Ways your bird communicates with you?

I was curious, have you noticed ways your bird has learned to communicate with you, besides using body language? I mean, a way that seems to send a clear message that he or she wants (or doesn't want) something? My budgie, Chipper is normally very friendly and she loves attention. I take her out of her cage and pet her all the time, and she will hop up on my hand or shoulder on her own, and even often climbs up on my friends. But of course sometimes she gets in moods where she just wants time to herself. If she doesn't want to come out of her cage, she will stubbornly keep avoiding my hands...and then she will go up on her swing and look at me in a certain way. If I try to pick her up when she's on the swing, she will get really mad and make a noise and bite me (not hard, but just a warning nip). So now, whenever she goes on the swing, I know she really just doesn't want to be bothered. If she is in one of those moods and I try to pick her up and she doesn't want to come out, she will just climb up on her swing right away. So I just tell her calmly "Okay" or something like that, and I close her cage.

It really seems like she definitely found a way to communicate with me. I can't be sure, of course, but she doesn't randomly go on her swing during the day. She only does that when I cover her cage and she's ready to go to bed, or if she doesn't want to come out of her cage. I have NEVER had a small pet communicate like this before, and it seems pretty amazing. I've known for a while now that birds are pretty intelligent, but I've never seen anything like this in the other small animals I've had as pets.

What do you guys think? Does it sound like she actually found a simple way to communicate? And what ways do you think your birds have learned to communicate with you? I mean besides body language and noises, but actually learning something specific like this to tell you something?

Well, if I disturb my birds at 5 am I can definitely tell they are disgruntled. Louise gives me the hump-back, pupil pinning glare. The parakeets simply pretend I'm not there. The cockatiels slick back their feathers in utter shock. But for some reason, at 5 am appearance, Barney is instantly ready for action. She'll flare her tail and fluff her yellow head and demand a cup coffee and come to the front perch to be lifted out.

However, it you are talking about the psychic connection, I guess we all have that with our pets. Some of us are better at it than others.

Yep. If you're willing to listen and observr you'll be able to understand.

Especially when you've had your pet for long enough you really "know" each other, sure, you will see these little signs even in small birds such as Budgies.

Robin makes a special noise that he only does when he means "good night, I love you". He does a soft 'click-peep' and I do it back

I know Folger is about to chase me down and try to bite my butt because he ruffles out all the feathers on his head... and I know he wants to lure me in for snack of blood by this super sweet 'hi' he does. Its like, come here, I'm so sweet, I'd love to see you... okay, probably not exactly what you mean!!

But, I totally understand what you mean! And I do believe birds are incredibly intelligent and they find ways to communicate with us. I 100% agree with the last couple posts, if you pay attention and really 'listen' you're birds will tell us quite a lot! I think Chipper has definitely found a routine or method to let you know its a hang out in the cage kinda day And big kuddos to you for paying attention and realizing it!!