Why does a parrot scream and what to do to wean him off it?

Among all the sounds that pets and birds make, the cry of a parrot is one of the most unpleasant. Talking parrots bring owners a lot of positive emotions, but with their harsh voices they also cause inconvenience. Let's consider why birds may scream, how to act in a problematic situation, and whether it is possible to force a pet to lower its tone.

Description of birds

This is one of the most common living creatures kept in the house. Exotic, colorful plumage, active, inquisitive, cheerful birds.

Description of parrots and the reasons why they constantly scream

There are many different types and sizes. There are many advantages of their content - they do not take up much space, they please the eye with their outfit, they repeat individual words and even phrases of human speech, simple melodies, and fill leisure time. At the same time, without particularly bothering the owner with the troubles of its maintenance. And feeding, with the current assortment of grain mixtures in pet stores, also does not become a problem.

But among the disadvantages of having parrots in the house, the most important is the noise these creatures produce.

Wild Lifestyle

Owl parrots are native to New Zealand. In this area there is a lot of vegetation, trees, grasses in which they are accustomed to live.

It is worth highlighting the features of parrots that live in the wild:

• birds are very fond of areas with high humidity, which are located at a significant altitude above sea level;
• This is a night parrot. During the daytime, it usually sleeps in night burrows, which may be located under the roots of trees;
• at night, he goes out into the open, walks along well-trodden roads and looks for food.

Each kakapo bird has its own habitat. For a male, its area is 20 hectares, and for females – 50 hectares. The gait of birds resembles the swaying of a duck. In difficult times, they accumulate fat, this is how they protect themselves from dying from starvation. When danger approaches, the bird freezes in place and tries to merge with the vegetation.

Nutrition

The diet of a poorly flying parrot is quite varied. Its diet may include different plants, berries, reptiles, and fruits. With the help of such food, they are saturated with all the necessary vitamins and substances to maintain active life.

The diet of birds includes the following components:

• small reptiles;
• berry;
• plant pollen;
• They especially love the rimu fruit. In order to get them, they have to climb trees 20 meters high, and then they fly off them with the help of their wings;
• roots;
• seeds;
• moss;
• mushrooms;
• plant juice;
• some insects.

Reproduction

The owl parrot is the only species among its representatives that has a polygamous breeding system. During the mating season, a male can mate with several females at once.

Puberty in feathered representatives of this breed depends on gender. In females it occurs at 6 years, and in males at 4 years. The breeding season begins in December.

To attract the attention of females, males use the following techniques:

• the exhausted parrot looks for high mounds and climbs onto them. Then it begins to make a low-frequency sound that resembles a rumbling sound. It can be heard within a radius of 5 km;
• to make sound dispersion better, they dig a hole in the ground with a shallow depth;
• he can make several holes;
• then every night for 3-4 months he goes around them and calls for females;
• As soon as the female hears the call, she goes in search. If she likes the male, then mating occurs;
• After mating, the female goes to build a nest and hatch eggs. But the male continues to call further to other females.

Lifespan

The kakapo night parrot is the oldest bird. It is for this reason that birds are long-lived. On average, birds live from 90 to 95 years.

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Why does a parrot make unpleasant noises?

Runs around the cage and screams

This kind of active movement usually means that the bird is not getting enough flight. Energy arises that she needs to throw out somewhere. When keeping parrots, you should keep in mind that daily walks outside the cage are a necessary condition for keeping them.

Budgerigar screams

Vigorous movements of birds also occur during the period of “family creation”. The male dances on a perch, cleans the feathers of the chosen one and feeds her. And the female shows increased activity, collecting suitable building material for the nest.

A short period of bird screaming should not cause concern. If she does this all day without stopping, it is necessary to inspect the conditions in which the bird is kept. Perhaps he is missing something, or something scares him. Parrots often scream when they experience stress, such as losing a mate.

Anxiety can also be caused by a change in diet. This especially happens soon after purchase. Find out from the breeder what food he is used to, and if you need to switch to a new one, switch gradually.

Important! After acquiring a bird, some time must pass before it fully adapts to its habitat and new owner. Typically this period lasts about two weeks.

