An essential aspect of pet parrot ownership is the deep and meaningful bonding experience.
Parrots form close relationships with their owners because they’re intelligent, vocal, affectionate, and long-lived. They develop deep emotional bonds and treat you as part of their flock.
Parrots show affection to favored people through nuzzling, preening, attention-seeking, and excitement. A parrot may even develop a special contact call for you.
How Parrots Bond
Parrots bond with humans by displaying certain traits, including:
- Affection.
- Loyalty.
- Obedience.
- Protective behavior.
- Attention seeking.
- Preening humans.
- Unease when you’re not present.
These traits are absent in creatures that don’t form strong bonds. For example, snakes don’t show affection or experience separation anxiety.
Bonding takes time. Once the relationship is built, it’s usually an enduring relationship. However, there are ways a bond can be damaged, so you must rebuild that relationship.
Parrots Bonding Better with People Than Cats And Dogs
Some owners believe that parrots bond better than dogs or cats. Anthrozoös noted that parrot owners rated their relationship as “superior to that of cats and dogs.”
Of course, the profoundness of a bond is entirely down to the time and effort invested into the relationship. The connection with a parrot may be more meaningful for these reasons:
- Lifespan. Certain species can live for 80 years, providing a lifetime for the bond to develop.
- Ability to communicate. Parrots can mimic human speech, making it easier for humans to feel a connection. Specific vocalizations enable parrots to convey how their needs should be met.
- Intelligence. Parrots are complex problem solvers aware of their surroundings, allowing humans to challenge their minds and parrots to challenge ours.
This is evidenced by the fact that parrots are often mentioned in their owner’s obituaries.
Parrots Can Recognize Owners
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that birds can recognize humans.
Mockingbirds can distinguish one person from another. The same person disturbed a nest for 4 days, and the birds increased their response against this person as the days passed.
A second person approached the nest, but the defensive response was significantly decreased.
Researchers concluded that birds could distinguish one person from another and only needed 2-30 seconds with someone to recognize that individual in the future.
Parrots have this trait because they show higher intelligence than mockingbirds in several key areas. Also, owners often find parrots are skittish around people they don’t know.
How Long Parrots Remember Their Owners
Parrots have long-term memories. According to Current Biology, birds remember life-critical events for up to 3 years. The calls differed, depending on whether they knew the bird.
Parrots Miss Their Owners
Anecdotal evidence shows that parrots miss their owners. Many owners claim that their parrots:
- Know when they’ve left the room.
- Can distinguish when they’ve left vs. other household members.
- Show sad or destructive behaviors when left alone.
Parrots are clever animals that experience emotional and mood volatility.
Male Parrots Don’t Prefer Female Owners
Some owners believe their parrots prefer one gender over another.
However, there’s no scientific evidence that parrots can determine a person’s gender. We know that birds can recognize people and form long-term memories about them.
If you notice that a parrot prefers men over women or women over men, it may be because it recognizes specific characteristics common in one gender.
For example, if a parrot avoids women, it may have had a bad experience with an owner with long hair.
The gender of the parrot doesn’t enter the equation. There’s no proof that male parrots prefer female owners, as they don’t detect, evaluate, or care about such things.
If a parrot prefers a man or woman, it’s a learned behavior. For example, a male parrot may have spent more time around female owners, pet store employees, or breeders.
As a learned behavior, it can eventually be unlearned with training.
How Parrots Show Affection
Parrots can form strong bonds with their owners in a way that resembles love. However, they show their love differently than other pets. Here are some bonding signs:
Cuddling
Parrots are prey animals that are defensive of their space and possessions.
When a parrot cuddles up to you, it displays significant trust. Trust from a prey animal isn’t given lightly and should be considered a display of genuine affection.
Parrots also cuddle for warmth. Cuddling enables parrots to share body heat with other flock members. If they’re willing to share warmth with you, they trust you in their personal space.
Sleeping
Sleeping is a vulnerable state for parrots because they must be alert for potential dangers.
Parrots sleep with one eye open and half of their brain active, known as Unihemispheric slow-wave sleep. For this reason, you should feel special if a parrot sleeps near you.
You’re large and, for all intents and purposes, a predator. However, the parrot is overcoming generations of prey behavior hardwired into its brain to be near you.
Approaches You
A non-bonded parrot may tolerate the presence of a new owner, but it may eventually resist shying away from you if you attempt to pet it. However, a bonded parrot will seek affection from its owner.
The parrot’s desire to be in your presence means that it:
- Trusts you.
- Sees you as a source of comfort.
- Wants your attention.
You may find the parrot greets you when you come home. When let outside its cage, it might fly over to land on your shoulder.
Kisses
Parrots don’t have lips, but they give kisses. This is done in the following ways:
- Pressing its beak against your face.
- Nibbling as it pushes its beak against your skin.
- Sticking out its tongue to taste you.
A non-bonded parrot will never display these behaviors. A bonded parrot may refuse to kiss other people, even if it’s friendly toward them.
Instead, this affection is reserved for people with whom they have a special bond. Why do parrots kiss? This behavior isn’t entirely understood, but there are theories such as it:
- Attempting to groom you.
- Nudging you for attention.
- Mimicking human behavior.
Parrots realize their face, eyes, and throats are within reach.
Contact Calls
Contact calling involves a bird calling out with a squawk to locate its flock members. According to the Proceedings of the Royal Society, birds can have dialects in their contact calls.
This means you’re part of its flock. The parrot may develop a contact call just for you. It’ll continue calling if it doesn’t see or hear from you.
Light Nips
Not all bites show aggression. While parrots bite to ward off predators and threats, they also nip your cheek, neck, or arm to signify affection. This will be prevalent in energetic and loving parrots.
Jealousy Nips
Biting can be out of jealousy. If so, the parrot will become hostile when you show affection to other pets, birds, or humans. These “jealousy nips” show that the bird is fond of you.
If a parrot bites when you’re interacting with other people or pets, you should:
- Tap its beak.
- Tell them “no.”
- If the parrot continues biting, place it in its cage for a while.
Training and reinforcement enable a parrot to understand the behavior is unwelcome.
How To Bond With Your Parrot
Incorporate these steps whenever you interact with the parrot:
Keep It Quiet
Parrots are usually alert and react strongly to loud or startling noises.
Approach the pet parrot quietly. Avoid yelling or talking loudly, especially if it’s perched on your shoulder. This calm, in-control behavior helps the parrot relax.
Patience
Some parrots warm to people slower than others. As you spend time with the parrot, show patience, as the bonding process may take several months.
Move Slowly
Parrots can be startled by fast movements, so avoid rushing toward them or making quick waving gestures. Parrots prefer slow, deliberate movements that allow them to determine your identity.
Know Their Favorites
Each parrot has likes and dislikes. Even if one parrot loves a toy or cuddles, another parrot may prefer a different toy and like personal space.
You can tailor your interactions by observing the parrot and determining what it likes.
Socialize
A parrot may be easily spooked, but this doesn’t mean it should always be inside its cage. Taking the parrot out of its cage is an excellent bonding opportunity.
An easy way to socialize is by taking the parrot to other parts of the house. Allow them to meet close friends and family members or watch television together.
Parrots form strong bonds with their owners. With time, you could have a close friend for life.
