Parrots can become sexually attracted to their owners when they lack same-species companions.
The parrot will regurgitate food on you, which signifies it sees you as its mate and has fallen in love with you. This usually happens in the Spring when the breeding season commences.
Sexually frustrated parrots who want to mate pluck their feathers out, rub their vents against owners, and become aggressive toward rival humans and animals.
Are Parrots Sexually Attracted To Their Owners?
It’s more likely that parrots will be sexually attracted to humans when they live alone. Wild parrots mate whenever they want, forming pair bonds that allow them to breed during the mating season.
These bonds usually last for life. Even when the mated parrots aren’t breeding, they nest together, preen one another, vocalize, and forage for food in small groups.
In captivity, life is slightly different for breeding parrots, as there may not be any other birds for company. Instead, they imprint on their owners during the mating season, craving their attention more often.
As described by The Proceedings of the International Aviculturists Society Convention, over-dependent parrots allowed to over-bond with their owners are more likely to become sexually attracted to them.
This is most likely to happen if the parrot adopts the dominant role in the relationship. As a result, the parrot sees you as its mate. If your parrot is attracted to you, you must discourage this behavior.
Do I Have A Sexually Frustrated Parrot?
Most parrots reach sexual maturity between the ages of 1 and 4. Unfortunately, some parrots start displaying unwanted signs that make their owners uncomfortable.
Sexual frustration is a man-made problem. We’ve explained how wild parrots can breed whenever they like so they don’t experience feelings of sexual frustration in the same way as captive parrots.
According to the Australian National University, parrot mating season is in Spring, just before the rainy season. This is when you’re most likely to experience your parrot’s hormonal behaviors.
The signs of a sexually frustrated parrot include:
Regurgitating Food
Parrots regurgitate their food for their mates. If your parrot does this for you, it sees you as its sexual partner. Regurgitation is a natural courting behavior that many birds use to show affection.
Whenever your parrot regurgitates for you, place it back in its cage and don’t reward the behavior. Over time, it’ll realize that regurgitation means it won’t receive attention or affection.
Don’t reject your parrot because this can damage your bond.
Inappropriate Behaviors
Parrots have certain zones that they reserve for their mates.
If you touch one of them during the breeding season, they get the signal that you’re looking to mate with them. Unfortunately, owners do this without realizing it’s a problem.
Parrots experiencing a surge in sex hormones may attempt to initiate copulation by rubbing their vent on their hands and arms. They’re also sensitive under their wings, toward their tail, and down their back.
Discourage this by ignoring the behaviors and placing your parrot back in its cage.
Aggression
Sexually frustrated parrots become aggressive toward humans they don’t see as their owners because they’re jealous and view them as a rival for your affection. Parrots will also display unhappiness toward other pets that are getting your attention.
Alongside this aggression, parrots squawk angrily and scream. These noises are usually unpleasant to listen to, but parrots won’t quieten down until the breeding season ends.
According to Watchbird, parrots are most susceptible to mate-guarding at the start of the mating season because they’re experiencing the largest surge of hormones.
Feather Plucking
Sexually frustrated parrots are prone to plucking their feathers around their chest and legs. In the worst cases, they’ll also show signs of illness as they struggle to cope with the intense hormonal surges.
What Should I Do If My Bird Thinks I’m Its Mate?
Allowing your parrot to see you as its mate should be discouraged. Otherwise, its sexual frustrations will worsen, which could affect your bond.
According to Avian Medicine, parrots must understand boundaries and realize they’re birds, not humans. There are steps you can take to deter your parrot:
- Avoid touching the parrot except for the head, neck, and skin around the feet and beak.
- Minimize contact with your parrot until the breeding season’s over.
- Decrease the amount of light your parrot’s allowed to reduce its hormone levels.
- Remove any toys with which the parrot wants to mate.
- Prevent it from nesting by removing materials from the cage that can be torn into smaller pieces.
- Distract your parrot with games and exercise.
- Limit high-calorie, high-fat foods that can stimulate hormones.
Unfortunately, your parrot can’t control its hormone production, nor can it control its sexual urges.
Do Male Parrots Prefer Female Owners?
Some male parrots are sweet and loving toward their female owners but aggressive toward men. Perhaps the bird is scared of a man’s deep voice due to past traumas.
While parrots may seem to display a gender bias, it’s due to handling and socialization. For instance, if a male parrot has more fun or receives treats from its female owner, it’ll gravitate toward that person.
Male and female parrots are unlikely to prefer the opposite gender due to physical attraction; it’s doubtful that parrots can even recognize human genders.
Can Parrots Be Gay?
As described by Animal Behavior, homosexual behavior occurs in over 130 bird species. Similarly, there’s an increasing number of male-male pair-bonding occurrences.
Male parrots are more likely to display homosexual behaviors when there’s a mating opportunity without the chance of reproductive success.
The sex with fewer parental duties mates more, regardless of gender. This means male parrots are more likely to be gay than females because females are busy raising their young.
Same-sex parrot pairings display the same mating rituals as male-female pairings. Similarly, some gay parrots carry out their parental duties by raising their young with their mate before returning to their same-sex partner.
However, this doesn’t always mean you should get two male or two female parrots in captivity. Parrots of the same sex may fight and become territorial, bullying their submissive mate.
Should I Get My Parrot A Mate?
If you’re concerned about a parrot’s sexual behavior, you might want to get them a partner.
However, some parrots see their owners as their flock-mates and don’t respond well to other parrots in the home. If they’ve been the only parrot for a while, it’s harder to integrate a second parrot.
Your parrot might need a feathered companion if it seems bored, lonely, or sad outside the breeding season. Adding a parrot won’t prevent sexual frustration if they enjoy having you to themselves.
Your parrot’s hormonal changes will eventually subside and return to normal levels once the breeding season concludes. Then, you can return to petting, playing, and bonding with your parrot.
