Birds
Behaviour advice for birds, written from real experience.
Behaviour
A hissing cockatiel is telling you to back off, not threatening to attack. Here is what the sound actually means, why a new or startled bird does it more, and how to respond so the hissing fades instead of turning into a bite.
Behaviour
Quaking, a full-body shiver, is a normal excitement display quaker parrots are named for, not a sign of illness. Here is how to tell it apart from a seizure and the signs that mean a vet visit instead.
Behaviour
A bird launching food out of the bowl looks wasteful, but it is almost always the same foraging instinct wild parrots use to dig through a seed head. Here is the difference between normal mess and the picky feeding worth fixing.
Behaviour
A puffed-up bird can mean a cosy, half-asleep comfort or a genuine warning sign, and the two look almost identical from across the room. Here is how to tell which one you are seeing.
Behaviour
A bird thrashing wildly in a pitch-black cage in the middle of the night is having a night fright, and it can cause real injury in seconds. Here is what sets it off, why total darkness can make it worse, and what actually helps.
Behaviour
Head bobbing covers a lot of ground, from a perfectly normal courtship display to a chick begging for food to a sign of serious illness. Here is how to tell the harmless versions apart from the one that needs a same-day vet visit.
Behaviour
A bite rarely comes out of nowhere. Here is how to read the warning signs your bird already gave you, the different reasons behind a bite, and how to rebuild trust without punishing a scared or hormonal bird.
Behaviour
Feather plucking is one of the most distressing and stubborn problems in pet birds. Here is what drives it, why a vet must come first, and how to help a bird that has started.
Behaviour
Some noise is normal and healthy. Relentless screaming is a bird trying to tell you something. Here is what is behind it, and how to turn the volume down without making it worse.