African grey parrots are temperamental birds. Their body language and vocalizations signify their mood, informing us how they feel about their environment and those around them.
Learning about their movements, stances, and sounds can help us better understand their requirements. Each body part provides a valuable insight into what an African grey is thinking and feeling.
African Grey Body Language Meaning
Part of the fun of owning an African grey is understanding their body language and what it means. Parrots are intelligent animals that communicate well. Let’s explore further:
Head
The head and beak are used to convey more messages than other body parts. These include:
Bowing And Bobbing
Tame African grey parrots bow and bob their heads to gain their owners’ attention. To confuse matters, sick parrots do the same, so check for other signs of discomfort.
Head bobbing can become repetitive and neurotic when bored or left alone in their cages. According to the University of Guelph, parrots develop “stereotypies” when they can’t forage or socialize.
Beak Wiping
After a meal, you’ll likely see an African grey wiping its beak on a perch or the cage bars. Beak wiping is a way for parrots to remove messy or sticky food.
Beak Rubbing
African greys rub their beaks to keep them worn down. Parrots’ beaks comprise beta-keratin and constantly grow throughout their lives, so the excess must be worn away.
Beak Grinding
Beak grinding is where an African grey slides the lower mandible and tongue against the upper beak. It usually signifies happiness and contentment, much like purring in cats.
Biting
African greys can be temperamental and nippy. However, parrots rarely bite without issuing a warning.
If an African grey is crouched in a defensive posture with spread wings, it’s asking you to back away. Check for eye pinning (rapid pupil dilation and contraction) and note hostile vocalizations like growling.
Biting can occur due to a lack of socialization, fear, territoriality, hormonal volatility, and stress. Once you’ve removed the trigger, give the parrot 5-10 minutes to calm down before approaching.
Blushing
African greys blush to communicate, but their facial feathers make it difficult to see. When they blush, the bare white skin patch around the eyes and nares turns light pink due to hemoglobin.
According to PLOS One, parrots blush more frequently when interacting with their owners. It signifies:
- Excitement.
- Threats.
- Playfulness.
- Anger.
- Attraction.
A parrot may display other signs when blushing, like ruffled head feathers.
Yawning
Yawning is a reflex action that scientists don’t entirely understand. As in humans, yawning can cause other flock members to yawn. Most parrots yawn about 20 times per day.
African greys yawn (open and close their beaks) for the following reasons:
- Thermoregulation.
- Tiredness.
- Balance and orientation.
- Boredom.
- Affection (yawns when it sees you).
Yawning can mean something is stuck in the crop or esophagus. If so, a yawning-like action is intended to dislodge something. If this continues, it needs veterinary assistance.
Head-Shaking
African greys commonly shake their heads, exhibiting this behavior more than most species. Head shaking is usually associated with discomfort or displeasure.
Head shaking can be similar to feather preening. While preening, the parrot will shake its head from side to side to rearrange the feathers around its neck and ears.
Regurgitation
Regurgitation involves feeding bonded mates and their young. It’s a way for a male to demonstrate to the female that he’ll be a good provider.
If a parrot regurgitates for or on you, it recognizes you as someone it trusts and cares for deeply. Unfortunately, it may be sexually attracted to you and consider you its mate.
Eyes
An African grey’s eyes are among its most expressive features, enabling you to determine how and what it’s feeling. The most common eye expressions include:
Eye Pinning
African greys can control the movements of their irises, causing them to expand and contract rapidly. They do this in response to stimuli, signifying excitement, curiosity, fear, and happiness.
Usually, eye pinning (eye flashing) occurs when a parrot is focusing on something in its environment. When a parrot puffs its feathers while pinning its eyes, it’s more likely to be annoyed or afraid.
Wide Eyes
Wide, round eyes signify an African grey is startled or surprised. Perhaps it didn’t see you walk into the room or spotted something it didn’t expect to see.
Squinted Eyes
When African greys are annoyed or agitated, their eyes become more squinted than usual. This could turn to aggression unless the source of annoyance is removed.
Squinted eyes can also indicate sleepiness, as the parrot struggles to remain awake.
Wings
Observing a parrot’s wing movements can determine whether it’s happy and healthy.
Wing Lift
When an African grey raises its wings above its back, it gives you a friendly greeting. You’ll most likely observe this when you enter the room for the first time each day.
Wing Flapping
Many African grey parrots flap their wings to exercise, stretch, and cool down.
Wing flapping is a positive sign, suggesting a parrot feels happy and contented. Also, a parrot may attempt to get your attention by flapping its wings.
Wing Drooping
Wing-dropping means an African grey parrot is exhausted, overheated, or unwell. Wing drooping is normal after bathing because it’s part of how the parrot dries off.
Quivering Wings
Wings held out by an African grey and quivering are part of a courting ritual. Shaking is rarely a sign of sickness unless the entire body is shaking.
If a parrot holds its wings horizontally, it may be entering a state of readiness to escape a threat.
Opened Wings
Open, outstretched wings, especially with fluffed-up feathers, create the illusion of size. It’s a form of intimidation that invokes fear in birds, animals, and humans.
