Parrot Body Language : The attitudes of domestic birds can be seen as a bad mood, a playful and loving attitude, demanding or even a withdrawal.

Sometimes very obvious and sometimes very subtle, the parrot body language can give you an overview of the needs and desires of your birds.

Although parrots and other birds communicate through different attitudes, the following behaviors are seen in most pet birds, somewhat more often than others, and somewhat more prominently than others.

Observing your bird’s eyes, vocalizations, wings, tail, beak, and overall posture can be very revealing. And you can understand your Parrot Body Language.

The eyes

Unlike humans, birds are able to control their irises, the enlargement and rapid decrease of their pupils.

This attitude is called “flashing” or “pinning” and birds can do this when they are excited, very interested in something, or when they are angry, afraid, or aggressive.

The variations of the eye must be taken in context with the environment and the body posture of the bird to obtain an accurate emotional reading.

The vocalizations

In the wild, birds use various vocalizations to warn others of danger, attract partners, protect their territory, and to maintain social contact.

Most birds are very vocal and can try to communicate with you many times.

Sing, speak, and whistle: These vocalizations are often signs of a happy, healthy, happy bird according to Parrot Body Language.

Some birds like to have an audience and sing, speak and whistle more when others are around. Other birds will remain silent when viewed.

Chat: Chat can be very soft or very loud. Soft chat can be a sign of contentment or can be a practice of speaking for some birds.

Loud chatter can be a request for attention, reminding you that it is there. In the wild, birds often chat in the evening before going to sleep to connect with the other members of the group.

Purring: It is not the same purring as that of a cat, the purring of a bird is more like a soft growl which can be a sign of contentment or a sign of boredom.

When a bird purrs, the environment of the bird and other Parrot Body Language must be taken into account when determining what the bird is saying. [My birds “grouiigrouiiikent”: p They make GrrrrGrrrrouGGrrrGrrrrrouiiik when they are happy]

Clicking its tongue: By clicking its tongue against its beak, your bird can be entertained or ask to be petted or caught on you.

Growling: Although it is not a vocalization widespread in all the companion birds, the grunting is an aggressive vocalization.

If your bird is sizzling, examine its environment and remove anything that may be disturbing it.

Of course, if your bird growls, it shows that it does not want to be handled.

Wings

The wings are not always intended to fly; they are often used to communicate as a Parrot Body Language.

Flapping Wings: Flappingtheir wings, or flying in place, is used as an exercise, to grab your attention, or just to display happiness.

Birds can often just raise their wings as a way to stretch or cool down.

“Wing flipping“: When the bird spreads the wings, it can mean a lot of different things, like being angry or in pain. It can also be used to inflate or replace feathers.

A spreading of the wings accompanied by a curvature of the shoulder and a bobble head means that the bird seeks to attract attention and often means that a bird wants to be fed.

It can also be a mating behavior. In this case, if you pay attention to it, you risk stimulating spawning and this should be avoided.

Drooping wings: Young birds must learn to fold and tuck their wings and often leave their wings low before learning this.

However, in older birds, drooping wings may indicate disease. If the bird has just exercised or has recently bathed, it can do so by fatigue or to let the feathers dry.

Feathers

The Parrot Body Language also includes how it places its feathers.

Ruffled feathers: Birds can ruffle or swell their feathers during the smoothing process. This helps remove any dirt or dust from the feathers, and also helps return the feathers to their normal position.

Birds can also be seen ruffling their feathers as a way to relieve tension. If it’s cold, a bird can also inflate its Feathers.

Finally, if a bird’s feathers remain ruffled, it could be a sign of illness and it should be checked by your veterinarian.

The position of the crest: Birds such as cockatoos and cockatiels have a large expressive crest.

A happy, relaxed bird will usually have the “relaxed” crest, with just the tip tilted upward.

If he is excited by you, by a new toy, by a food product, etc. he will often lift the crest. If, however, the ridge is kept very high, it indicates fear or great excitement, and this should be taken as a warning.

An aggressive or alarmed bird can hold its crest flat, stoop & hiss.

Quivering feathers: Quivering can occur when the bird is frightened, overly excited, or doing some of the breeding behavior. [From my observations, they also do this when they want to warm up]

Tail

A bird’s feather tail, like the tail of other animals, is also used to communicate.

Wagging its tail: A bird, like a dog, can wag its tail to tell you that it is happy to see you. It can also be a warning signal for defecation. […]

When flipping the tail: A flipping tail is a general sign of happiness and can be seen when the bird is happy to see you, plays with his favorite toy, or gets a treat.

A wagging tail: If your bird is wagging its tail and has a rapid breath following intense exercise, it will recover its breath. However, if your bird is wagging its tail and breathing is difficult without activity, it may be showing signs of respiratory distress or infection. If this happens, consult your veterinarian.

