Bird behavior resorces

Stitchthestitch

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Hi,

Can any one help me find a reputable resource on how to read bird behavior and what said behavior looks like? Everything I read just says they give very subtle body language. I know every bird is different but it would be nice to get a basic idea before I jump in.

I'll be getting my first bird in June /July (an ekkie) but I'm clueless on bird body language. I don't want to upset or push the bird away from me or put myself in danger because I'm trampling all over its bonderies because I don't read its signals.

I can read a dog while standing on my head with my eyes crossed, cats are more subtle and some of their language has double or triple meanings (tail flicks for example, can mean it's really annoyed or its content, or it's in stalk mode, you need to pair that with what it's ears and eyes are doing to get an accurate gage on them)

Thank you
 

charmedbyekkie

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Cairo the Ekkie!
This is a good video for ekkies: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs1L49yFryQ"]What Parrots See VS What Humans See - YouTube[/ame]
Here's the accompanying post: https://birdtricksstore.com/blogs/birdtricks-blog/does-your-bird-use-light-to-communicate

That being said, each species is very different from the other. Ekkies are not as obvious as Amazons are. Macaws also have their own body language. For the life of me, I cannot decipher a Gray. And cockatoos are the strangest of the bunch :p
But once you get to know your ekkie, you'll get the rough idea.

If an ekkie wants to do something, he'll do it. Some ekkies do give warning (not all) if they're uncomfortable with what you're asking, but often it is displayed by either shifting/leaning away or a freeze (ekkies are infamous for freezing instead of fight or flight) or even a gentle open beak. Give it a while and you'll be able to tell the difference between a hard no and a reluctant ok.

That being said, hormonal ekkies are a different ball game.


In all honesty, my best recommendation is to observe more than interact at the start and to observe as you interact. You'll quickly be able to tell when you're pushing too much and when you can ask for more.
 

chris-md

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Hello and welcome!

I assume you’re not in school, correct? An Ekkie for your first bird? Not sure that’s very wise, but that wasn’t the question you asked.

You better be ready, cause they have a lot of inconvenient specialized needs that are not optional. It could overwhelm a new person. Buy ear plugs, because that 9 month-1 year timeframe will be HELL.

Any number of YouTube videos exist in reading bird behavior; they are all great. But an eclectus...watch those videos then throw it out the window. Most parrots are insubtle, they wear their emotions and intentions on their sleeve and will advertise how they feel.

Eclectus, not so much. Eclectus tends to communicate more with light (link below), meaning they are subtler, acting out. A scared macaw may give you big warning to back off: pinning eyes, aggressive posture...and eclectus will stay put, staring holes into your soul while you continue to push them past their breaking point. Basically, you won’t see a bite coming.

[ame="https://youtu.be/xs1L49yFryQ"]What Parrots See VS What Humans See - YouTube[/ame]

That said, the differences aren’t THAT great between ekkies and other birds. They are still boisterous, energetic birds, so they do advertise some it’s when they stand still that you REALLY have to pay attention. And it’s nothing a video or β€œresource” can teach. Often times for new owners, it’s even best to simply post a video on a forum like this when you have a specific question about what your bird is doing.

It comes down to this: if you ask for a step up, and you get anything other than a quick step up, PAY ATTENTION. Other birds may be scared or angry, and in similar situations they may have tails flaired, feathers puffed, warning stances. Ekkies, they stand still.
 
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Stitchthestitch

Stitchthestitch

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God no, I've not been in school for.... 13 years! I'm now 29. I'm a fully experienced dog groomer, and I've been grooming for 13 years. I've had so many different pets, some that are difficult to keep (chameleons come to mind)

An ekkie is my dream bird, I feel I'm in a sutible position to care for such a beautiful animal. I'm married with no children (we have decided we are not going to have any children) and we are in very stable jobs with a very consistent time table.

I personally feel if you are willing to put the time and effort into doing your research and to reach out to those in the know you can care for anything, which is what I am doing right now. I love to learn and I want to do what's right by the bird.

I am getting prepared for their diet and what's required to keep them happy and healthy.

It was watching that video that prompted my question. I know full well that not all vids on YouTube are a sutible source to learn from (like there are really good dog grooming demos, there are also some atrocious ones that are put right dangerous) and, if I'm honest, how would I know what's a good one and what's a bad one? I don't want to find a charasmatic youtuber that has all charm and no substance giving out poor advice and then I follow said advice that ends up being detrimental to the poor bird.

Edit :finished a sentence off.
 

charmedbyekkie

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Cairo the Ekkie!
Oooh, if I could recommend an ekkie YouTuber, though I doubt he calls himself one, is Chris, who is replying you in this thread. He's done wonderful work with Parker. Sure, they don't have a lot of videos up, but the training ones he has created are invaluable!

Tbh, in terms of YouTubers (as in people with a significant following on YouTube), everyone has their own personal preference. Take every YouTuber with a pinch of salt. There's always drama/history associated with each one. I just tend to ignore YouTube and instead prefer to read posts from avian vet clinics lol
 

chris-md

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Lordy, no. You give me far too much credit charmed. The entire contents of my channel are for posting content here to the forum. Most videos are just fun stuff to show off Parker. Yes, ok, I’ll cede one or two great training nuggets that were because of a request here on the forum.



