Is eating a group activity?

[Mamanda]

And by this I mean ... does your bird begin to eat the second you sit down near him/her? Opi & Keen will both squawk and yell. The second I go back into my office they spend 10+ minutes at their food bowls. It's like they ONLY eat when I am in the room with them.
I ran errands almost all day and once I got home they were TICKED off. Their food looked barley even touched. I came in to my office and sat down and they immediately stopped squawking and began eating. Haven't stopped. They do this frequently.
Doesn't concern me or anything ... just curious if they are the only nut jobs that starve themselves waiting for me to be in their presence to eat.

 

[andrea.faerie]

I'm not sure! I image that it is a group activity since they're flock creatures and very social, but both my birds are little piggies! haha they eat all day long until food runs out or they get full lol
Perhaps they just want to show you that they're being healthy!! haha

 

[lexx510]

It could be an innate safety issue. In some of the parrot species, designated members of the flock keep a look out to warn the flock of predators; you may in some way play this role in your "flock." Hence, your birds feel safer eating in your presence and become alert the second you leave (since birds flee in case of danger).

 

[suncon97]

My grey munches on food all day long at different times. It seems she eats the largest amount when we all sit down to eat dinner. Sometimes eating is a game to her because she'll throw pieces of food for the dog or get right up next to her when she's near the cage and eat slowly haha. She likes to torment the dog in various ways.

 

[lexx510]

And yes, my GCC does this, too lol. I dont think she necessary starves herself in my absence. However, she will immediately stop eating at my departure from the room and climb to the top of her cage

 

[Remy]

I gather eating is a social habit with parrots, but Puck doesn't care if I'm around or not. He can be a little piggy!

 

[Customcasket]

All 4 of my guys are piggies. They could care less whether I was in the room with them or not. I change their food and water in the morning and mid afternoon I check the water (for any "soup" they may have made) and their pellet food is always eaten down about half way. I make sure they get their fruits and veggies in the afternoon when I know they're awake and will eat it before it goes bad. By dinner time the fruits and veggies are gone and they're back to snacking on their pellets. (they like to crunch loudly on them if I come in the room for a nap) The keets eat all day every day at the most random times. When I got Carlisle he was a little porker. He's since slimmed down and now looks very healthy and colorful with how I feed them. (and he's not eating only sun flower seeds and what looked like parakeet seed which was all he ate of the mix they were giving him. Stupid pet store....)

 

[roxynoodle]

I would say it's definitely a group activity. Of course my birds eat whenever they want to, but as soon as I start eating, they always do. And if one bird starts eating, the other looks over and starts eating as well.