A spread tail: Spreading the tail feathers often accompanies other behaviors in a show of aggression or anger.

The spread of the tail feathers is a spectacle that displays the strength and vitality of the bird.

Legs and Feet

Legs and feet are not used as often as other parts of the body to communicate, but they are some of the most interesting bird behaviors.

Foot tapping: Some birds, especially cockatoos, will tap their feet as a sign of dominance over their territory.

This habit only occurs when they feel that their territory is threatened.

“I’m all soft!” : Some birds that do not want to stand or their perch can suddenly collapse: this happens most often when you handle them and you have to put them back in their cage for example, Collapsing is their way of resist.

Just hold and pet the bird a little longer, and when it feels it has received enough attention, its legs will suddenly become strong enough to perch. Some birds become very good at this behavior and make it a routine.

Hanging upside down: Some birds consider that hanging upside down is a natural part of their behavior

By doing this, they are happy and satisfied with their environment.

Scratching on the bottom of the cage: Birds of these species that normally feed on the ground for food, like African gray, can scratch the bottom of the cage, like a chicken [cockatiels do that].

Beak and head

The beak is used for several functions other than eating – from grooming to cracking nuts and seeds.

It can be used as a weapon or to build a nest. There are also several ways for a bird to use its beak to tell you things.

Squeak: This squeak is often a sign of contentment in birds and is most often heard just before falling asleep.

The bird creaks its beak by rubbing it from side to side. It is believed by some experts that birds squeak to keep it in its best condition.

Tap your beak: By tapping beak, or sliding one tip of the beak over the other, your bird can mean several things.

If the bird taps once while fixing its eyes but is otherwise non-threatening,it greets you or recognizes something.

If it hits several times in a series, it gives a warning and should not be handled. Typing is most often seen in cockatiels and cockatoos.

Wipe: It is common to see a bird wipe its beak after eating. Often the bird will wipe its beak on a pole, the floor of the cage, or on the sides of the cage to make it clean.

Some birds use wiping their beaks as a way to mark their territory. This behavior can be seen in birds when introduced to others or when they are kept in areas where other birds are close by.

Biting: Birds bite for several reasons, it is important to observe other behaviors and the immediate environment of the bird to determine the reason behind this behavior.

Defense of the territory, fear or anger can cause a bite. An open bill combined with a squatting position and a hissing sound is a definite indication that the bird is ready to bite.

Chew: Most birds enjoy chewing and do so for many reasons, including conditioning their beak and having fun.

A variety of chew toys should be provided to keep your bird energized and interested and to keep it from chewing, and possibly ingesting, inappropriate things.

Regurgitation: regurgitation is the expulsion of the contents of the mouth, the esophagus, or the crop. If your bird fixes its eyes, flicks its head and stretches its neck, then regurgitates its dinner, it shows you a lot of affection.

Birds feed their young by regurgitating and breeding couples often do this for each other as a sign of affection.

Take in the beak: One way the birds play is to grab the beak and struggle. They often use their beaks to joust during the game.

Shake the head: It is very common for African grays to nod. The reason for this is not well understood.

Head Swing: Birds that want attention can swing their head back and forth.

Postures

Certain postures have a particular meaning. General body posture is important in determining what your bird is trying to say to you.

Certain postures have a particular meaning; Here are some of the common bird postures.

Relaxed: If the bird has a relaxed body and the head and body are attentive, it is happy and content.

Attentive: If the head and the body are attentive, but the body is rigid and the feathers are ruffled, it lets you know that it has this territory.

Yielding: When a bird is squatting with its head tilted down towards you, and perhaps its bobble head, it asks to be petted or scratched.

Head down: If the bird is crouching down, head down with a relaxed body and wings raised, it tries to get your attention, or considers you as a potential partner.

Aggressive: If a bird is squatting, head down, eyes fixed, tail feathers spread, ruffled feathers and rigid body, waving from side to side, it gives a warning and will not hesitate not bite if provoked, even in the most minor way.

If this position is accompanied by a brisk walk towards you, it is best to go out of your way until it has had time to calm down. A hissing and raised crest may be additional clues that the bird is in an aggressive state.

Lying on the back: Although probably rare in nature, some pet birds lie on their backs, and can even sleep in this position. [the conure for example]

Elimination posture: Before defecating, a bird can back up several steps, squat and lift its tail.

Birds use all parts of their bodies and their bodies to communicate messages to others.

These messages are sometimes very obvious and almost all animals could interpret their meaning.

Another body language may be subtle and experience will be required to interpret it correctly. Many species have their own body language, while many body languages ​​cross the boundaries of bird species.

Communicating with your bird by observing and interpreting its body language will make your relationship much easier and more satisfying for both of you.