• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Head ducking/wing lifting posture? Is Opie in love with the dog?

Elysian

Jogging around the block
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
7/27/20
Messages
911
Location
Kansas City, Missouri
I'm having trouble finding any really good descriptions of what this behavior might mean.

Safety statement: Opie (yellow shouldered amazon)'s cage is placed in an alcove in my office area. The alcove is deep enough that the cage is fully protected on three sides, there is plenty of room for Opie to retreat if he is uncomfortable. The cage is raised so that only about 5-6 inches of the bottom bars are even within reach of the dog, and those bars are covered on the outside with plexiglass panels. Opie can look out but cannot be touched through the bars at that level.

The dog pretty much doesn't care about Opie at all, but OPIE sometimes gets interested in the dog. He will specifically climb down to the bottom of his cage and come over to the plexiglass panels to look right at him from the closest point. This happens most when the dog is being very active or interesting somehow - like when he first runs in from outside or is playing tug with one of us in a place where Opie can see.
Opie doesn't seem to be trying to attack him or warn him off - he doesn't lash at the cage or make any loud noises, he just gets hyper and rushes to the bottom of the cage with some chirps - the same way he rushes to the top when he sees me walking over with a treat.

Well today the dog had some zoomies and when he came inside he started jumping on me and trying to wrestle with me at my desk. Opie ran down to look at him as usual. Normally the dog is only allowed to wrestle in another room, but for a brief time today I turned around and was playing with him right in front of Opie's cage. Just batting/ruffling his ears while he danced around and tried to catch my hands.
Opie did something I have *never* seen him do before. He rushed over to the closest possible point but then 3-4 times Opie ducked his head and lifted his shoulders at the dog.
Head fully ducked down like a deep bow (showing us the top of his head), wings lifted up and out enough for me to see underneath but not really stretched to the sides. I do think the wings were quivering a little. And he was definitely deliberately positioned as close to the dog as he could physically get.

What is he doing... ?

If the dog is scaring him/making him feel threatened I will re-arrange the house so he never has to see him again! But I know Opie lashes his beak at things he doesn't like - he does it to me - so if he was scared or threatened by the dog I would have expected to see that kind of reaction?
On the other hand he's also never done this posture at my boyfriend, and I know he loves my boyfriend!

Edit to add: I just can't find a description of this combination of behaviors. Wing quivering is supposedly fear, but he usually backs away from things he does not like. Head ducking/bowing is something he usually does when he wants my boyfriend to scritch him, but never comes with the wing lifting.
If it was territorial wouldn't he make noise? Squawk or growl?
 
Last edited:

camelotshadow

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
11/9/11
Messages
21,494
Location
S California
Real Name
Christine
Most likely an expression of a warning of some kind. Getting low for safety but making himself appear bigger with wings?

Any of these apply?

 
Last edited:

Elysian

Jogging around the block
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
7/27/20
Messages
911
Location
Kansas City, Missouri
Those kinds of descriptions are what loses me! :roflmao:

------------
Crouch Stance
A bird that is crouching with his head down and pointed forward, tail feathers flared, body feathers ruffled or "hackled", and exhibiting pupil dilation is one angry fellow! DO NOT approach a bird who is exhibiting this behavior, as it means, "I am big, mean, and mad; if you come any closer I will bite you!"
------------
It could have been like the above, except this doesn't mention the wings being slightly raised. I don't know if I would say he was "hackled". I'm also curious about a threatened bird bowing/ducking its head far enough to take its eyes off the threat? Thats weird behavior. He had his head tucked down enough that I could see the back of it, beak pointing back toward his own legs.


Lowered Head
A bird who is pulling his wings in close to his body, has his head lower than the perch and sometimes bobbing slightly, and is leaning forward with quivering or flapping wings is getting ready to take flight. This behavior is often displayed when a bird is questing for attention, and will often attempt to fly to you if you do not give them the attention they are seeking.
-----------
This sounds a bit more like what I saw, except there was no bobbing - it was just a quick bow/wing lift and then back up. But this doesn't make logical sense because why would he want attention from the darn dog.
I thought for a second it was my play voice/excitement and maybe he wanted to play with *me*, but when I looked up and offered him my hand he backed away like usual.


I've been watching tons of videos on youtube but only saw one that looked at all similar and that had a lot more quivering and definitely looked begging in nature.

Weirdo bird of mine. I guess I'll function as if it was a territorial/back off behavior and try harder to keep the dog from being hyper in that room. Its definitely the most action/excitement I've ever seen from Opie without involving a peanut!
 

camelotshadow

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
11/9/11
Messages
21,494
Location
S California
Real Name
Christine
Maybe he has been around dogs & its been a positive experience but would not be very likely?
Maybe Opie never read the bird book? I guess you would have to watch him & make assumptions from what you saw
& his mood as that is hard to describe by actions alone.

Still I'd be more inclined to say he was not happy or alarmed with the excitement rather than he was inviting the dog to play.
 

BirdView

Strolling the yard
Joined
11/18/19
Messages
103
I don't know if jealousy is the right word to describe this type of behavior but it is something similar. I see this quite often when I give attention to any of my birds while the others are around. For example if I give head scratches to my Amazon, my green cheek conure will perch close by, bob her head and regurgitate food. My Amazon on the other hand gets really annoyed when he sees the quaker parrot and GCC on my shoulder. My untamed cockatiel who doesn't like to be touched will unexpectedly land on my head and sing loudly when I am playing with any of the other birds. I think Opie is displaying a similar behavrior. He saw you playing with the dog and wished he was the one getting all the attention.
 

Clueless

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
11/3/12
Messages
24,021
Secret runs to the bottom but does a bowed head then whips it up. It's a kind of "I look sweet" but tries to get you attack. I think she has those slightly raised wings too.
 

Elysian

Jogging around the block
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
7/27/20
Messages
911
Location
Kansas City, Missouri
I am not sure what I have so much trouble reading "good excitement" versus "bad excitement" from him.

This one was new but in general as far as I can tell he does practically all the same behaviors in the presence of me, my boyfriend, and the dog - but if we all took those behaviors as an invitation my bf would get snuggles, I would get a bite, and the dog would just get stared at. :roflmao:

He forgot to read the bird book indeed. Or I did. But I have a much better time deciphering the budgies and senegal!
 

SumitaSinh

Rollerblading along the road
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/6/20
Messages
2,416
Don't worry, I think one day some Amazon parront will publish an 'amazona dictionary' for us... Truly, we zon parents are life long learners.
 

Clueless

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
11/3/12
Messages
24,021
Don't worry, I think one day some Amazon parront will publish an 'amazona dictionary' for us... Truly, we zon parents are life long learners.
Let me see if I can find a thread.....

Found it.

Joanie Doss. She had performing amazons.
 
Last edited:

SumitaSinh

Rollerblading along the road
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/6/20
Messages
2,416
How to open the thread?
 

Clueless

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
11/3/12
Messages
24,021
How to open the thread?
Sorry. I was searching for her name.

I tracked her down years ago and bought her books. She's a super nice lady.

Google her name and read some of her articles.
 
Top