Centre is implementing a new strategy to curb the cursing of its most foul-mouthed fowl

• In 2020, staff at Lincolnshire Wildlife Centre separated five African gray parrots from the other birds because of their potty mouths

• Now, three different parrots are keeping their foul-mouthed antics alive

• Staff opted to move the eight profanity-loving parrots in with 92 non-swearing ones in an effort to curb the problem

A group of parrots at a British zoo got so swear-happy that officials had to hatch a plan.

In 2020, five African gray parrots at Lincolnshire Wildlife Centre made headlines for their potty mouths. Though some visitors found it amusing, staff decided to separate the birds from the flock to spare children from their R-rated rants.

Now, over three years later, three different parrots are keeping the original squad’s foul-mouthed antics alive — prompting officials to change their approach, Nichols told CNN.

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According to the chief executive, who has worked with parrots for 35 years, the newly donated birds, Eric, Captain and Sheila, have even more vulgar vocabularies than the original swearing parrots, Billy, Eric, Tyson, Jade, and Elsie, per BBC News.

“When we came to move them, the language that came out of their carrying boxes was phenomenal, really bad,” Nichols told CNN. “Not normal swear words, these were proper expletives.”

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This time around, instead of isolating the African grays, the zoo has integrated all eight profanity-loving birds with the rest of the flock in hopes that they take after the other parrots, swapping expletives for “all the nice noises like microwaves and vehicles reversing,” Nichols said.

"We’ve put eight really, really offensive, swearing parrots with 92 non-swearing ones,” he told CNN, noting that if their plan goes haywire, “it’s going to turn into some adult aviary.”

The strategy was “mostly” successful on the original five birds, Nichols told CNN, adding that they still swear sometimes — often followed by a hearty laugh, which is the most common visitor reaction to their cursing.

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If the plan backfires, however, the swear-happy birds will still be the star attraction of the zoo. They offered humor "when the world seems very serious,” Nichols told BBC News.

“You never tire of being told to 'eff off' by a parrot,” he added. “You can't help but laugh. Of course, visitors stand around the enclosure swearing, trying to get the parrots to copy them."

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And while “only time will tell” what happens, the birds will undoubtedly be happier with the rest of their feathery zoo friends, Nichols told BBC News.

“Parrots are flock creatures,” he told the outlet. “They need to be with other parrots. The bigger the flock, the happier they are.”

"Even though they swear, the welfare of the birds has to come first.”

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