But I fall squarely in stitches camp of β€œcareful what you watch”. My by far most watched video about handling hormonal parrots - that video shows Parker at the worst he’s ever been - is an abortion of a video, and a testemant to exactly what not to do. I toy with deleting it, but two things come to mind: 1) I made that video with people in mind who have suddenly been hit with hormones and have no clue what to do, so this one video could make the difference for a single bird, if only at least until the owner gets better training information, and 2) in some ways I LIKE that it shows the wrong way; let people learn from my mistakes.

Stitches - great answers! I had to push a bit: these birds are not for the feint of heart, and we get many people here asking about birds they clearly have no business having (like teenagers thinking about buying very large macaws). Someone coming in saying β€œI’m getting an Ekkie for my first bird in a couple months” raised some red flags that need to be vetted. Your answers show just how responsible you and how seriously you take this, which is amazing and not something we see often from other posters in your shoes.

check out birdtricks on youtubeThey are far and away the most popular bird trainer on YouTube and put out great information. Their website also sells training videos and literature. I’ve personally also found forums have been the best source for asking questions you need immediately answered.

Pay attention to information on Ekkie hormones. It’s important to understand they aren’t seasonal (every spring) like most birds. They can breed year round, which means they can be induced to hormonal behaviors, through things such as diet (triggers: excess sugars and fruits, and hemp seeds), insufficient sleep, incorrect handling - ekkies don’t like to be petted, and when they do accept it, you can’t pet anywhere but the head. That’s to name a few.
 
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Stitchthestitch

Stitchthestitch

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I completely see the reasoning on you asking the questions.

I would never ever purchase any animal without research before hand, it's not fair for the animal in question. I've been looking into parrots before my dog passed away, then I couldn't bring myself to look into any animal.im now ready to start my research again.

Hubby toyed with the idea of a large breed like a macaw. I said no we don't have the space at all so said it's the medium species we need to look at.
 

chris-md

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In some ways a macaw would be easier! But macaws can become bullies in the wrong hands.
 

SailBoat

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One of the greatest mistakes Humans make is their belief that they are better at choosing than Parrots. The reality is that Parrots are just far more effective at choosing the Humans it wants to be around.

Parrots tie into our emotions and as a result, they see connects that we totally miss. In addition, it's all about trust. Parrots have no natural want to trust Humans, so if a Parrot chooses a Human, you're like 90% of the way to them Trusting you...
So, let the Parrot choose you!

Read the Ekkies Forum here over and over!!! Pay special attention to their diet!!!!
They have a different diet than other species.

As you shop around, be aware of who is watching you... You may just find that another species has an interest in you...

Enjoy!!!
 

fiddlejen

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Sunny the Sun Conure (sept '18, gotcha 3/'19). Mr Jefferson Budgie & Mrs Calliope Budgie (albino) (nov'18 & jan'19). Summer 2021 Baby Budgies: Riker (Green); Patchouli, Keye, & Tiny (blue greywings).
Can any one help me find a reputable resource on how to read bird behavior and what said behavior looks like? Everything I read just says they give very subtle body language. I know every bird is different but it would be nice to get a basic idea before I jump in.

I'll be getting my first bird in June /July (an ekkie) but I'm clueless on bird body language. I don't want to upset or push the bird away from me or put myself in danger because I'm trampling all over its bonderies because I don't read its signals.

I can read a dog while standing on my head with my eyes crossed, cats are more subtle and some of their language has double or triple meanings (tail flicks for example, can mean it's really annoyed or its content, or it's in stalk mode, you need to pair that with what it's ears and eyes are doing to get an accurate gage on them)



Hi, I am Not at all an Ekkie owner, and I only got my Conure less than a year ago. But – although nowhere near your experience, I would also class myself as able to read cat & dog behavior without much thought, without even knowing I’m doing so. I love cats and dogs, and they tend to behave well for me. In my case, perhaps the reverse of yourself; cats moreso than dogs. Unfortunately, I cannot own either, due to allergies. So, I got birdies instead. :)

For me, there was one biggest difference in reading birds vs mammals. What everyone else has said about observing is of course vitally important. And based on everything I’ve read here, it seems Eclectus are amongst the most subtle to read – as opposed to my loving Sunny Conure, who is amongst the most obvious. Yet, even so – it took me a while to β€œGet” this one:

Mammals in general… and perhaps cats moreso than dogs, maybe a little… tend to puff-up most when threatened. They will fluff up at other times too, but that meaning exists. The line of hair down a cat’s back… the raised hackles on a dog. Or yourself, as a mammal … one common sign of a spooked-out human is goose-pimples; hairs trying to stand on end. If we had fur, we would fluff-up! Our mammalian instincts respond to threat or fear trying to make us appear larger, hence a less-desirable target.