Feathers
The language of feathers can be hard to interpret. An African grey’s feather movements are often too subtle for most of us to notice and read. Feather expressions include:
Ruffled Feathers
African greys ruffle and fluff their feathers to relieve tension. This action is a short stretch, making the parrot feel more comfortable.
They ruffle their feathers after preening to remove loose dirt and dust. African greys are dusty birds.
If the feathers remain fluffed for several hours, your parrot likely feels cold or unwell.
Flattened Feathers
African greys flatten their feathers when afraid. Instead of the feathers being loose and relaxed, they’ll be held tightly against the body. If cornered, it’ll likely become defensive.
Feet
How a parrot’s feet grip the perches and cage bars can be telling when it comes to its thoughts and emotions. When trying to gauge the African grey’s mood, check for the following:
Chicken Scratching
African greys sometimes scratch at the bottom of their cages. Scratching is a natural wild behavior carried over to captivity that they perform to loosen dirt and debris.
Standing On One Foot
When an African grey parrot stands on one foot, it feels comfortable. This is confirmed by relaxed feathers that aren’t tightly held against the body.
Also, parrots stand on one leg to reduce heat loss from their bare (unfeathered) feet and legs.
Tight Grip
Fearful or scared African greys grip their perches tightly as a natural reaction. The chances of developing bumblefoot increase if the perches aren’t the right shape or width.
Hanging Upside Down
African greys enjoy hanging upside down occasionally. It’s not a concern because it signifies happiness and relaxation, even if it looks uncomfortable to humans.
Different Noises with Meaning
African greys are large birds, meaning their vocalizations can be loud. They don’t squawk and scream as much as macaws but vocalize throughout the day.
Once trained, African greys are advanced talkers that mimic words and phrases. They can build an extensive vocabulary and are believed to be the best talkers in the avian world.
Here are the most common sounds African greys make and what they mean:
Singing And Whistling
African greys sing and whistle, regularly copying sounds and songs they hear on TV and the radio. These sounds are pleasant to listen to and showcase their mimicry.
Similarly, whistling is a joyful sound when they’re happy and relaxed.
Growling
African grey parrots make a unique growling sound when they feel afraid or behave defensively. The parrot wants you to cease your actions or move away.
Purring
When African greys feel happy and contented, they make purring sounds. It’s lower-pitched than an angry growl and can be heard when you stroke and pet a parrot.
Screaming
African greys scream when scared, startled, or excited. Their screaming is usually due to their environment, which makes them feel stressed, overstimulated, or unsafe.
If a parrot screams out of fear, take the following steps:
- Spend more time engaging with the parrot to prevent negative behaviors.
- Move the cage to a quieter room (less traffic, footfall, etc.)
- Keep other pets (cats, dogs, etc.) away from the parrot’s room.
- Place a cover over its cage while it sleeps to prevent night terrors.
African greys are likely bored or afraid when they scream for long periods.
Signs of Happiness
You’ll know if an African grey parrot is happy and healthy because it’ll show the following signs:
- Talkative and engaging.
- Active and energetic.
- Standing upright on its perch.
- Relaxed feathers.
- Purring and beak grinding.
- Regular preening.
All parrot species are most active and vocal at sunrise.
Signs of Sickness
African grey parrots are known for shaking, often when unwell. You may observe this in the chest area, but their entire bodies will shiver in cases of severe illness.
African greys often respond to discomfort by shivering and shaking. Reasons for shaking include:
- Fear and anxiety.
- Uncomfortable room temperature.
- Post-bathing.
- Extreme emotions (happiness vs. displeasure).
- Preening behavior
Shaking also looks similar to:
- Jerking.
- Twitching.
- Shivering in place.
- Shifting from side to side.
- Quaking.
- Quivering.
Other sicks of sickness in African grey parrots include:
- No interest or a lack of awareness.
- Unwillingness to make eye contact.
- Both feet are perched.
- Fluffed-up feathers.
- Tail held straight down.
- Slumped body posture.
If these are coupled with a parrot not eating and drinking, it should be examined by a vet.
Showing Affection
African grey parrots are sociable animals that build strong bonds with their owners. If a parrot feels comfortable and safe in your presence, it’ll:
- Nuzzle against you.
- Contact call.
- Sing or purr.
- Move its mouth and tongue more often.
- Regurgitate food for you.
- Wag its tail and flap its wings.
- Preen your hair.
These are signs that a parrot loves you and wants to be nearby.
Signs of Mating Behavior
According to Watchbird, hormonal parrots may become hostile during the early part of the breeding season. African greys’ behavior can be erratic due to a surge in hormones.
Then, biting happens when parrots attempt to defend their territory and guard their mates.
Parrots sometimes develop an attraction to their owners. They’ll attempt to initiate copulation when touched by rubbing their vent on your hands and arm. Also, they’ll regurgitate food for you.
During the breeding season, African greys vocalize by squawking and screaming more than usual. The sounds should subside once the bird’s hormones calm down.
