Riddle: A pet shop owner had a parrot with a sign on its cage that said “Parrot repeats everything it hears”. Davey bought the parrot and for two weeks he spoke to it and it didn’t say a word. He returned the parrot but the shopkeeper said he never lied about the parrot. How can this be?
Answer: The parrot was deaf..(it hears nothing, so it repeats nothing).
Hint: Focus on the word “hears.”
Why this answer works
The claim is literally true: the parrot repeats what it hears. Since it can’t hear, there’s nothing to repeat—no contradiction.
Fun fact
Parrots imitate sounds via vocal learning regions in their brains; not all parrots are natural talkers, and hearing is crucial for mimicry.
Popular variations
Repeats all it hears—but says nothing? → It’s deaf
Echo bird with no echo? → Deaf parrot
Related riddles
I speak without a mouth and hear without ears—what am I? → An echo
What has a tongue but cannot talk? → A shoe
FAQ
Is “the parrot is mute” valid?
No—being mute wouldn’t make the sign true. The trick hinges on hearing, not speaking ability.
Could the sign be a pun?
It’s a literal statement that becomes a riddle twist when the parrot can’t hear.
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