But Not So birds. The bird’s inbuilt first-response to danger, is to get Ready To Fly. The feathers go Smooth. With my sweet little conure, her pupils go big and the skin around her eyes all-wrinkly, alert to look all around, to See Clearly both Danger and best Escape flight-plan. And the feathers, Suddenly Smooth make her look much Smaller. She becomes a Lesser-Target, and Ready for Instant Flight!

I had read about this but really I didn’t β€œGet It.” There’ve been times, with both Sunny & my Budgies, I would see them, healthy in a pleasantly warm room, sitting comfortably but somewhat puffed-up. And I couldn’t help feeling something was wrong, they were expressing some kind of not-quite-happiness somehow, or some Discomfort with my presence.

Then one day in a store I came across a little furry stuffed-animal-bird. I thought I was cute. I brought it home to see if my birdies might like it too. Heh. Not a chance! When I showed it to my quick-moving budgies they panicked all-out, jumping around in their cage. So I showed it to Sunny more slowly & cautiously. That’s when I saw the fear-response. She went Smooth & Small, but Alert. And, that is when I β€œGot IT.” An unhappy or fearful birdie goes Small – Sleek – Ready To Fly!

The opposite of that reaction, relaxed but slightly-fluffed, is a happy and relaxed birdie. A somewhat-fluffed-up birdie is probably Comfortable with your presence. When the birdie feathers go all sleek & smooth, that is the equivalent of fur slightly-raised on a cat or dog; they are tense, take it easy.

Now, I understand that Eclectus are Way More Subtle about their feather-positioning than my Happy little Sun Conure or my Excitable Budgies. But I’m hoping this might still be helpful info anyway – that, in this particular regard (Raised feathers VS fur) you’re looking for subtle signs nearly the Opposite of what you’d be expecting with mammals.


:orange::greenyellow::whiteblue:

p.s. I wish you all the Best with the new Ruler Of Your World, whenever he or she arrives!
 

Laurasea

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As you shop around, be aware of who is watching you... You may just find that another species has an interest in you... So true Sailboat! This is how I got my first GCC ! The wise bird store lady helped by pointing out her responses to me, and telling me you are lucky if a parrot chooses you. I was!
 

fiddlejen

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HI I just thought of another bird-behavior you might want to know about. I first witnessed it in my Sun, and when I later mentioned it to my Petco's resident Bird Whisperer, he said Oh Yes, this is normal for All Parrots. And the behavior is... SULKING! They will turn their back to you, and they will Make Sure you Know they are turning their back.

They find a variety of ways to do this. The first time it occurred, I had not had Sunny all that long. We were out for a drive and I was talking to her whilst driving. All the sudden a squirrel ran in front!! I didn't yell, not wanting to scare Sunny, but braked & swerved, in the same voice spoke "oh, no nonono no!" Well I just missed the squirrel, and glanced over to tell Sunny that, "oh good it's okay he escaped." She was clinging to the bars of her cage over by the other window, back to me, shoulder up, glancing back at me looking all hurt & betrayed. She thought I had told her "NO," for no good reason. It took me about 10 minutes of apologizing to restore our friendship!!

Once I realized it was happening, I noticed a slightly-less-obvious version at other times. I mostly get amused, so she doesn't sulk too much, but knowing that sulking is part of her common body-language meaning not-happy-about-something, is really helpful knowledge to me.

Oh, and my budgies do it too. Well at least Jefferson --- he is in charge of communicating with me. He will commonly sleep with his back to me, but angled in such a way that he can "keep and eye" on both me and Calliope at the same time. But now and then, if he's mad at me about something, he will change his posture - just slightly - and even get Calliope to join him -- just so I can see that he is Deliberately Ignoring me with their backs to me.

At one point, I turned the tables. Sunny was not willing to come from her cage to sit with me, she only wanted my Hand to come inside her cage and sit with her. But my arm was tired. After several refusals from her, I said "okay," and did a momentary fake-sulk at her. (Turned away, looked back a couple times pouting.) Meeohmiooh! I am not gonna do that ever again. She took it SOOO Seriously! she came running out of her cage and attached herself to my neck and refused to budge. (I did of course return her to cage for sleeping, after a few hours, but she wasn't happy about that.) That evening and the whole next day she was the Clingiest Cling-On bird you have ever seen.

So in other words. Birds sulk, they use sulking-behaviours to communicate, and they take it seriously as communication.

Also, whether they speak much or none at all, birds do Understand language quite well, and the more consistent you are with your words, the better they will understand them. (I had Never yet used the word "No" with Sunny, at the time the first car-sulking-incident occurred.)

Oh, and one more thing. You've been reading the forums plenty by now, so I'm sure you're aware of this already. But --(just to be repetitive!)-- birds in general have Way More Opinions, and are Way More likely to Express a Larger Variety of Opinions, than pet mammals. Even my tiny little green Jefferson-Budgie. With a brain that is (maybe) the size of a pea, how in the world can he be So Smart and have so many strong Opinions? ??
 
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Stitchthestitch

Stitchthestitch

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Thank you for the info on the sulking. I'll need to avoid it in play with hubby if they take it seriously!
 

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