“It is telling Mom or Dad to ‘feed me, please,’’’ Dr. They’re hungry. Head nodding is a normal behavior seen in baby birds.Head bobbing looks like a bird nodding their head up and down or forward and backward. “It's like, I'm aware of my surroundings. They’re alert. It could also indicate that your pet bird is on high alert.They’re stressed. If a bird is repeatedly opening and closing their pupils, that’s usually a sign that they’re stressed, according to Dr.When eye pinning is coupled with tail wagging or flaring of the tail, that's usually a sign of excitement, Dr. You’ll want to look at the context clues to pinpoint which emotion they are actually feeling. It’s basically a way for them to communicate their feelings, whether they’re happy, excited, angry, afraid or any other emotion. Possible meanings:īirds use eye pinning as a way of telling another bird or a person, 'I am interested in you' or 'I don’t want you anywhere near me,” says Dr. This behavior is sometimes called eye flashing or eye blazing, too. Eye pinning happens when a bird quickly changes the size of their pupils, rapidly dilating and constricting their pupils. Unlike humans, birds have voluntary control over their eye muscles. Read on to find out what common bird behaviors mean and whether they’re normal or a cause for concern. “You have to look at the whole of their body movements, not just a single activity to interpret what the bird’s doing,” Dr. And it’s especially important to view everything as pieces of one big puzzle because some behaviors can have multiple meanings. Since most pet birds’ vocabulary is limited or non-existent, you have to take into account all of their actions, movements, and sounds, just like you would with other animals.

Laurie Hess, DVM, an avian and exotic pet veterinarian and owner of the Veterinary Center for Birds and Exotics in Bedford Hills, New York. Karen Rosenthal, DVM, director of exotic companion animal education for Veterinary Emergency Group in New York City.

We spoke with two pet bird experts to decode parrot body language, from physical movements to vocalizations: Some actions can even tell you when they’re sick or injured. So how do you know what your feathered friend is thinking and feeling? Reading bird body language, from head bobbing to sounds to flapping wings, can help you to not only understand what your pet is feeling, but also develop a stronger bond with them. Parrots are known for their speaking ability, but most pet birds can’t actually carry a conversation.

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