Pet parrots given the choice to video-call each other or watch pre-recorded videos of other birds will flock to the opportunity for live chats, new research shows.

The study, led by animal-computer interaction specialists at the University of Glasgow, gave tablet devices to nine parrots and their owners to explore the potential of the video chats to expand the birds’ social lives.

The findings could help steer the future course of the emerging “animal internet,” which uses digital technology to empower animals to interact with humans and each other in new ways.