Natural Bird Behavior

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Bird - Behavior

Natural Bird Behavior

Birds may not all look the same, but all species of birds have certain instinctive behaviors in common including aggression, fear, a fight or flight mechanism, contentment and happiness. Wild birds are highly social creatures with a constant need for physical contact with other flock members. This contact is vital to the survival of the species. Interaction and cooperation help the flock spot predators and forage for food.

Through play, birds learn about the environment, exercise and sharpen physical skills, test their ability to gain dominance and learn acceptable flock behavior. On the gentler side, birds engage in mutual preening to groom the unreachable head and neck feathers and, as part of the mating ritual, to pair bond.

Wild birds are creatures of routine and their vocalizations help coordinate the flock's activities. Each day, the flock greets the sunrise with exuberant vocalizing. Calls, songs, squawks and whistles continue throughout the day to signal the establishment of territories, the celebration of mating, danger, safety, the location of food and the end-of-the-day gathering time for roosting.

Go into the country and listen to the different birds chattering simultaneously in their many voices. Then imagine a large room filled with extroverts all talking at once. The similarity between bird chatter and human conversation is remarkable and is certainly strong evidence of the innate social nature of birds.

The intelligent parrot takes center stage in any discussion of pet bird behavior. A parrot's behavior is a complex mix of inherited traits as well as behavior learned from avian parents. These behaviors differ if wild-caught or not hand-fed, or if the behaviors were learned from human "parents" of a domestic, hand-reared bird.

A domestic parrot's behavior is also shaped by his personality, as well as the personality of his human mate. For example, an owner who is visibly jumpy every time he gets close to the bird or tries to touch him will negatively affect the parrot's behavior. The parrot will pick up on the human's fear and body language, reacting by either attempting to flee or by attacking. If an owner does not get past the uncertainties of handling his new pet, the parrot will develop his own aggressive behavior patterns.

Heads up! Parrots need guidance and gentle nurturing, combined with dominance lessons. Wild birds perched higher than others in the flock naturally assume a dominant role unless challenged. Knowing this, the owner should keep the parrot's head no higher than heart level. A bird on the shoulder is likely to assert her dominance with a good grip on the ear lobe, a bite of the neck or a poke in the eye.

Teaching simple commands your parrot can understand, such as "up," "down," "no" and "okay" will reinforce the dominant position of the human for the bird. But there is a catch. The commands must be consistently repeated in a gentle, low, non-combative voice so that aggressive behavior is not taught. This is the first step in teaching the bird the rules of acceptable behavior, and it must be followed up by patient reinforcement in subsequent lessons.

A parrot who gets what he wants every time he wants it forms behavior patterns that may include screaming, biting, feather picking and more. Behavior modification will then be necessary to reform the bird and the owner. This is always a difficult process for both parrot and human.

The disciplined, well-behaved parrot tends to develop a strong bond with the dominant human partner in the pair bond. Of course, it works the other way as well. A good owner develops a healthy relationship with his bird by providing him with a balanced mix of discipline, love and cuddling, play and overall good physical and psychological care. The bird's moods, fears, likes and dislikes will be understood and his body language easily read by a nurturing human mate.

Other factors that influence bird behavior include species characteristics, early training, socialization, regular interaction with humans, diet, daily routines, physical care, cage size, equipment, placement, sufficient sleep, early experiences with breeders, injuries, abusive handling, punishment by prior owners, the level of physical and psychological nurturing and more.

There is no such thing as a ready-made, perfect pet bird. Parrots have no concept of what a subordinate relationship is and can only treat humans as they would other flock members. It takes time, energy and dedication to form a special relationship with a remarkably intelligent and empathetic feathered companion.

Intelligence and Curiosity

Parrots may not be able to do your taxes, but scientific studies leave no doubt that these birds are highly intelligent. Research on the behavioral and learning levels of these fabulous creatures indicate that birds are equal in intelligence to such mammals as whales, dolphins and porpoises, and surpass chimps and great apes in their ability to learn numbers.

Even more surprising is the discovery of a parallel between human and parrot intellectual development. These amazing birds, particularly the larger species, have the emotional development of a two-year-old child. Like toddlers, parrots have short attention spans, the same mindset that bigger/taller is better, the ability to learn and understand the concept of good and bad, egocentric and selfish behaviors including readily investigating any object with foot/beak grasp, since there is no sense of right and wrong and the tendency toward bouts of extreme jealousy and curiosity about the environment in which they live.

Unlike children, parrots remain toddlers throughout their lives. As a result, they are in constant need of guidance, play, socialization and intellectual stimulation to avoid the development of undesirable behaviors.

Parrot and human child comparisons have also been made with regard to intelligence. Studies have found that, in many areas, a parrot's intelligence is equal to that of a five-year-old youngster. For example, the parrot's power of learning and understanding is greatly influenced by social interaction. He can link words to concepts and objects, he can learn the concept of good and bad and he is capable of communicating in human language.

The ability to mimic human language is an attractive trait in parrots, particularly African Grays and Amazons. But unlike mynahs, probably the best mimics in the world, parrot intellectual ability allows them to go beyond simple parroting of words to learn cognitive speech and to use appropriate words to name objects and express concepts.

Not all birds are gifted and talented cognitive talkers. It would be a mistake to assume that all African Grays and Amazons talk, and there are surprises within species thought to have little ability to use speech logically or to have a very low talking potential. Owners of small and medium-sized birds have provided anecdotal evidence of some amazing parrots.

