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Air traffic control, requesting fly by...

NorthernGannet

Sprinting down the street
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Sprite has taken to buzzing over my head, within inches (if that - the airflow actually blows the top of my hair around he's so close). No matter if I'm standing or sitting, what I'm doing, or where I am in the room, he makes the effort a couple of times a day (not every flight). Last night he took a 90 degree turn immediately after take off, specifically to swoosh low just over my head before making another 90 degree to head to his cage.

Jellybean has gotten braver too, but only a couple times, and he did it parallel to my front. He actually hit my eye with his wing tip the other day as he squashed right between my face and the p'let's cage that I was facing!

Sooooo..... since this is not a one-off thing, does anyone think this is a behavior that I should try to avert? At first I thought maybe they just had a perverse sense of humor, but now in the back of my brain I'm wondering if it's actually meaningful to them (especially Sprite) in a deeper way that I should pay attention to.

-NG
 

Leih

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I've definitely heard of linnies dive bombing during their adolescence....
 

Dona

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I love your thread title. :)

Gigi is flighted and buzzes all around, but doesn't fly close to me unless she plans to land on me. So you are wondering if it's an aggressive or playful thing? I don't know.
 

sunnysmom

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Elvis is the king (lol) of the fly bys. I have read it can be a sign of aggression. And in the case of my fiancé, I think sometimes it is. But he also does it to me, and then he's clearly playing. We'll play catch in the evenings with paper towel rolls and he loves to fly off with the paper towel roll and on his way back zoom by my head. He never actually touches me but he gets really close.
 

Matto

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Our linnies, one in particular, do this pretty often. I don't see it as aggressive, and I'm always amazed by their flying talents.
 

Nobirby

Jogging around the block
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Jesse, the oldest GCC, does low altitude fly bys. He zooms right over the top of my head. He is just showing off. Oh, and trying to startle me.
 
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NorthernGannet

Sprinting down the street
Joined
6/1/19
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333
Location
Missouri
Oh good, thanks for all the replies. I was a little worried it could mean the beginning of being territorial and wanting me OUT, although it doesn't seem aggressive or anything at this point. I'im relieved to hear that's most likely not what's going on!

Sunnysmom, omg, your playing catch made me giggle! That sounds really fun :)
 

CheckeredTail

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Not a linnie, but my parrotlet Curtis always loved to zoom past my head really close. I always praised his fancy flying so I think it ended up being about him showing off and just enjoying the joy of flying, as he also would do tricks in the air like taking sharp turns and flying around lamps and such. It never felt like aggression to me. He knew how to be aggressive with his beak so i think he'd be more effective at it if it was for trying to scare or hurt me haha
 

NorthernGannet

Sprinting down the street
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333
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Missouri
Yep, my parrotlet is like that too! She's really agile and acrobatic in the air, and saves her aggression for her beak :) Once (and only once) she flew right towards my face and turned at the last moment, but she does not usually fly close to me unless she's coming to land on me. That said about agility, she did lightly collide with Jellybean a couple weeks ago when they both decided to zoom off from their respective areas at the same time. Each tried to turn at the last moment but it was too late! haha, no harm no foul, the plet didn't even grumble about it! Shocking.
 
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