What Is a Bird Doing When It Kisses Another Bird?

If you ever catch a pair of birds in an act that seems all too similar to kissing, you could be onto something. Although birds definitely don't "kiss" in the way that human beings do, they sometimes place their beaks together. This, too, is often a sign of love and admiration.

  1. Positive Rapport

    • If you observe a duo of birds and notice that their heads are extremely close to one another and that their bills seem to be intersecting, they could just be engaging in something known as "beaking" or "billing." From a distance, beaking indeed looks a lot like kissing. This behavior is indicative of an amiable interaction between two birds, although not necessarily a traditional kiss.

    Fellow Birds and Humans

    • Birds do not limit their beaking activities to their avian mates. If a bird has a strong emotional connection with his human caretaker, he might attempt to massage his beak over said beloved individual too.

    Out in Nature

    • Birdie "kissing" using the beak is not only seen in relationships between those kept as household pets. Birds that live out in nature also tighten their bonds with their mates by beaking together.

    Enthusiasm

    • Beaking between two birds can often lead to the widening and narrowing of their pupils. This is often an indication of immense enthusiasm. If you pick up on this eye pinning as your bird beaks his mate, then there's a strong chance that you are in the company of a pretty happy bird. Occasionally, eye widening and narrowing can also signify fierceness, rather than positive feelings.

    Another Bird "Kiss"

    • Beaking isn't the sole avian activity that is comparable in some ways to a human kiss. Allopreening, or mutual grooming, is another one. When a bird twosome possesses a tightly-knit relationship, they often display their positive feelings by grooming the other's plumage. They intricately and exhaustively go through the other party's individual feathers, helping to get rid of pesky remnants of detritus, parasites, dander and dirt. It usually is pretty obvious when birds are reveling in allopreening, too -- they tend to shut their eyes, adopt loose body postures and luxuriate in the whole process.