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Bird Behavior Breakthroughs
Recent research shows some interesting things that pet bird owners should be aware of. A study of a colony of orange-winged Amazon parrots, published in the journal Applied
Animal Behavioral Science, looked at abnormal repetitive behaviors in the parrots, including feather picking (where the bird plucks out its own feathers). It found that birds whose cages were situated near doors and had a direct view of them, were more likely to engage in this self-mutilating behavior.
The reason for this is thought to be that the birds prefer to have some control over their environment and their responses. They don't like to be surprised by human traffic or people going by, they prefer to have a longer line of sight to doorways and the approach of people. This helps prevent them from being startled or frightened when someone approaches - just as we would be stressed if people could sneak up on us and suddenly appear right behind us. When stressed, the birds pulled out their feathers, just as nervous people might chew their fingernails or hair. If you have a bid in your house, give some thought as to where you put the cage. Birds like to be high up, where they feel safer, and to have a good view with no way to sneak up on them.
Feather picking was also found to be more common in females, and to have genetic component - it runs in families. Potential buyers might want to ask a bird breeder about the history of feather picking in their birds. Feather picking was found not to be learned by observation - birds who were caged with other feather pickers were not more susceptible to feather plucking themselves.
In the same study, the researchers also looked at stereotypies, which are repetitive, unvarying patterns of movement. You see these sorts of movements in caged animals at the zoo, who pace endlessly back and forth or sway from side to side. You see it in the swaying back and forth of autistic children. In birds, these robotic sorts of behaviors include walking in loops on the sides of the cage or twirling pieces of food in the beaks. These movements were not affected by any factors other than the number of bird neighbors they had. The more birds they were able to socialize with, the fewer of the sterotypies were seen.
Despite the conventional wisdom that says birds should be housed singly so they will interact more with their humans, the opposite is actually true. Paired birds not only showed fewer behavioral abnormalities but were also much less fearful and easier to handle. Parrots are really, really smart and very social. In the wild, they live in large flocks, with hundreds of other birds to talk to, play with and eat with.
Deprived of companionship they start to show all kinds of abnormal behaviors, including steriotypies, feather plucking and screaming for attention. Bells and mirrors in their cages are not enough to keep them happy or entertained. Try flexible perches that bounce, sway or turn the bird upside down. Give them objects they can take apart or shred, such as little straw hats filled with shredded paper and treats. Teach them, handle them, train them and if at all possible, have more than one of them. |
