What Kinds of Music Soothe Birds?

Although pet birds do not have office politics or overly hectic schedules to deal with, they are definitely not exempt from stress and frustration. If your sweet birdie needs to wind down and clear his head, playing a little bit of soothing music may do the trick.

  1. Types of Music

    • Some types of music can lead to relaxation in birds, says Karen O'Brien of the Oklahoma Avicultural Society. Some examples of music that appears to sooth birds include classical music, New Age music and jazz. Apart from just traditional music, birds also frequently enjoy listening to recordings of nature sounds, whether those of waterfalls, crashing ocean waves or lightly falling rain. Go for music that is quiet and serene rather than noisy or overly energetic. Avoid wailing guitar solos and pounding drum beats, for example. All those things can accomplish is getting your pet even more wound up.

    Loudness

    • Music can help to relax pet birds in a variety of different situations. If your bird is acting anxiously due to excessive noise coming from outside your home, whether thunder or construction, you can minimize her discomfort by playing music over it. If you turn a little Frederic Chopin on, for example, it can distract your bird just enough so that he stops fixating on the disruptive sounds that are scaring him.

    Isolation

    • Music can help to keep lonely birds company when they're alone in the home. Consider keeping music playing softly in the background when you plan on being away for the entire day. If you don't own any music that is soothing enough, certain channels on the television can work, advises Nikki Moustaki of BirdChannel.com.

    Breeding

    • Pet birds often get amped up and overexcited during breeding season -- the desire to seek out a partner and mate is strong in them. When birds are overwhelmed with the intense urge to reproduce during the spring months, they often make sure that the rest of the world is aware of it by being extremely vocal. By putting a little bit of soothing music on, you can take your bird's focus off mating, at least temporarily, BirdChannel.com's Dorine McKinnon writes.

    Birds Like Music

    • Birds don't just find certain styles of music comforting, they adore it in general. The University of Lincoln's Franck Peron notes that birds have a penchant for a wide variety of music, from folk to pop and rock. The study's birds expressed their liking of some music through body language hints -- think relaxed, contented grooming behaviors and even dancing. When provided with the opportunity, they even used a touch screen to make their own playlists.