Do Parrots Pair for Life?

Under ideal circumstances, parrots choose a mate when they reach breeding age and stick with that mate for the rest of their life, up to 60 years. Life is unpredictable, however, and there are times when an otherwise loyal parrot searches for a new partner.

  1. Life Partner

    • Parrots select a single mate to be their partner in breeding and raising young. These pairs stick together throughout each mating season and beyond -- they don't switch between partners from season to season like some other types of birds. As long as both birds are healthy and producing young, they will stick together as long as they live.

    Death

    • When one bird in a lifelong mating pair dies, the other does not remain alone for the rest of his life. Instead, the bird left behind searches for another mate. Once a match occurs, the pair stays together for the rest of their lives or as long as they are both healthy and are reproducing, mating and rearing young in the same manner as the original pair.

    Lack of Young

    • Although mating for life is the general rule for parrots, occasionally a pair will split if they are unable to produce young. The individual parrots, without any young to raise or protect, break the bond and search out new partners.

    Capture

    • When one bird in a lifelong mating partnership is captured by humans, usually for the pet trade, the remaining bird behaves much as if the captured bird had died. He will search for a new mate to replace the missing one and form a new lifelong bond with the replacement mate.

    Humans

    • A pet parrot kept alone will form a bond with his human that is similar to the bond he would have with a mate. With no young to raise or care for and no other bird to serve as a mate, domesticated parrots often treat their primary human handlers as a mate, regurgitating food and displaying for the human, and getting jealous and defensive when the favored human interacts with others.