fighting or is it ?

cateyes221981

New member
Nov 13, 2009
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0
Toronto, Ontario
Tonight in the kitchen everything was great feeding my birds nuts then towards the end they started to reguritate and bicker?

I dont even know if its areal fighting or what but they are both males



WHen they do this i say NO!


Did i give them too much nuts?


but they are only 2

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HnZ7Q9vbXw&feature=youtu.be"]IMG 1307 - YouTube[/ame]


THey have 3 HUGE java stands and both have their own 6 by 5 foot huge custom made chages

YEt they all bicker? I got all my cages recently extended for all my birds also got a outdoor play

but they still bicker wth
 
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MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
7,960
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2
43
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Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
It kind of looks like curiosity/play more than actual fighting.


Your B&G doesn't seem exactly too happy with your GW's interest in his feet for a moment but for the most part he looks relaxed.
 

JerseyWendy

New member
Jul 20, 2012
20,995
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My B&G does the EXACT same thing when he's not in the mood to play with my GW. He sticks his foot up, as if he were saying "Here, talk to the hand." :D

I don't see any aggression between your two beautiful boys. :)
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
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Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
I agree. The GW wants to play. The B&G is thinking about it, but decides not to.

Any time they are regurging for each other, it is a sign of affection, NOT aggression. So, no worries.

If they were actually fighting, if there was any real intention or aggression here, the greenwing would have immediately grabbed that foot and removed a toe... and trust me, if the B&G felt the least bit threatened, he wouldn't be sticking a foot out there exposed to the other bird's beak. It would have been feet protected stance, and sparring with the beaks... (Not to be confused with beak wrestling, which is macaw play.) Sparring is INTENSE, and bite pressure is used with the intent to intimidate. The next move is to twist the other bird's head sideways and go for the toes if the other bird does not back down... this is accompanied by unmistakable macaw "war cries." When you hear it, you will know, this ain't playin' and someone's gonna get hurt... (That's one of those sounds, that once you hear it, makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up!) With beak wrestling they don't clamp down. That's just macaw play time. And there is no "war cries." It's normal, and healthy.

There is also an entirely different body language to fighting, as opposed to beak wrestling. It is INTENSE... especially when you have to be the one to stick a body part in between those two. Incidentally, if you are ever in that situation (and I have been more than once) believe it or not, the best body part to use is the top of your head! If you stick your fingers in there, you may lose one! But there is nothing to latch onto on top of your head. So top of your head between the two beaks, swipe the arm, and put the aggressor on the floor. Then move them both back to their cages for a little time out... If there is an option to grab a towel and throw it over the aggressor, take it. If not use your head, and save your fingers...

Yep. Nothing like some smart person down at the rescue taking two large and dominant male macaws and setting them both down on the same playstand... (WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?! There can only be one dominant bird, and they're gonna find out which one it is. If neither bird is inclined to back down, you just created a situation... )

Anyway, that's how I learned this trick...
 
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Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
How can I describe the "Macaw War Cry?"

It's like the macaw alarm call, only an octive more shrill... and they are both doing it at each other non-stop, full JET ENGINE NOISE volume. All the other birds in the area will get upset when they hear that. (They know it's going down.) So you can just imagine what it sounds like in a room with about 350 birds! Pandemonium...

The stance is usually hunkered down to protect the feet, but ready to pounce, with the beak open, and the hackles and head feathers standing straight up... and the eyes are also a dead give away. When they are serious, a large macaw has "blood in his eyes." It's pretty hard to misinterpret this one. You really sense the anger...

Beak wrestling they just kind of lightly joust and play, glancing blows, and neither bird really attempts to latch on or use any sort of bite pressure.

When SPARRING, however, the beaks strike at collision speed (like a helmet to helmet NFL hit - CRACK!), they attempt to latch on, twist the neck sideways, and tip the other bird over. They don't let go. Occasionally beaks get cracked when there is a bite pressure differential... That is exactly why you don't want to stick your hand up there. You don't want to give them anything they could accidentally latch onto. When they are that mad, or that scared because another bird is attacking them, they're not going to control their bite pressure!
 
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cstambaugh

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Nov 3, 2013
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Parrots
Zeus - Greenwing
my GW does the exact same foot thing when he doesnt want to be touched.

The GW in your video is playful and curious, the BG doesnt want to be messed with.
 

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