Understanding the Language & Behavior of a Pet Bird

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Bird watching is a fantastic hobby suitable for individuals of all ages. Birding takes patience when you first start. It can be difficult to get a good enough look at a bird to figure out what kind of bird your looking at. It takes time but like any hobby the more time you put into it the better the results. So, do read on for more tips and tricks on identifying your birds more accurately.

Birds, just like other pets, have their own ways of
Communicating, or Bird Language.

Birds communicate to other birds and also communicate
to their owners, in a variety of ways. While all species
have their own unique methods of bird language, there
are many generalities.

Birds use their body, body parts and voices to express a
wide range of emotions.

Ways Birds Communicate

Barking
Some birds give out a type of bark when excited or when
trying to prove their dominance.

Beak Clicking
When a bird is clicking it's beak, it is trying to tell
others it is threatened or that it is protecting something.

Beak Grinding
When a bird grinds it's beak the bird is trying to communicate
it is feeling secure and content.

Beak Wiping
When a bird wipes it's beak the bird is trying to communicate
that he is aggravated or upset about something. Beak wiping
is also typically normal behavior for birds when they
are trying to clean the beak or dislodge something stuck
in it.

Chattering
Some birds just like to talk, talk about anything; their
environment, how they feel, the state of the union....
so to communicate their thoughts, they chatter, sometimes
incessantly, sometimes loud, sometimes soft.

Young birds chirp or chatter when they want fed. Birds in
the wild often chatter as a warning sign to other birds that
something is not right in their environment, or as a call
to attract another bird's attention.

Crouching
If the bird is crouching with it's head toward the owner,
the birds wants to be petted or scratched.

If crouching with head down, relaxed body and raised wings,
the bird wants attention.

If crouching with head down, eyes pinning, flared tail feathers,
ruffled feathers, and a rigid body, the bird is giving
a warning to back off.

Flashing or Dilating Pupils
Flashing or dilating pupils the bird may be trying to communicate
aggression, excitement, nervousness, or pleasure.

Growling
Some birds communicate with a type of growl that means

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Most bird watchers are not experts on our fine feathered friends from the start. Instead of thinking, a bird is a bird is a bird, think again! Birds are a fabulous species that are as diverse as any other set of creatures on this earth. Birds are very interesting creatures. They are vertebrates, because like fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, they have a spinal cord.

back off mister and leave me alone.

Head Snaking
A bird that is shaking it's head from side to side means it is
excited.

Panting
A panting bird is overheated, overexerted and uncomfortable.

Purring
A bird can give a type of purr communicating the bird is
relaxed and content. Some highly territorial birds will attack windows, car external driving mirrors, hub-caps and other reflective surfaces. They can see their own reflection on the surface, and thinking it is an intruding male, will try to attack it to defend its territory.

Singing
A bird sings when it is communicating a message to another
bird, perhaps as a mating call, or when it is content and
happy.

Talking
A Bird talks when it is content and happy and wants to
send a message to the another bird or it's owner.

Tail Bobbing
When a bird bobs it's tail that may mean it's sick, but also
some birds bob their tails when they are talking or singing.

Tail Fanning
Tail fanning by a bird indicates it's unhappy about something
and may become aggressive

Tail Wagging
Just like dogs, tail wagging communicates that a bird is
content or happy.

Tongue Clicking
When a bird gives a rapid clicking of their tongue they
are trying to communicate friendliness or an invitation to be
friends.

Wing Drooping
A Bird will droop it's wings for several reasons.
It may have just taken a bath and it's holding the wings
down while drying. It may happen in young birds who have
not learned how to hold their wings. The bird may be
overheated and wanting to cool itself. The bird may be sick.

Wing Flipping
If a caged bird is flicking it's wings sharply, it is
communicating annoyance or fear. It could also mean the
bird has lost it's balance and is trying to correct itself,
if this is the case the wing flipping won't last long.

Wing and Body Quivering
Birds have always delighted people all over the world because of their beauty and their power of flight. Quivering wings and body means the bird is fearful of
something in it's immediate environment.

Wing Drumming
Birds drum their wings when they need exercise or out of
boredom. It may also communicate the bird is protecting it's
territory.

Whistling
When a bird whistles it is communicating that the bird feels
content, safe and is at ease in it's world.

The old saying, “birds of a feather flock together” also applies to bird watchers. There are groups all over the country—and the world where bird watchers join to socialize and converse about the different birds they have seen. We do urge you to find out more about bird watching, and perhaps do join one of the excellent bird watching forums for more tips!