5 things you should know about parrots!

Parrots are beautiful birds with very different colors. You may have seen one in the wild or even own one as a pet. However, we wanted to provide you with some important information about their behavior that sets them apart from your average companion animal.

These are some of our favorites about them:

1. Parrots prefer to have their head feathers stroked towards their beaks.

While your dog or cat may appreciate being stroked from head to tail, this is often simply tolerated or can be sexually stimulating for companion parrots.

I’d rather see a parrot fluff its head feathers into a big ball in anticipation of some head scratches. Head touching is definitely a great way to nurture your relationship. They will like it!

Observe your bird’s body language to guide you as to whether your parrot is simply taking it or can’t get enough.

2. Vomiting on us is parrots’ way of showing love

It’s not funny? Yes, it is true, this is not a joke!

Parrots may try to drip this usually smelly and sticky porridge onto your hand if you leave it available. This courtship behavior is also one that caregivers will want to avoid reinforcing. The beak will be brought to the chest and the head will arch in a repetitive motion as the food returns to the mouth. A parrot that has decided that you are its chosen companion will express its love by regurgitating for you. Strange, huh?

3. Not all parrots can fly well, not because they have colored feathers.

In some places, it is common to cut off the flight feathers of parrots just at the moment when the bird would try to fly for the first time. If this happens (or you keep them in a cage that is too small to allow flight) during that time in development when flight should be occurring, it can result in an in-flight loss for the rest of that bird’s life. Teach them to fly.

There are also parrots that naturally find it difficult to fly due to their heavy body, such as Amazons, Macaws, and African Gray Parrots. Usually these are the birds that were cut off during this critical stage of development where their genetics would have been prompting their body to try to fly. Instead of flying, every launch from the perch would have been met with a crash landing.

Behaviors like remembering, station training, and developing flight skills make living with flying parrots a pleasure

4. Parrots are very visual

If your dog is an expert sniffer and your cat hears the slightest whisper of tiny insects, then your parrot can see the tiniest spider spot on the ceiling. This means that it is also watching you closely. Especially if he is interested in your attention and company.

You must know the common behavior of parrots when petting them, because you cannot just ignore their gaze.

5. Friendships with parrots can take time, but they can be very rewarding.

Most of us are used to being around dogs or cats and we love interacting with our furry friends. In general, most friendships between cats and dogs seem to be easily won compared to parrots.

Many species of parrots are not as social as we might think. In nature they live with a single partner or small family groups. Clustering can only occur under certain circumstances, such as foraging or perching. Therefore, the automatic acceptance of new individuals may not be the norm for those species. Learning the story also influences how quickly a parrot may be willing to respond to a potential new friend. That’s where training can help.

Although your parrot’s behavior can present challenges that may be a little different than your dog or cat, don’t give up! They are often eager students ready to learn.

Let us know if you found any of these revealing facts by leaving a comment below. We would love to hear from you. Until next time, all the best of OUR TEAM.