Quaker behaviour question.

[Talven]

So I've been going about and meeting some older (2 - 3 Years) quakers recently to potentially adopt one. I met a lovely blue today and was curious about some of the behaviours he displayed.

He would be constantly spreading out his tail and shaking it. I've only seen my other birds do that when it is wet after a bath. He was dry. Something stuck to feathers or a peculiarity of quakers?

He would also stand on the perch and just lift his wings. He wouldn't spread them out or stretch them, he just lifted them up. He did that several times. Not something I've seen other species do.

Are there any quirks that anyone has noticed that only quakers display?

 

[Laurasea]

Sounds like a wing shrug, that is usually a greeting, a lot of parrot species do it. When you walk up to them they wing shrug to say hello, or they may wing shrug as a way of asking you to pick them up
The tail wag is also a normal behavior that many parrot species do. A confident engaged parrot will tail wag when they start or stop a be activity, like if the fly from one spot to a new spot when they land a tail wag, or if they were chewing on something the decided to do something else you might get a tail wag, or if they were hanging out and you came over they might tail wag because now they are going to interact with you.
I read a great article on behavior once and it used the number of tail wags as an indicator of a happy well adjusted parrot , and if you very seldom saws tail wag the parrot was more closed down and bored

I can say when I first got Penny she never did tail wags, sbd she was very closed down kinda of a bump on a stick parrot at first. It took several months into her new and better life before I started seeing tail wags. Today for example after she was beaking and messing with Pikachu , after she was done and ready to settle she gave a tail wag

 

[Laurasea]

This was t the original article I read but it does talk about these behaviors and uses them as an example of a happy well adjusted parrot. I would also add that the blue Quaker probably was interested in you

“ While many well adjusted parrots will exhibit some or many of these behaviors, not all birds display all of the following activities.

Vocalization: Although a frustrated bird might scream, an unhappy bird or a bird that does not feel well won’t vocalize at all. Most avian vocalizations, whether singing, talking, or simply unintelligible chatter obviously indicate the feelings of well-being we humans associate with happiness.

Preening: A healthy parrot keeps its feathers in order, but a bird that does little except preening may be experiencing boredom or failure of independence.

Bathing: Most parrots relish showers or bathing in a bowl; many of them enjoy daily bathing. A bird that does not take an occasional head dip into a clean water bowl may not be feeling well.

Stretching: A happy, satisfied parrot will stretch in several different ways. The bird might raise both shoulders at the same time. Perhaps the wing and leg on the same side of the body will be stretched in unison followed in a short while with a stretch on the opposite side of the body in a mirror image.

Flapping: Many companion birds like to hold on tight to the cage or perch and flap their wings. This is not an unhappy bird behavior.

Tail Wagging: When a healthy, happy parrot is anticipating a different activity, it may wag its tail feathers vigorously. This behavior resembles a giggle in humans and may be done after a less than pleasant activity such as falling off the perch or toy during play. It indicates that the bird is ready to proceed to the next activity.

Beak Grinding: A sleepy parrot grinding the upper and lower beaks together with eyes closed or nearly closed is showing contentment. This is a self-comfort behavior and has no ill effects on parrots which may or may not have actual effect on the beak.
The word “happiness” may be somewhat “anthropomorphic” – a term applicable only to human behavior. However, animals, especially birds, are perfectly capable of communicating enjoyment of their own well-being. “

Article found on HARI “ Parrot Love: Reading Bird Body Language
Does a Parrot “Enjoy” Companion Life?”

 

[Talven]

Thanks for that Laurasea very much appreciated.

Oh and one other thing I did notice with a couple of the birds. When I would go over to the cage to interact with them they would grasp the bars with one foot so they could angle their vent towards the bars and try to poop sideways. Almost as if they were aiming for me. I know they have a reputation for being cheeky but are they really trying to deliberately poop on me? I don't see where that would fit into normal bird behaviour.

 

[Laurasea]

Lol
Yep
When Penny is mad st me she shoots poops at me