What Can My Parrot's Feathers And Tail Tell Me About Him?

Does your parrot exhibits unusual behavior with his feathers?

Does your parrot exhibits feather-ruffling or fluffing?

Does your parrot rubs his beak all over his feathers?

Are the feathers at the head of your parrot raised?

Does your parrot exhibits tail bobbing?

Does your parrot exhibits tail fanning or flaring?

Does your parrot exhibits tail wagging?

Birds will ruffle their feathers whilst they are preening themselves. Feather ruffling will also occur after a parrot has become wet and wants to dry itself, or when it has become unclean and wants to get rid of dirt. It can also just be done as a form of resting/relaxation. Powder or dander may appear after a feather ruffle in some species of bird and this can cause allergies for some people.

Just above the tail is the location of the preen gland. Birds will rub their beaks into this gland for the oil it produces and then rubs this oil on the rest of their feathers to clean themselves. This is an activity called preening and it occurs when the parrot is relaxed.

Raised head feathers frequently occurs in cockatoos or cockatiels and has its meaning with these species of birds. It can also occur with other species of a parrot when they are content, relaxed, and being scratched or petted. However, if the parrot is in an aggressive stance then they may raise their feathers so they can appear larger and more threatening.

Shaking or quivering can indicate that the bird is scared, untrusting, and afraid of the current situation. However, it can also be a sign that a bird is simply preening itself, or it can also indicate an illness. If the temperature is cold then shaking feathers could indicate that the parrot wants to be warmer.

Tail bobbing is usually happening after a bird has just done some exercise and is catching its breath because the bobbing motion helps the bird to respire. If you notice tail bobbing happening a lot in a bird that hasn’t been exercising, then this could indicate breathing problems and you should check for illness in the animal.

Tail fanning or flaring is where your bird will be spreading its tail feather out sideways so that the bird appears larger. It’s an aggressive display that you need to be careful of.

Tail wagging is the quick movement of a parrot's tail feathers from one side to the other and is similar to how dogs wag their tails. Parrot tail wagging indicates that the bird is content and may also happen after you meet a bird, a sign of greeting from the bird to you. Tail wagging sometimes is used as part of a mating ritual.

Tail lifting will occur just before your parrot is about to poo. It’s useful to keep note of this if you are trying to potty train your pet bird.