Bird Behavior
BY LAURELLA DESBOROUGH
Copyright Laurella Desbrough (eclectusbreeder.com).
All rights reserved by the author.
Our avian friends have two types
of behavior, innate or learned.
Innate behavior means behavior
that is inborn, that which is
genetically transmitted from an
adult to its young. In this day
and age, we would describe it in
computer language as
"hard-wired." Learned, or
acquired behavior, covers all
the complex actions, sounds and
interactions that the young bird
learns after it is hatched
(often even before it is
hatched, as parents and young
communicate during the piping
period). During the time the
parents feed it and during the
hand-feeding period when humans
take over the rearing, the bird
is learning about its world and
the important characters in it:
its parents and then its
hand-feeder (perhaps also its
clutch-mates, unless it is a
single youngster).
Continuous Learning
Birds continue to learn as they
develop during the first years
of life. The innate behaviors
and the learned behaviors can
both be seen in a young bird.
For instance, one innate
behavior common to most flying
birds, whose normal habitat is
the trees, is to avoid going to
the ground, or for captive
birds, going to the bottom of
the cage.
Safety Lies In Heights
Young weaned birds placed in a
new environment will seek the
highest possible perches.
Tempting food dishes placed on
the floor of their cage will go
completely untouched or only
slightly touched. The bird may
venture down, quickly grab a
morsel and retreat to the safety
of the upper perches. This bird
does not think that the
environment is secure for it to
safely go down to the cage
bottom and eat from the dish.
Instead, the bird is directed by
a strong survival instinct that
overrides the need for food. In
the wild, this instinct keeps
the bird away from ground
dwelling predators such as
snakes, lizards and other
flesh-eating mammals. Likewise,
this same instinct often keeps
companion birds from staying on
the cage bottom (even though
predators do not reside in your
family room).
Eating Known Foods
In the wild, young birds learn
what to eat from their parents
that fly to the fruiting trees
or nut-bearing trees or bushes.
The youngsters accompany their
parents and imitate them. If the
parents do not eat certain
berries or fruits, the
youngsters also avoid them. This
is how they learn not to eat
something dangerous or
poisonous. Similarly, young
companion birds in the home will
eat what they have learned to
eat during the weaning stage and
immediately afterwards. They
will eat what they see clutch
mates or other birds eat, or
what they have been handed by
the person who cares for them.
Provide A Variety Of Foods
It is important to provide a
great variety of foods to young
weaning birds. If they are only
fed a limited diet of seeds,
maybe pellets and a few fresh
items, they will be reluctant to
try many new food stuffs in the
future. The hand-feeder and the
new owner need to provide a wide
variety of foods to the young
bird so that it learns to eat a
healthy diet and is willing to
try new foods.
Stages Of Socialization For
Companion Birds
There are two major behavioral
learning stages that contribute
to well-rounded socialization in
a companion bird. The first is
the socialization that takes
place during hand rearing. This
period is very important as it
establishes the level of trust
of humans in the young bird.
Development of trust occurs
during each and every instance
that the hand-feeder is handling
the bird. This includes moving
the bird in order to clean the
brooder, moving the youngster
prior to feeding, keeping the
youngster in the correct brooder
environment and having the
correct baby cage. When
hand-feeders are rough with the
babies, the babies learn that
human hands are to be feared.
Once this early learning takes
place, it is not easy to
override it with gentle handling
at a later age.
Socialization In The New Home
After baby birds are correctly
raised and weaned and go into
their new home to be companions,
the most critical period of
socialization begins.
Unfortunately, many new bird
owners do not realize that each
of their interactions with the
bird is teaching the bird about
them and their relationship with
the bird. They do not understand
that everything they do with
their new feathered companion is
going to profoundly affect the
bird.
The Perfect Parrot
New owners often view their new
bird as a fully developed
creature (since it is fully
feathered) that is going to
"adjust" or "fit into" their
life exactly as they have
imagined. Sometimes these
preconceptions have nothing to
do with the reality of the
specific bird, its specie's
characteristics or its
background. For example, a
jogger may expect the bird will
learn to fly along with them
while jogging on a forest trail.
The reality is that hawks exist
in the wild (and even in cities)
and thus pose a threat to a
single flying parrot. Or a new
bird owner will expect his or
her bird to learn the kinds of
tricks viewed at bird shows, not
realizing that birds in shows
are older and have spent many
hours learning their skills from
experienced trainers.
Arriving At The Perfect
Parrot
Socializing a young parrot into
a new home is not a matter of a
few hours, a few days or even a
few weeks. Since the young bird
is continuously developing over
the first few years in its new
home, socialization of this bird
is also a continuous process.
Consistent gentleness in
handling and establishment of a
reasonable daily routine will go
a long way towards achieving the
goal of the perfect parrot. It
may be difficult for the new
bird owner to recognize the
importance of consistent
gentleness and following a
routine, because the new bird
owner has purchased a bird for
fun and enjoyment and
relaxation. If the new bird
owner fails to be consistent in
handling and following daily
routines, the bird may end up
being spoiled and the owner
unhappy.
Educating The New Owner
Due to the fact that the most
continuous socialization occurs
for the young bird in its new
home, it is important that the
new owner is thoroughly educated
about this process and about his
or her responsibilities for its
success. Responsible breeders
who sell directly to the public
generally provide their clients
information about the bird and
its needs. Responsible pet
stores also provide information
about the care of the birds they
sell. The wise owner will go
beyond this initial instruction
and search out books and
Internet information about the
companion bird that he or she
has chosen. This extra effort on
the part of the buyer will make
a great difference in proper
socialization of the young bird
and in the eventual quality of
the bird as an adult.
