Birdy facial?!

BirdyMomma · Mar 23, 2014

So, this was interesting......

Most mornings, after a training session, I will crack a few nuts (walnut, hazelnut, pecan, almond and Brazilnut) into a bowl, and offer it to each bird to choose whichever they would like. This morning, as Wingnut munched a walnut, and Loki enjoyed an almond, I noticed that Knuckles chose half a Brazilnut. I was drinking my coffee, and when I looked up, Knuckles was grasping the half nut in her foot, and rubbing it all over her face, beak, and neck area. It was so cute! Almost like she was applying some sort of cosmetic. I know that these particular nuts are quite oily, so I was thinking that perhaps she was intentionally trying to get it on her feathers or something. Has anyone ever seen this before?

BirdyMomma · Mar 30, 2014

Guess not.

Bundiibird · Mar 30, 2014

I was going to reply but I had not seen this before either. I was hoping others had seen it. Sorry could not be any help.

Terry57 · Mar 30, 2014

I haven't seen that before either. Sounds like Miss Knucky was getting ready for a date

jenphilly · Mar 30, 2014

Our avian vet (who worked for years as a vet for a raptor sanctuary and rehab center), said that parrots, particularly toos, are known to take ants and rub them all over theirselves and under their wings. They do not know if this was a type of repellent or such. But, she said pet cockatoos have been known to rub food on themselves (guess since they don't get ants)!! She asked if we ever found any nuts or seeds stuck in the feathers under Ivory's wings.

I had never heard of anything like it before, but she repeated the questions when we took Folger in for his first visit as well!

Maybe Knuckles facial has to do with whatever this wild instinct or behavior is! Not sure this really helps, but guess it lets you know Knuckles isn't entirely crazy!!!

LauraBear · Mar 30, 2014

The raptors I work with, specifically the Red-tailed hawk, "ants" quite often (she lays down completely flattened on the ground and lets ants and what not crawl all over her... a bit alarming the first time you see it). Although I suppose its unexplained right now, its supposed that they use it as a form of defense because a lot of ants have a formic acid as a defense mechanism. But researchers have also seen other birds, besides birds of prey, specifically parrots, rub fruits and what not all over them. They hypothesize that it's a just a method of preening, or adding whatever they need to their physical form. So I feel like you're on the right path, maybe he needed some extra oil! Or maybe he had some itches that were better suited solved with a nut.

I wish I could have seen it, I bet it was terribly cute.

BirdyMomma · Mar 30, 2014

It was REALLY cute. It looked like she was applying rouge or something! I found it particularly interesting, that the nut she was using is a very oily nut. Who knows, maybe she has a special cockatoo beauty secret!!

Sterling1113 · Mar 30, 2014

Sounds adorable. I think I remember reading/watching a documentary/something of the sort that said some animals/parrots will rub certain plants/fruits/nuts on them to repel certain bugs. Like how we use bug spray, they use the oils or whatnot to repel gnats or whatever may be bothering them in the wild.
Not to say you have a bug problem! I'm sure it's just a behavior for her, and I definitely think you should try to capture it on video, as I'm sure we would all LOVE to see it!!

BirdyMomma · Mar 31, 2014

Haha.
No need to ever worry about offending me! I'm not the hypersensitive type, and if you make me laugh, I'll be the but of any joke.

I will be standing by with my camera phone, but I have not seen her do it again yet. Also, as I'm sure many of you know, they seem to know when you are trying to photo/video them, and they do not always cooperate! Will certainly try though, cause it was jaw droppingly adorable.

Tangie · Mar 31, 2014

This is a really cool thread! It just proves that there are so many things that we have yet to full understand about our feathered friends!

I have the same questions about Kiko, too. Every time I give him broccoli, he bites into it and then rubs it all over his chest, stomach, and upper back. I wonder why he does it....

BirdyMomma · Apr 1, 2014

With broccoli! Well that's interesting. I wonder what they're doing! It's not what is in the food, that they want to rub on themselves, but maybe they are marking their food or something? I don't know! Will keep inquiring, and let you know if I find anything!

getwozzy · Apr 1, 2014

Lol I bet that was pretty cute!!

Tangie · Apr 1, 2014

Okay! It'll be interesting to know what you found out. The weirdest thing is, is that Kiko only does it with raw broccoli. I find that raw broccoli smells pretty strong, so maybe he's sort of masking his scent from potential predators? Or it helps clean the feathers somehow?:20:
I haven't seen him do it with other food.
At first I thought that when he first did it, he was only trying to brush the food off of his beak by rubbing it on his chest(no perches or toys around. He was on my bed). But over time he only did it with raw broccoli, and even with perches/toys nearby he never rubbed it off there. And Kiko didn't just rub it. He would take a feather on his body and run it through his beak.

JessieRosie · Jun 12, 2014

Sounds very very cute!!!

My Rosie holds bits of dowling/lollipop sticks in her foot and rubs her face and cheeks with it, but I'm guessing that's more for scratching purposes!

Birdy facial?!

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