Einstein already rules the roost at Knoxville Zoo's Bird Show. Now she is set to rule the airwaves. The zoo's feathered friend is making another national television appearance during "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, Dec. 6 on WATE-TV Ch. 6. Einstein, along with Lead Bird Show Trainer Stephanie White, will make several appearances throughout the show and have a longer segment near the end at 8:50 a.m.
This is Einstein and Stephanie's third national appearance this year. They were previously guests on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in July and on “The Early Show” in August. Over the past year, Einstein has been featured in the Knoxville News Sentinel, the Associated Press, presented with a Tourism Impact Award by the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation and voted AnimalPlanet.com's most popular “Pet Star” ever. They will also be guests on the Montel Williams Show while they are in New York. This show will air at a later time. Einstein is an African grey parrot that was hatched in California in 1987. Knoxville Zoo obtained Einstein from a Californian couple in 1992. Since then, she has been the star of Knoxville Zoo’s Bird Show and a popular “spokesbird” for the zoo. African grey parrots are one of the smartest bird species and are also known as one of the best talking/mimicking species. Einstein is extremely intelligent, even for an African grey. She has an extensive verbal vocabulary and is able to mimic animals and other sounds. It is believed her vocabulary exceeds 200 words and sounds. Of that, about 80 are on cue.