Interpreting Parrot Behavior

[RPRTLYN]

Hi, being a novice at interpreting my new friend's behavior (She's a red belly parrot), there's two things she does quite often. One is on her perch she starts flapping her wings and does this for quite a while (30 - 45 seconds). She does have her wings clipped, but she can fly if she wants to. She has flown a good 25 feet in the house on a downward angle. So I don't think she's trying to fly away. Is she just exercising or stretching? Is she upset at something? Is she hungry? Is she seeking attention? When she does, this I go to her and she calms down and steps up and seems fine.

The other behavior is she always turns away from me when she perches on my shoulder or when she's standing still on my finger. Does this have a meaning? I can live with this, but I'll admit looking at her rear end . . . it's not the prettiest side of my new friend. I've had her for about two months and she's great. She's only about 10 months old now and she's a lot of fun. Are there any web sites that interprets parrots behaviors? Thank you in advance for any information you may have on this subject!

[kali]

i think the flapping thing is just exercising. Boo does it all the time

[loyallyroyal]

the wing flapping probably is for exercise since her wings are clipped...
I got my boy one of these:
Booda Wing-A-Ball Dog Toys at PETCO
and he likes to hang off it and flap his wings

I really dont know about the other, she may want to look at where she is going istead of you when she is on your finger?

[huntress]

Wing flapping IS in fact excercise. Like the way little bulls spar. All my babies do it regularly as they are getting there wings and my adult birds will do it way less often. As for the perching thing - that is just a prefeance for he that CAN be trained out with positive reinforcement and treats. If you are walking forward with her on your hand she may just WANT to face in the direction of travel which would be normal, as for the shoulder... I see allot of birds who like to shoulder perch facing the other way. Sometimes it all depends on how the tail hangs. Certain species DO NOT want anything touching the tail (ie:most Macaws), other species depend on the tail resting on something for comfort or balance (ie: linoleated parakeets)

[KDK241]

All my tiels flap like that at least once a day. Sophie also likes to sit on my shoulder backwards. I started taking my finger and pushing her tail gently around until she was sitting the right way while telling her turn around. Now if I say turn aroud she will.

[ROYJOY]

wing flapping is indeed for exersize. not only for the wing and chest muscles involved in flight, but nesesary for respiratory function. another reason i dont clip.

[loyallyroyal]

RoyJoy isnt it hard not to clip with such small birds as lovies, Id be afraid to lose them in my house lol

at least when my ekkie Dewey flys off hes large enough to spot wherever he's landed, it helps he doesnt fly to far, a circle around the room and goes and sits on the fridge

[RPRTLYN]

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post! Your insight is really appreciated!

[Pepper's Pa]

I agree with the other posts that her flapping is for exercise and simply to have some fun.
The perching away from you may be for her security and safety. Being prey animals, our companion parrots are always aware of what is going on around them. If you are holding your perched Red-Bellied Parrot in front of you, your chest, torso and head may be blocking her view and blocking her escape route. By perching away from you she has both a view and an unobstructed escape path. When on your shoulder, it may be similar reasons. When Pepper is on my shoulder and I’m working on the computer or simply at my desk, he will often perch facing away from me. If I am sitting in a chair with a wall behind me, he will be facing forward. Though he does not follow this pattern 100% of the time, it is the majority of his pattern.
I hope this is of some help for answering your questions.

[ROYJOY]

loyallyroyal, my small birds dont get lost, they're usually looking for a hand out. they have places they hangout, so i know where to look for them if i need them.