An Introduction to Avian Ethology

By Jackie Huffman

(Editor's note: Ethology is defined as the zoological study of animal behavior)

I admit it – when I got Sammy, I was the proverbial uninformed, unprepared owner who purchased my sun conure because she was beautiful and I had just received my tax refund. Soon after, my husband and I realized what most bird-keepers already know – owning a parrot is no picnic. We sought the wisdom of other, more seasoned bird owners via the internet, email, and many other devices. Though the advice we received was well intended, it didn’t work for us. Several months, multiple arguments, and a few thousand second-thoughts later, we decided to try a new approach. We learned everything we could about birds in their natural habitats, and we studied how behavior in the wild translates into behavior in our homes.

Unlike dogs and cats, which have been bred domestically for hundreds of years, captive parrots today are at most three generations removed from the wild. Even domestically bred parrots come to us with their natural instincts entirely intact. Being prey animals, they have developed innately nervous, sensitive dispositions as a survival strategy. They are constantly in tune with minor changes in their environment. Sudden silence (such as turning off the radio), sharp movements (the owner suddenly stands up after sitting for a long period of time), and prolonged eye contact (a small child watching them intently), are all likely to alarm them. In the forest, any of these changes could indicate the presence of a predator.

Parrots are flock species. Their entire lives are dependant upon interaction with other birds – for safety, for reproduction, and for companionship. Evolutionary Biologist Michael Schindlinger of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, who spent several years in Mexico studying the behavior of wild Amazons, notes that wild parrots are almost never alone. Even those that live in pairs tend to congregate at night in numbers up to thousands. To accommodate this need for companionship in captivity, humans need to interact with their parrots constantly throughout the day. Those for whom this is unrealistic, due to work, school, etc., might do well to consider keeping a bonded pair rather than a single bird.

Another important factor in captive behavior is the type of flock in which a particular species lives. Some parrots, such as African greys and many other old-world parrots, live in single-species flocks. They spend their entire lives only with birds of their own kind. In captivity, birds of this type may have trouble dealing with the introduction of a new bird into their flock, especially when the new bird is of another species. Conversely, many new-world parrots live in multi-species flocks, and in captivity may actually benefit from the presence of another type of bird.

Within the flock, parrots communicate regularly with contact calls. They use these calls in flight, at rest, and sometimes even while foraging. The ongoing calls between flock members serve to keep tabs on each other’s locations, to call attention to food sources, and to alert one another to the presence of predators. Parrots also tend to scream repetitively for a short time at dawn and at dusk, perhaps simply for fun. According to Parrot Behavior Consultant Jane Hallander, birds who imitate the telephone may actually be contact calling their human. Through the bird’s eyes, the telephone “contact calls” and the human readily responds. The bird then adopts the ring of the telephone as his own call, hoping his owner will respond in the same manner.

Birds who develop the habit of repetitive screaming, (other than at dawn and dusk), may simply be insecure and frustrated that their owner is not answering their call. With this in mind, the common practice of ignoring a screaming bird could actually be counter-productive. A more realistic approach would be to consistently acknowledge the call with a vocal response, reassuring the bird that you are still there and are still a part of its flock. Another important note is that screaming is part of being a parrot. Schindlinger comments that it is “a behavior many owners think is problem behavior, [but it is actually] a healthy behavior, just in the wrong environment.”

Another common problem with captive parrots is aggression. Though many parrot owners feel that the aggression is sudden and unprovoked, that is usually not the case. Quite often the problem is with the owner not recognizing the body language of their bird. In Parrots, A Natural History, John Sparks and Tony Soper point out that within a flock “togetherness is the key to survival.” Aggression, therefore, is most often a last resort. Birds tend to work out their disagreements using body language referred to as posturing.

Anyone who has seen an Amazon with pinned eyes and fluffed feathers, strutting back and forth, probably quickly realized what that posture meant – leave me alone because I’m big and I’m mad! While not all parrots are quite as obvious as Amazons, aggression is almost always preceded by body language. The postures differ between species, but according to Sparks and Sopher, it “usually involves pointing the beak at an opponent and gaping… - the greater the anger, the wider the gape.” After several minutes of this behavior, the weaker of the two birds will give in by releasing the posture and lowering his head. If a domestic parrot is posturing, the owner should leave it alone until it is through. Advancing towards the bird will be viewed as aggression, and in the parrot’s mind, leaves it no other option than to attack.

