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Writer's pictureLuna Moon

Cockatiel Behaviors 101: What's Normal and What's Not!

Let's face it, all birds do some unusual things and that's what draws us to them! Sometimes, these bizarre behaviors can make a new family nervous when they aren't familiar with bird antics, so here I will try to break down some of the most common, and specific to cockatiels, behaviors.



"The Bat Wing/Bat Bird"


I love this one! ALL cockatiels do this, and it is 100% normal! Your bird will suddenly stretch his wings to their fullest, and proceed to hang upside down from his perch, hut, toy, or even the side of the cage! He may flap frantically, or just hold this pose for quite some time! To a novice owner, this can be a bit frightening to see the first time! I can assure you, it is nothing to fret about! In fact, it means your bird is either just stretching, or is feeling happy and playful!



"Crop Clearing/Crop Adjusting"


This one never ceases to confuse and alarm new bird parents. Rightfully so when you first witness it! Your bird suddenly begins opening his beak wide and stretching his neck as tall as he can. Sometimes bobbing or shaking his head a bit. This is a normal adjusting of the crop. Your bird may have eaten a particularly large meal and needs to move it down a bit or he might just be clearing his throat. All are completely normal and a fairly frequent occurrence! (Not to be confused with regurgitation or vomiting!)



"The Air Bath/Wind Surfer"


Your bird assumes a "face down rump up" type pose with wings spread, tail fanned, and feathers fluffed. He will now move about, sometimes quite actively! What's he doing? A gust of wind may have triggered his need to bathe, so he has assumed a bathing posture. The best thing to do in this situation, is bathe him! Grab your water bottle, set it to mist, and give that boy a spritz! Watch him go bonkers enjoying his bath! Never dry a cockatiel after their bath. Let them preen and dry naturally so they can spread the preen gland oils through their feathers.



"Masturbation"


This one is often published all over various social media groups and touted as "cute" or "funny". While it is a natural event, masturbation is a hormonal behavior that should be discouraged. A male bird will assume a squatted position, over a toy, perch, or even YOU! They then begin to rub their cloaca and make soft noises. A female bird will assume a "face down rump up" posture while making airy chittering sounds. If viewed from behind, her cloaca will be seen pulsating. These behaviors are anticipating the mating activity, and should be discouraged. Avoid petting your birds back to keep from stimulating them in a sexual manner. Remove anything "nest" like, and stop offering "mushy" foods. All of these things can trigger mating and nesting behaviors.



"Regurgitation"


This is not to be confused with vomiting. Regurgitation is a normal event that the bird is in control of. They open their beak and make a neck pumping motion, which brings up some partially digested food in a smooth manner. This is how the parent bird feeds its chicks, and also how some birds will show their human companion affection. Much like masturbation, this is a pre-mating behavior that should be discouraged.



"Vomiting"


Often confused with regurgitation, vomiting is not a voluntary behavior, meaning they have no control over it. Vomiting is seen in a very sick bird. With vomiting, the bird will often shake its head rather forcefully, expelling food contents over walls, cage walls, floor, toys, perches, and themselves. The bird will most likely have a rather unkempt looking appearance in general, and should be seen by an avian veterinarian as soon as possible.

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