Why Are Birds So Noisy Before Dark?

Pet birds have a tendency to be particularly noisy right before darkness falls -- usually during the late afternoon. This behavior corresponds directly with how birds behave in their natural and wild environments. For much of the bird world, pre-darkness noise is just a way of life. Birds are also often especially loud in the morning.

  1. Wrapping Things Up

    • If your pet bird has a habit of bursting into vocalization around the end of the afternoon, he is aware that nighttime is coming soon and is essentially wrapping his day up by announcing that resting time is drawing closer and closer. Free-roaming birds in nature do this to communicate with other members of their flocks. Your bird may do this in an attempt to communicate with you or other people in your home. These periods of vocalization are usually brief, and are a totally normal and healthy bird behavior.

    Assembling the Flock

    • Birds are often noisy before dark as a way of accounting for any flock members that are not nearby. If you hear your bird screeching the afternoon away, he may actually be trying to get your attention so that you come over to him. The vocalization is also frequently giddy. If a bird happily spots another individual in his flock, his noise may mean something like, "I'm so delighted that you're here and all set to turn in for the night."

    Types of Vocalizations

    • When it comes to afternoon noises, birds seem to do it all, from chattering and shrieking to screaming and squalling. In noisier varieties of birds, the vocalization may extend for as long as an hour. However, many birds end the cacophony after much briefer durations -- think between 20 and 25 minutes.

    Morning Noise

    • Loudness in pet birds is in no way limited to the time period right before dark. They are also especially noisy in the beginning of the morning, as a way of saying hello to the brand new day and reveling in the finale of the long night. Birds also are vocal in the morning to announce to other flock members that it is that time of day yet again -- the time to begin yet another quest for sustenance.