• 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

Mating Behaviour or Affection?

TwoGreenFids

Meeting neighbors
Joined
1/5/19
Messages
40
Real Name
Jewels
Looking for some clarification!

I don't want to encourage mating behaviour in my 3 yr old female IRN (Popsicle), but I also don't want to rebuff affection. It's pretty clear when she wants to get jiggy with our male because she flattens her back, cranes her neck, pins, and props her butt up, while making clicking sounds. Clear messaging!!

She doesn't like to be handled (she's a ferral rescue) but seems to lavish in the attention when we coo and talk to her. She makes a similar kind of clicking sound as above but with a whistle thrown in, and she does none of the other actions. Instead, she just bats her eyes and seems very pleased with herself. She might poof her head, step side to side, lean forward, or bob slightly, but nothing else. The slight shift in vocalization and total shift in body language leads me to believe that this is affection rather than mating behaviour, but I want to be sure. Talking to her this way seems to be one of the few means of expressing my affection that she responds to, and it feels as though we are bonding through it.

Should I continue?

A note regarding the photo before I get comments berating me for letting her be on my head. I don't do this with my other IRN and realize that it is generally not a good idea to encourage birds being on your head because of dominance issues and bite risk. As I mentioned, Pop is a ferral rescue, and so we've learned how to make her feel safe around us. Hands are still scary, but heads, shoulders, knees (and toes lol) have become safe perches for her. She often preens me while atop my head, and has never displayed signs of dominance. When she gets startled, that's where she flies. Apparently my head is her safe space haha But please feel free to lecture me on the above question! I'm happy to learn
 

Attachments

Mizzely

Lil Monsters Bird Toys
Super Moderator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
8/9/11
Messages
39,965
Location
Northern Mitten Michigan
Real Name
Shawna [she/her]
There are no dominance issues with birds and height ;) Sometimes they act bratty when trying to remove them from a higher point because they don't want to move is all. So no flack for letting her be on your head if that's where she's most comfortable and you are okay with it!

I agree that the behaviors she does with you are likely not mating related :)
 
Top