Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. If you’ve ever looked at an animal and wondered, what’s going on in their head, You’re far from being the only one (though it’s pretty clear what this little raccoon was thinking when he shoved his head into a peanut butter jar).  While answering this question might seem like an impossible task—it’s hard enough to decode what humans think about, after all—one way to understand animal minds is by studying their communication. According to Christine Dahlin, a biology professor at the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown, their communication involves the direct expression of feelings or thoughts.  Within this context, Dahlin is particularly interested in parrots. While these iconic birds can copy human speech shockingly well, enabling them to be impressive communicators, the role this plays in their independent lives remains a mystery.  “Thus, I have been using yellow-naped amazons as a model to study complex parrot vocal signals in the wild. The warble duets, which I researched for this study, …