Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Other animals

The reason parrots and other birds bob their head

PawTracks
By

Parrots are hilarious and clever birds that make for a wonderful pet. They will fill your home with well-timed squaws and maybe some funny catchphrases. They also have one of the most incredible body languages in the animal kingdom and are often recognized for their peculiar head bobbing.

Bird owners spend hours observing the many messages these birds send with their movements. Actually, parrots are the only birds who have distinct body language patterns, including head bobbing. So, why do birds bob their heads? We’ll explain why parrots head bob and also why other types of birds do it as well.

parrot bobbing head
Andrea Lightfoot/Unsplash

Head bobbing in nature

The natural cause of the head bobbing behavior of a parrot tracks back to a wild and outlandish early life. Youngsters of many species bob their heads to tell their mother they are hungry. When the mother realizes the movement, she provides food and the behavior is rewarded. Being a natural behavior found both in wild animals and birds born in captivity, this is rarely a sign of true distress or something to be alarmed about. As they grow, this head bobbing will evolve into an attention-seeking behavior that is mostly positive and fun to watch.

Recommended Videos

Why do birds bob their heads?

For domesticated birds, head bobbing is a normal way to communicate with their owners. When a parrot wants your attention, they will start bobbing and moving side to side. As soon as they feel ignored, they will do their best dance to get you to look. Listen to their cue and give them some love. They are trying to bond with you. In some cases, they might want to tell you something more specific. Below you will find some of the most common reasons why a parrot bobs their head. 

Why do wild birds bob their heads?

In the wild, head bobbing is how birds learn to stabilize their visual surroundings, according to the Library of Congress. Just as humans use their eyes to navigate what’s around them, birds use their heads.

Ahmed Zayan/Unsplash

Polly wants a cracker

Another common reason for head bobbing is hunger. This behavior might continue with adult birds once it’s clear that you are their caregiver. By establishing who feeds them, they know who they need to call in case they feel a craving. If they are low on food and need a refill, they will do their funny moves to get you to feed them soon. Another possibility is that they are trying to get a treat out of you. If they are being trained, they will sometimes try to bribe you for a freebie. Don’t be surprised if your parrot starts tricking you into feeding him more by busting some moves.

Getting their emotions out there

Birds are sensitive animals that make their feelings known. Many of their behaviors express a need or warn you of their emotional state. Remember that being in an enclosure for extended periods of time will stress your bird. If they haven’t been able to stretch out their wings and move around, they will start bobbing to get your attention. For parrots, excitement and anger are expressed with head bobbing that looks more intense and frantic.

If they feel threatened or afraid, they will show their size and bob their head to assert their presence. Make sure you console them if they seemed distressed. Sometimes leaving them alone or removing other birds from their surroundings is enough to calm them down.

They just want to dance 

Parrots and cockatoos are famous for bobbing their head to the rhythm of the music. They are pretty good at following a tune and they enjoy music very much. Some have even become internet sensations for their dancing talents. We are looking at you, Snowball! 

Neuroscientist and researcher Dr. Aniruddh Patel confirmed that parrots really can keep a beat. After studying the movements of a famous dancing parrot named Snowball, he discovered that the bird synchronized his movements to the beat of a song. There was doubt at the time that the parrot was only copying a trainer during their performances. The study concluded that although Snowball fell out of rhythm often, he could definitely adjust the speed of his movements to the tempo of a new song. He concluded that the bird can not only dance but also combine moves.

Listen to your bird

Understanding what your parrot is trying to tell you takes time, practice, and patience. They are really good at communicating with humans and their personalities are complex and fun to discover. Listen to them and bond. This is the best way to establish the connection needed to train them, care for them, and make them members of your family.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
PawTracks
PawTracks
Video: 3 owls adorably try (and sort of succeed) at dancing
Want to see the cutest owls ever? Check out these 3 dancing
cutest owls dancing video spotted eagle owl namibia broken wing

We’ve all seen hilarious video clips of dogs busting a move and “dancing” out of excitement, but have you ever seen a trio of owls get taken by the rhythm of the music? Well, you still won’t with this video clip because one of these owls just does not care, but its two little buddies do their best to bust a move.

Posted to the r/AnimalsBeingDerps subreddit, this video features a woman dancing with three little owls — to varying degrees of success. (Regardless of their dancing skills, these are some of the cutest owls we've ever seen.)

Read more
Certain colors may scare your bird – these are the ones to avoid
Here are the right and wrong colors for your pet bird's mood
Scared parrot squawks

Have you noticed that your bird responds differently to different colors and might even be startled by certain shades? Birds across the globe come in all colors — it’s one of the delights of birdwatching. In the home, parakeets, parrots, and canaries are well known for their beautiful plumage, another appealing aspect of owning these pets. But nature has given our feathered friends an instinct to perceive particular bright colors as a threat and thus avoid them. With careful observation and a little planning, you can avoid upsetting your bird with specific hues.

Why are birds attracted to certain colors?
There are probably a few reasons birds seem attracted to certain colors. Many birds eat fruit and the nectar of flowers and are therefore inclined to the colors associated with them. That’s why hummingbirds and others go for the bright, beautiful flowers in our yards (or the feeders designed to mimic them). In addition, pretty feathers aren’t just attractive to you but are also intended to help birds procure mates. On the other hand, birds in the wild might display color patches as a warning, which may lead fellow birds to fear some colors.
What colors are birds afraid of?
Many bird owners swear that their bird is afraid of red, and there’s probably some truth to that. Just as we take red to mean caution, so too, do some birds, who may view it with trepidation. If your bird finds red scary, try to minimize its presence around your birdcage or play area. 

Read more
Why do birds fly into windows? The truth is kind of sad
There's a lot you can do to keep neighborhood birds from flying into windows
Bird takes flight off a branch in slow motion

Watching birds from the windows is one of the many perks of living near wildlife: we can stay warm and gaze out on the flocks that frequent our feeders. But sadly, these windows that allow us to view the outdoors can harm the creatures in it. Animals experience the world differently from us, and they see differently, too. Therefore, it's important to take steps to make your windows visible to birds (and other fauna) in order to help spare them from unnecessary death or injury. But why do birds fly into windows? We'll explain what the problem is and also give you some advice on how to prevent it. With a few simple tricks, you'll still get to enjoy the bird show and keep them from getting hurt. 

Why do birds fly into windows?
Turn off the lights inside and go out during the early morning to look at your windows. You'll likely see a dim version of your own yard reflected back to you. While it only gives you a moment's pause, birds don't understand that a plant can show up in a piece of glass but not really be there. Unfortunately, this means when they fly into your windows, they're actually trying to get into the trees. That's because there's a wide-open sky in the panes of your home welcoming the avians of your area.

Read more