Bird Body Language
Bird novices are sometimes quick to misjudge their bird’s behavior and wonder why they received a bite or why the bird fluttered off their hand. Does the bird want you to come to it, or move away? If you start to understand what bird body language means, it’s easy to read bird behavior. Here are just a few things to watch for:
- Eye Pinning In parrots with light-colored eyes, you might notice the pupil dilating in and out when the bird becomes excited. This happens a lot in Amazon parrots, macaws, Poicephalus and African greys, but can happen in any parrot. Eye pinning means a heightened excited state — this isn’t a good time to stick your finger into your parrot’s face — you might just get a nasty bite.
- Tail Flaring Birds shake their tail feathers after preening or to release tension, but tail feather flaring is different; this is when the tail feathers are flared out like a fan. Amazon parrots are prone to this, but other types of parrots do this as well. This indicates an excited state, and often appears with eye pinning.
- Beak Clicking The clicking of the beak can indicate an excited state, but can also be a warning to stay away.
- Feather Fluffing A bird will ruffle and fluff his feathers after preening to remove debris and will also fluff his feathers when it is cold. If a bird has his feathers continually fluffed, the bird may be ill and is trying to keep warm.
- Beak Wiping Birds will often wipe their beaks on perches or the cage bars after eating to remove debris, such as food.
- Crest Position Some birds, like cockatiels, cockatoos and hawk-headed parrots, have crest feathers that the bird raises or lowers to indicate emotional state. If you have one of these types of birds, watch to see what prompts the bird to raise its crest; is it excited, fearful or happy?
- Shivering Birds shiver and shake after taking a bath; their breast muscles involuntarily contract and expand to create body heat. A bird may also appear to shiver when he is very excited. Quaker parrots are known to “quake,” which is how they got their name.
- Flapping Wings Birds often hold on tight to the perch and flap their wings madly as if wanting to take off in flight. They do this for exercise and when they’re happy, and it can also be part of breeding behavior.
- Head Bobbing Head bobbing can indicate that a bird is anxious to go somewhere, or perhaps he is regurgitating to you in an effort to bond with you. Very young parrots bob their heads a lot, as do quaker parrots.
- Head Shaking African grey parrots shake their heads a lot, as if something is in their ears. It is not certain why they do this, but it’s a normal behavior for this species.
