Sep 12 2008
Behavior Common To A Parrot In The Wild
One of the things that many people don’t think about when they purchase a parrot from a pet store or a parrot breeder is that, even though the parrot might have been born and bred in captivity, it is still by societies standards still a wild animal, and therefore prone to be unpredictable and at times can be difficult to handle. If your pet parrot feels threatened or becomes aggressive if will act the same way a parrot in the wild would behave. Before an animal is officially domesticated several generations have to have been bred and raised in captivity.
History of Domestic Parrots
Although there are stories of people keeping parrots as pets as long as 4,000 years, the pet was considered a luxury, something that only the very rich could afford to do. Up until a hundred years ago anyone who didn’t live in an area that was also a home to wild parrots, didn’t even know what a parrot looked like, and the idea of a talking bird was absurd. All of that changed in the 1960’s. During this time period there was such a high demand for parrots that the importation of parrots became common. It was during this period of time that many of the ancestors of the parrots living in the United States were freed, sometimes intently and sometimes on accident.
What people who raise parrots quickly discovered is that the birds had unusually long life spans. Some breeds of parrots, such as the wild African grey parrot has a life span of 60-90 years.
Behavior of A Parrot In The Wild
A parrot that is being raised in captivity it isn’t uncommon for them to develop traits and characteristics commonly seen in a parrot in the wild. When a parrot in the wild notices something that could threaten it or the life of its chicks, the a parrot in the wild will ruffle all of its feathers to make it appear larger, sometimes it will lower it’s head and stalk in a menacing manner, your pet parrot will behave the same way if it feels like it is being threatened, or if it is mad at you for some reason.
Screaming is common to a parrot in the wild. Screaming is a form of communication that parrots in the wild use to warn other birds of their presence, alert their flock of danger, and to warn away predators. If your pet parrot is screaming it is possible it is trying to warn you of something in its immediate environment that is bothering it.
Chewing and clawing is something a parrot in the wild does to help it keep its beak and claws sharp for when it has to defend itself from predators. When a caged parrot claws and chews it is often a sign that is bored or discontent in some way. Providing your parrot with some toys and another bird for company will help improve its frame of mind.
No related posts.
This article is very well-intentioned, but superficial and not researched as well as it could have been.
Parrots are not domesticed animals. Chickens, cows and dogs and cats are all domesticated. The difference is that a parrot will always act on instinct – if it is afraid, it will fly off. Even if it is sitting on its favorite person, it will fly because safety is high in a tree, not the lap/shoulder of a person. Even a clipped parrot will try to fly away from a threat.
For excellent information about parrots in the home, you want to read “My Parrot, My Friend.” This book will inform you about parrots’ social, psychological, and developmental needs. There are discussions about physical needs – toys for chewing/destroying, typical lifespans of all the species as well as how to deal with problem behaviour, such as screaming for no apparent reason. It isn’t always about communication…
Parrots have been proven scientifically to have the intelligence of a 5 or 6 year old human child. However, when you couple this with their Emotional Intelligence of a 2 year old, you get an extremely clever person who doesn’t like to share, has tantrums, little attention span, etc. For more information regarding parrot cognitive abilities, search Dr. Irene Pepperberg or The Alex Foundation online. Parrots are not mimics, they use conscious language. You pick up the car keys and they say bye-bye, it’s no coincidence. They know why they’re saying bye-bye.
I have lived with parrots (budgies are parrots!) since I was 2. I currently share my life with my TAG Gryphon (12), U2 Kyara (11), Rose2 Hero (4) and re-homed Hyacinth Lilly (13). There are days when the feathers, noise and fruit on the walls seem like *way* too much to take. Then I hear “Hey Char, Wanna GryphonBoy?” or “I love you” in 4 different voices and I remember why my life would be incomplete without them.