Another type of aggression in captive parrots is related to breeding. A normally friendly bird, when nesting, attacks the owner when they approach the cage. This is simply a protective response which serves to keep predators away from vulnerable chicks. It is an instinct, and the parrots will return to its normal self when nesting is over.

A common piece of advice frequently given to novice bird-keepers is that in order to avoid problems with aggression, you should keep parrots below eye level at all times. This idea is usually referred to as height dominance. According to Greg Glendell, a parrot behavior consultant and author of Pet Parrots Advice Direct, believes the idea of height dominance is overly simple. A flock is not arranged in a linear pattern. A bird that may be dominant while feeding may fall behind when looking for nest sites. A bird who acts as a sentinel, warning the rest of the flock of approaching danger, may be helpless when it comes to breeding. He goes on to point out that bolder birds will have “priority access to any perch, regardless of height.” It is true that birds tend to choose the highest perch, but the reason is that higher perches are safer. Height has very little, if any, affect on the status of a parrot within the flock. Allowing your parrot to perch in high places should not cause a problem. A dominance problem will only develop if you allow your bird unrestricted access to areas outside of the cage. Supervised freedom is the best approach to establishing yourself as the leader.

Up to this point I have discussed the origins of the natural behavior of parrots. However, some of the behaviors that we see in captivity are deviant – unnatural behaviors caused by unnatural circumstances. One such behavior is mate aggression. While no one knows for sure why it happens, there are several reasonable theories. Some people note that in the wild, a male parrot will nip its mate to warn of possible danger, and the mate, in turn, will fly to safety. In a cage, however, the mate is unable to get away. This may anger the male, who becomes progressively more aggressive as the female “ignores” his nips. Glendell maintains that captivity is the cause of the aggression. “The female cannot fly away from her mate who may be very temporarily aggressive. This would be her normal reaction. If she does NOT leave (because she cannot) further aggression is stimulated in the male; hence, ‘deviant aggression in captivity.’ ” To avoid this problem it is advisable to breed birds in a large aviary versus a breeding cage.

Perhaps the most complex and heartbreaking behavior in captive parrots is feather plucking. As with mate aggression, the exact cause is unknown. In fact, the cause is probably different in each instance. In many cases, the plucking starts with a physical cause and grows into a habit. The physical reason could be dry skin due to lack of humidity in the environment, a skin infection, or any number of other conditions. However, with some birds the reason is purely behavioral. A lack of social contact, boredom, and insecurity are all likely culprits. At first it is hard to understand how a well fed, well taken care of, much loved parrot could feel so insecure. Greg Glendell explains, “All flying birds have an instinctive escape reflex to any danger. Birds take to the air to soar above the source of danger. This enables them to feel much less threatened. Birds which cannot gain height as and when they need to (because they have been clipped) may become extremely frustrated since a prime behavioral safety reaction has been denied them. At this point many birds develop deviant behaviors.”

The best way to treat feather plucking is to prevent it from starting. However, if it has already started, these same steps may help alleviate the symptoms. Monitor the humidity in the bird room or aviary and keep it at a level which simulates your bird’s natural habitat. Be sure your bird has ample opportunity to bath, and is free from feather mites and other parasites. Make sure that the bird has plenty of toys and receives adequate attention. Wild parrots spend between five and seven hours a day foraging for food. Giving them the opportunity to forage in captivity gives them a constructive alternative to feather plucking.

Another important point to remember is that parrots cannot be compared to each other as dogs and cats would. While breeds of dogs are different mutations of the same species, and likewise with cats, different types of parrots are separate species within several different genera. Therefore, their wild behaviors, living arrangements, mating styles, etc, can vary greatly. The best way to learn about your parrot is to do research on its specific species and habitat. It would be unfair to expect the same behavior from a Cockatoo that you would from a Conure.

Despite incredible advances in aviculture, situations like these serve as a sobering reminder that the gap between parrots and people is far from being bridged. Try as we may, it is nearly impossible to offer to our bids all that they would have in the wild. Mike Schindlinger believes that “many of the problems [we] see [in captive birds] with plucking, etc, seem to be related to social isolation on one hand, and being denied flight on the other.” If we are to do justice to our feathered friends, we must constantly strive to better understand them rather than to change them. It’s only fair, considering all that they have given up for us.