Life with Alex - A Film about Alex the Parrot

Alex was an African grey parrot who transformed our understanding of animal intelligence. Over more than 30 years of research with Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Alex challenged long-held assumptions about avian intelligence, animal cognition, language, and communication. Through Dr. Pepperberg’s pioneering methods, Alex learned to accurately use more than 100 English vocal labels to identify and describe objects, shapes, colors, and materials. He could also perform simple numerical tasks and demonstrated an understanding of concepts such as “none,” “same and different,” and “bigger and smaller.”

Through interviews with the scientists, researchers, and caregivers who knew and worked with him, the film explores this groundbreaking research, Alex's remarkable relationships with the people around him, and his unexpected death in 2007. Dr. Pepperberg's work continues to influence the fields of animal cognition, comparative psychology, and interspecies communication, leaving a lasting scientific legacy.

The Alex Foundation is a nonprofit organization established to support research into avian cognition and intelligence. Proceeds from this film will support the Foundation’s ongoing research and help advance our understanding of the remarkable cognitive abilities of birds.