Did you ever notice your parrots bobbing their heads? Do you think it’s nodding and telling you yes or have you wondered if there is any other meaning and why parrots bob their heads from time to time?
To many parrot pet owners, it’s entertaining to notice parrots bobbing their heads. But if you are one of the curious pet owners who want to understand your pet more then in this post, we are going to find out why parrots bob their heads and what it really means.
Why Do Parrots Bob Their Heads?
There are several reasons why your parakeet is bobbing their heads. It’s not just to entertain us or make us laugh. It could be because of anger, excitement, boredom, or hunger. Other than these reasons your birdie might want to play with you, bond, or want your attention and so it might bob its head.
Reasons of why Do Parrots Bob Their Heads
When your pet bobs its head it could mean any of the following other than entertaining you. And as a pet owner, it’s good for you to know what your parrot means. So, when you witness an enthusiastic head bobbing of your parrot. It could mean any of the following:
Your Parrot Might Be Just Hungry
Your Polly may really want a cracker. The head bobbing of a parrot is a source of amusement and entertainment. There are a lot of videos that feature parrots bobbing their heads.
But your pet parrots are not doing these for mere likes. In fact they might really just be hungry and doing it for some simple parrot bird food.
According to Avian experts, baby parrots also bob their heads when they beg for food. Pet owners who were not aware of this sign should pay attention to this sign as it might just indicate that your parrot is hungry for food and needs to be fed.
To make sure that your parrot is getting enough nutrition it needs you need to stock up on nutritious parrot food.
There are some foods that give baby birds high levels of nutrients to help them gain weight and reduce the need for overnight feedings. These foods also contain probiotics, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes that support gentle digestion.
Your Parrot Just Wants Your Attention
If you pet a little baby parrot and feed it an alternative to its mom giving food to it could mean attention. And so the head bob while feeding the pet could mean something different.
It could mean that it just needs a bit more attention from you so next time while you are feeding your parrot it could be just time for a few head strokes.
If your house is birdproof you could take your birdie around with you and give it a little extra love. It’s not that your pet will stop immediately as your pet but if you keep it doing every time you might find it eventually works.
Your Pet Wants to Play With You
If you generally play with your pet parrot at a certain time every day. It might start bobbing its head in anticipation and to let you know that it’s playtime. This could be generally due to excitement and a positive outlook.
Your parrot sometimes might not even be doing anything and it’s not even telling you to stop the day. But don’t get surprised when you notice that your pet parrot starts shaking its head the second you pull out his favorite toy.
You will know that you have guessed it right if your parrot doubles his head bobbing the moment he sees a new game.
Your Parrot Knows That You Are the Bestie
Just like the baby parrots, adult parrots might sometimes also bob their feed which is also a natural part of regurgitation. Your pet parrot bobs its head to remind you of the bond between both of you.
By bobbing its head it can only show the love and affection that both of you share. If you approach your pet parrot you might notice it giving you a playful head bob so spend some time with it.
Take it as a compliment like your best friend would want to share his favorite food with you even if it’s already been eaten.
Male Pet Parrots Are Looking for a Mate
If your male parrot keeps on bobbing its head up and down while performing a dance, that means it does so to attract nearby females. If you want you can say this is their mating dance that draws the attention of the female parrots in the area. You might notice these more if you have a male and female parrot in separate cages.
There will be a chance that your pet male parrot might perform a head-banging dance to keep on trying to get the attention of the family. Unless you want your parrots to breed keep the male and female parrots separate during this time.
You might also notice your male parrots bobbing their head in front of the mirror assuming that they are looking at another parrot just like them.
The Parrot Might Show Territorial Aggression
Parrots are also known to bob their heads to warn others that the surrounding area is their territory. If you keep another bird in its territory it then starts to bob its head to show who is the biggest and baddest bird of all of them.
The other new bird might fall back off to avoid any kind of confrontation with a head-banging parrot. Unless you are the owner of the parrot you might just want to stay put and keep your distance from any bird that’s bobbing its head in an aggressive manner.
Baby Birds Might Want Attention
Usually, baby parakeets might bob their head to draw the attention of the parents which could be because of hunger or attention. Baby birds are usually very needy and dependent on adult parrots.
Once the babies are separated from their parents they respond by crying while bobbing their heads. This goes on until the baby birds become fully dependent on the parent birds and they can explore the world freely with their own wings.
Your Pet Parrot is Mad
This one is saved for the last for a reason. I wouldn’t recommend you jump straight to the conclusion that your parrot is mad as other reasons are as much as possible.
But if your bird exhibits other signs of stress or gives you a stink eye that means something is bothering him. If you are a pet owner you will easily recognize an angry bird as opposed to the happy one.
I bet you will know which one is right about your birdie. If you notice your birdie is angry make sure to notice if there are any changes in the routine of your parrot or its environment which might cause it to be angry.
It could also be just simple jealousy which could be because of a pet or human partner whom your pet parrots need to share with you. Keep track of the parrots surrounding to understand the parrot if it’s doing that regularly or at the same time.
Keep in mind that your parrot might not see things just like you so it would take some time for you to find out what is bothering you.
Why Do Parrots Bob Their Heads: Is It Normal?
Parrots are known among most of us for their unique and entertaining behaviors from which head bobbing is one of them. Head bobbing is a completely normal behavior of parrots.
Most of the time approximately nine out of ten times your pet parrots do it to catch your attention. But a bored parrot might also bob its head.
However, don’t take every head-bobbing episode lightly as some might be even due to the cause of illness. As a pet owner make sure to keep track of your budgie’s behavior. If you feel like something isn’t right, believe in your instinct and try to figure it out.
Don’t delay or hesitate in taking the matter to a vet for further treatment and checkup if you feel everything is not right. As always, understand that prevention is always better than the cure itself.
Wrap Up
We are at the end of why parrots bob their head posts. Hopefully, now you have insights and an understanding of why they do their famous yet mysterious head-bobbing behavior. Apart from head bobbing parrots also have other types of behaviors that have a sign of their body language.
If you want to understand the parrot’s body, focus on its behavior of it along with its beak, eyes, tails, posture, vocals, and most importantly and especially the nutrition of the pet parrots. Some parrots even suffer from Vitamin deficiency.
But in the end, enjoy your parrot’s companionship as it’s said that it helps to extend the lifespan of your parrot longer.
Did you ever notice your parrot bobbing its head? If you have, share with us your story. We would love to hear it all in the comment section below.
