Weird Bird Behaviors

Every species of animal on earth has certain idiosyncrasies that makes it unique. Birds are no exception. If you've ever watched a nature show on the National Geographic or the Discovery channels, there's no doubt that you've seen some pretty mystifying behavior. But, aside from some of the more notable behavioral oddities such as mating dances, there is a whole other subset of strange behaviors specific to birds.

  1. Nervous Behaviors

    • Birds, like people, experience anxiety. Many will exhibit behaviors associated with this anxiety. For instance, African Grey parrots have been documented biting their toenails when they are uncomfortable or nervous, similarly to how people bite their fingernails. The main difference between us and African Grey parrots is that instead of chewing their nails down to the quick, the birds simply run their nails through their beaks. Macaws, on the other hand, shiver. They ruffle through their chest feathers in waves. Certain birds, when extremely stressed, can cry bloody tears. Typically, this behavior is only exhibited by birds under extreme duress, such as during a veterinary physical examination. This behavior does not appear to harm the birds but is simply a stress response.

    Regurgitation

    • Ever wondered if your bird liked you? You can be sure it does if it starts retching every time you're near. It is a sign of love and affection within the psittacine genus to regurgitate on the object of its affection. Birds start doing this at a young age, especially if they have been hand-reared.

    Head Shaking

    • Sit still and pay attention? Not if you are a cockatiel. Cockatiels tend to shake their heads back and forth slightly when they are in "learning mode." Although it appears most often in cockatiels, many birds will exhibit this behavior when they are listening intently to your words or other sounds.

    Yawning

    • No one really knows why, but if you gently massage a young bird on both sides of it head just below the ears, it will yawn. This particular behavior seems to be most prevalent in psittacines, but other bird species have also exhibited it.

    Feather Picking

    • Birds that are housed in homes with cigarette smokers or that are frequently handled by smokers tend to pick at their feet and feathers more often than birds that live in a smoke-free environment. It appears that nicotine, whether inhaled or absorbed through the skin from the residue on a smoker's hands, causes the bird to develop skin irritations which are extremely itchy, prompting the excessive feather pulling and feet-picking behaviors.