wadda mistaka to maka (or not)?

Flockdynamics are ever changing of course, but this was funny!
(and a bit puzzling, so I would really appreciate your thoughts!!)

Every single morning Appie decides that whatever food is in the macawcage is faaaaar better than anything she will ever get.
(they are all fed basicly the same things in the all-day-available-foodbowl)

Sunny- even though she is at least twice the size and plenty more than twice the weight of the littlest grey always leaves her cage when Appie arrives.

This morning:
instead of just climbing in and heading straight for the foodbowl Appie climbed up and up and was reaching for the macaw instead. They were on different perces facing each other- not quite agressive, but also far from relaxed.
Half open beaks (exploratory/ possible selfdefense but not really acting really agressive).
Appie was sometimes leaning back and lifting her foot, sometimes reaching/stretching out the nek and head as far as they would go...

(they have touched beaks before, but not in a confined space, and restricted movements always tend to make agression etc. flare, so I was a bit concerned)

I am not quite sure what to make of this. Appie did the same things in the past when trying to connect with Japie (out in the open, not in a cage), and those two have not made it past this point.


(Japie is acting agressive to both atm - he is as broody as they come/ even though he is a DNA'd male! Giving them "the stance" and "the stare" and flying at them if they do not get out of his way.)

It is not easy to have all those not-knowing-how-to-parrot birds around (and being rather clueless myself when it comes to the finer points of "how now"; what *should* they be doing now? What can I do / or not do/ to make them all learn to live non-agressive together ?)

The past few weeks they have become more actively curious (watching each other when I was interacting with them), but this was something I had no part in.

So I let the kids figure it out, all the while spinning my brainz.

Sunny eventually was given an escape, Appie moved out of the way, Sunny moved out of the cage - straight into Appies cage for a nice cool drink. (Appies waterbottle is the best!)
After that Sunny wanted to climb outside to go exploring, ran into Japie (who had just flown back in the room, on top of the cage) so ducked back in the cage (and he pulled on her tail through the bars, the little so-and-so).
Japie decided to (also) take over the macaw-cage (he loves to fourage on the bottom there/ Appie preferes to throw things out of the foodbowl..so the kind of make a team that way ... but he spooked Appie/ chased her out by giving her 'the look' / not sure what exactly, I am typing...)


now: I have a grey in the macawcage, one on top, a macaw in one of the grey cagecompartments and the human wondering: did Appie miscalculate??
(She is way to smart for that)
So...why did she block Sunny?

?? is she trying/confirming to be dominant?
(Sunny always gives her the space, gets out of her way anyway/ but Sunny has been more outgoing lately, are the dynamics changing? Did I miss anything?)
?? is she trying to be friends and get closer?

---
Righ now both greys are snacking in the macawcage.. yes these two are also a lot closer together (sharing a space, not together together) than usual and it also seems to be Appies choice (again), she climbed back in ...

Maybe Japie being not-so friendly also 'helps', both girls are being picked on now instead of one ignored, the other actively threatened.
So they have 'common ground'?

Appie climbed up and up and was reaching for the macaw instead. They were on different perces facing each other- not quite agressive, but also far from relaxed.
Half open beaks (exploratory/ possible selfdefense but not really acting really agressive).
Appie was sometimes leaning back and lifting her foot, sometimes reaching/stretching out the nek and head as far as they would go...

The behavior you described between Appie and Sunny is exactly how my Penny does. She too doesn't know how to bird. I think they are trying to be friends. Penny does this with Neptune , and he will fluff up inviting her to preen him, she doesn't get it yet. But that exact behavior, led to friends with the budgie.

Everybody comes to steal Penny's food, even the budgies.... She's socially the weakest flock member. So on that part Appie is is being a bully..... I love your stories!

LOL, thank you for recognizing that!


Maybe I should get Appie a budgiefriend if everything else fails?
(Like I need another parrot ... almost as much as I need a hole in my head)

The joys of group interaction and verification of the peaking order, plus a bit of the old story of the grass (food) is always greener (better) on the other side of the fence (cage). Especially when its someone else's.