Do birds get stressed when you're sick?

[tatiailia]

I got a juvenile cockatiel about three weeks ago (currently about five months old). As she's gotten more comfortable here she's started chirping little tunes, mostly of a morning when she gets her breakfast. Now, the point of the matter is that my back went out a couple of days ago so I've been stuck in bed, and her chirps have gotten a lot more frequent and at times turn into screaming. (She lives in my bedroom because I had to move back in with my mum.)

I assume that parrots and cockatoos know when a member of their flock is unwell - is it possible she's getting stressed because I'm injured? This may seem like a silly question, but I'm pretty new to keeping a bird and I can't find anything about it online.

 

[Clueless]

I know birds feed off our emotions. Perhaps she's sensing your stress?

 

[MnGuy]

Could be feeling your stress, could be reacting to a change in her/your daily routine now that you're in bed all day instead of going in and out of the room. Three weeks isn't a very long time. She could simply still be settling in. Many birds are going to be quieter when they first get home. This behavior you're seeing might be her "normal" state.

 

[donutweall]

I have a chronic illness which keeps me stuck in bed sporadically. My birds definitely make a fuss when I'm not up and about the way they expect. They certainly expect the routine that we usually follow. I've found that getting up out of bed, even just briefly (less than 5 minutes) helps a lot, and when that's too much whistling back to their calling helps calm them down.

When I go out of the house, and leave them for a bit, I usually come back to them just sleeping. So I think in some way they do worry that you're not acting your usual, and are trying to get you back up and looking alive.