Bird Behavior

Every time we interact with our bird, we affect its behavior, that is, we influence its behavior. Sometimes this is positive, sometimes negative. At times, we do this with intention, many times not. But most certainly, we do affect its behavior. Understanding bird behavior may appear to be easier than it is. It is based on interpreting the birds' instincts and natural habits.

Many parrot owners experience the reoccurring problem of misinterpreting their bird's behavior. They credit their birds with having the same intelligence and behavioral characteristics as human beings. They give their birds credit for being able to hold grudges, thoughtful of human's emotions, and considerate of human feelings. This simply is not true. Birds are self-centered, and behave to please themselves. Parrots cannot anticipate the results of an action until they have experienced the consequence of this action. If the consequence is positive, the action may be repeated. If negative or neutral, the action will probably cease. Some of the behavior we see in parrots is instinct driven. These behaviors are generally associated with survival and reproduction. The behaviors we have the ability to influence most often are the learned behaviors.

You can prevent common behavior problems by keeping your bird in his or her cage for a part of every day. During cage time, talk to your bird often while you are going about your household chores so the cage is NOT associated with isolation. Whether your bird is in or out of the cage, speak to him and stop and scratch or feed him when he is playing quietly. Avoid noticing him suddenly if he screams or tries to climb down from his play area. This inadvertently teaches a bird to do these undesirable things more often.

Don't spend all day with your bird when you first bring him home if you won't be able to do so forever. You don't need to stick to a strict schedule. In fact, it is best to vary his schedule slightly so that he will remain adaptable to change while offering a few things each day that he can count on.

Screaming is the behavior problem most likely to cause a bird to lose his home. The first decision you need to make is whether your bird's screaming is normal. All birds are loud twice per day. However, birds that scream rather than talk or play and spend more than 5 minutes yelling, have a problem.

Birds bite to communicate something urgent. If your bird bites you, there is something he wants you to know. He may have tried to tell you with bird signals that you did not understand-changing his pupil size, fluffing his neck feathers or putting up one foot. Birds bite to prevent being injured and to defend their territory. Prevent bites by learning what frightens your bird and introduce him safely to new situations. Learn to read your bird’s body language and do not handle your bird when you see signs of distress unless it is an emergency. If you understand your bird's fears, he will not need to bite to let you know something is wrong.

Your bird may also bite because he has successfully used biting to change your behavior in the past. Birds enjoy social interaction, including a dramatic reaction to a bite. If you are bitten, minimize your outward reaction to a simple “No”. Obviously, this isn’t easy.

Parrots will chew on most things, even materials that are harmful to them or valuable to their owners. Parrots enjoy chewing especially during the season when the days begin to get longer (end of winter, early spring in the US). Birds are busy with their beaks all day in the wild. They can become bored if they are not able to move around and explore with their beaks during idle time.



Feather plucking is a behavior problem in birds in which the bird or a cage mate removes or breaks off healthy feathers. Like nail biting or thumb sucking in people, feather plucking is made worse by anxiety. It's common for birds to pluck during their breeding season when they are under more stress. Some birds continue the behavior year round until it becomes a habit. In many cases, birds that have learned to pluck their feathers return to the activity whenever they are under stress. It's easy to “teach” birds to pluck feathers by fussing over them whenever you see the behavior. As a rule, only pay attention to birds when they are playing appropriately.