For example, Petie, a remarkable little green budgie, developed a vocabulary of 1,000 words and phrases that he used appropriately to communicate with his owner. He said "thank you" when given a treat, "where you going?" when his human started to leave the room, "I want out" when it was out-of-cage time, "give me a kiss" when he wanted attention or a scratch and, potty trained, he informed his owner that he had an accident on the furniture and floor by contritely announcing "Petie poopy." These are just a few instances of this remarkable bird's intellectual ability.

In another case, a member of a species labeled as having low talking potential proved that particular generalization wrong. Beaky, a young Senegal of small/medium size, demonstrated her knowledge of the meaning of "bye-bye, " "hi, there, " "good night" and "dinner time. " These words were linked meaningfully to the events because Beaky heard them repeated by the owner at each occurrence.

This discussion would not be complete without mentioning Dr. Pepperberg's Alex, the African Gray she has been studying since 1977. This awesome bird has correctly learned concepts and human language. He can distinguish the differences and similarities of objects, as well as the colors and materials of objects.

Alex asks for treats by name, has an 80 percent accuracy rate for answering questions and knows the names of about 100 items and seven different types of materials. He is an extraordinary bird who is actually ahead of a five-year-old human in his ability to master complex concepts.

Parrots use their intelligence well. They carefully study complicated toys and expertly take them apart, they can cope with changes in their environment, they express emotions, they read the moods and understand the emotions of their favorite human, they communicate effectively with body language and they enjoy exploring their environment. They may not open cabinets and closets like children do, but any object in the house is fair game if the potentially destructive beak is not supervised. Finally, the tendency to become bored is a solid sign of intelligence.

Despite the wealth of information on bird behavior, many theories conflict and remain confusing and unconfirmed. Generalizations abound, but it is unwise to apply them to all parrots or any other species. Each bird is an individual with its own personality. The owner influences much of its behavior. To clear up some of the confusion, it's helpful to look at a few of the myths about pet bird behavior.

Myths and Realities

Myth: Birds are dumb. The ones that talk just mimic sounds.

Reality: The term "birdbrain" cannot be used to define the intellectual capabilities of birds. Mynah birds may be great mimics, but scientific studies have proven that parrots are extremely intelligent creatures, on a par with great apes, whales and dolphins. They even surpass human intelligence when it comes to navigational ability. Parrots are capable of cognizant speech and conceptual learning.

Myth: Large parrots have a greater talking potential than smaller parrots.

Reality: While African Grays are known as the best talkers, the larger macaw has less potential. Little budgerigars surprise many people with their talking ability and understanding of words and concepts. The small Quaker parrot and the medium-sized ringneck parakeet are also generally good talkers.

Myth: Baby birds need no socialization to make them good pets.

Reality: While it is true that birds such as the finch, canary and toucan do not need much human interaction, parrots most definitely do. As with human babies, parenting and nurturing must begin early if the chick is going to learn healthy, appropriate behavior as it matures.

Myth: You have to hand-feed a parrot chick if you want the bird to bond to you.

Reality: Avian vets, parrot behavior specialists and reputable breeders advise against hand feeding by people with no prior experience. Novices will likely fumble the process and traumatize the chick, causing problems that affect the bird's potential to bond with a human. Other risks to the chick include serious problems such as crop burn, infection, aspiration, malnutrition and death. Any young bird that experiences regular and appropriate human interaction, along with gentle care, has the potential to bond to a new owner.

Myth: Baby parrots require the same amount of attention as they will when they are older.

Reality: To develop trust, knowledge of the environment, individual personality and appropriate behavior, it's essential that the cute and cuddly new baby parrot actually receive less holding and petting time and more time for learning and guidance.

Myth: Pet birds are easy to take care of.

Reality: The answer may be a guarded yes if the bird is a finch or canary. Nevertheless, it does take time and effort to maintain a bird's health and complete daily cleaning and feeding routines, particularly in an aviary setting. For parrots, the answer is an unqualified no. They are complex, intelligent creatures that require constant attention to be raised properly. It takes lots of time, dedication and patience to nurture, teach and reinforce appropriate behaviors, while maintaining optimum health, in order to form a wonderfully satisfying bond between parrot and human.

Myth: When selecting a cage, a good rule of thumb is to buy one that is big enough for the bird to spread his wings.

Reality: If bird size and wing spread are used as the criteria for cage selection, most birds would be inadequately housed. The cage should be the largest one affordable in order to accommodate the bird's activity level. There should be enough room for short flights, gleeful wing flapping and climbing. There should also be multiple perches and toys. Housing that is too small for the bird will adversely affect behavior.

Myth: Biting is normal aggressive behavior in parrots.

Reality: Wild birds usually bite as a last resort when other defensive behaviors, such as growling and posturing, are ineffective. This same behavior holds true for pet birds. Many owners unwittingly teach their parrots to bite by using body language and a tone of voice that appear threatening to the bird.

Myth: Parrots turn into biters if they are allowed to use their beaks to "taste" objects and people.

Reality: Parrots have extremely sensitive beaks and tongues that, like the human hand, are used to touch and feel. A parrot must be allowed to do some supervised exploration of the environment out of the cage to satisfy curiosity and interact with its owner. The largest parrot with the most formidable beak is capable of the gentlest of "kisses" if properly trained and socialized.

Myth: The best way to punish a screaming parrot is to hit his beak, cover his cage or put him in a dark room.

Reality: Parrots should never be punished. They cannot understand a cause-and-effect concept such as "I was screaming, so my human put me in a dark room." Hitting a bird will result in even more screaming, biting and other unacceptable behavior. Covering the cage and putting the bird in a dark place for hours are only very temporary solutions. People must get at the real cause of the screaming, rather than treating it with a series of quick fixes.