Parrot Cockatoo Kiryunya swears

Yells in the morning

Anyone who has had these birds at home knows that parrots emit perhaps the loudest, one might say, jubilant cries in the mornings. Ornithologists, and just people who have studied the behavior of birds well, will tell you with confidence that in this way they simply greet a new day, connecting to the general chorus of birds outside the window.

Most often, the morning trills and chirps of your pets do not indicate illness, but rather indicate health and good spirits. The biorhythms of domestic animals, like their wild relatives, coincide here: activity, including vocal activity, usually occurs at the beginning and the very end of daylight hours.

Screams at night

As a rule, the parrot is not active at night. If this happens, then it is possible that the bird is experiencing malaise and pain. You should not immediately start giving her any medications, even on the advice of friends. First, it is better to contact a specialist.

Why does the Parrot Scream? All About Pets

However, it happens that the owner, who is next to the cage, makes noise himself. Or perhaps a sudden light hit the bird’s house (for example, from headlights), or some other disturbing factor appeared - and the bird simply reacted to it with a voice.

Help options

To solve the problem, you need to find out the cause of the scream. If pathologies are excluded, then for a restful sleep of the owner and the bird, it is recommended to cover the cage with a light, opaque, breathable fabric. Such actions allow you to extend the bird’s resting time and eliminate early calls. If the disease is diagnosed, it is necessary to immediately begin treatment with certain medications prescribed by an ornithologist. If the cause of loud chirping is stress, you need to ensure maximum comfort in the coming days. Avoid sharp sounds, bright lights, and predatory animals near the enclosure. The bird trusts its owner and quickly gets used to shocks when given proper attention. Compliance with the conditions of keeping and raising feathered friends will eliminate unwanted screams in the early hours, as well as diseases.

Types of the most noisy parrots

Corella

Often their owners complain of sharp, loud screams. A bird can make unpleasant noises for a variety of reasons. The most common of them: fear or boredom. If you have a newly acquired specimen, you should make every effort to tame it and thereby adapt it as much as possible to the new environment and owner. If a nymph (as these birds are otherwise called) simply attracts your attention, do not encourage her attempts in any way. But as soon as she becomes silent, go up to her, speak to her and offer her a treat.

Important! Do not reinforce your bird’s bad behavior with handouts. On the contrary, reward him by treating him with something if he behaves quietly.

cockatiel screams at the camera

Budgerigar

Representatives of this species are not so loud, but they are also capable of producing sharp sounds, unpleasant, crackling-like screams. Birds also have a habit that is not the most pleasing to the ears of their owners - screaming while simply flying around the room.

Do not forget that this species of birds is one of the best mockingbirds. If most often in their life they heard the sounds made by street birds, then they will repeat them. For owners of young, lonely wavy birds, it may be useful advice to create a different sound background for imitation - often let the pet listen to the trills of songbirds or human speech. You can turn on a quiet radio when leaving. Well, close the windows tightly so that extraneous noise does not interrupt these sounds.

Important! Chirping is a common language used when two or more birds communicate. So the above methods will most likely not be suitable for a couple or a group of parrots. They will be useful only for owners of single individuals.

Other screamers

We have not named all parrots that are distinguished by their loud voices. Other noisy members of the family include:

1. Macaw. This species of birds not only has the strongest and strongest beak on earth, but also a rather sonorous voice. Considering that some individuals reach even 70 years of age, think about whether you can tolerate the urge to yell from time to time in your pet.
2. Sunny arating. This cute, elegant bird is also called the “home rainbow.” Unfortunately, in addition to excellent intellectual abilities and affection for the owner, individuals of this species are distinguished by a voice of the most unpleasant, shrill register. Owners of birds even claim that the scream of an angry or bored arating can be heard a couple of kilometers from home.
3. Cockatoo. The grace and artistry of this creature is known to many. But screaming is a real test for human ears.
4. Amazons are great at absorbing most of what they hear. And then they produce something in which individual words are mixed with other “overheard” sounds, sometimes quite loud.
5. Necklace parrots. Their voice, more like a sharp squeal, is considered the most recognizable of all the sounds made by birds living in South Asia.
6. Among the excellent screamers, it is worth mentioning the Gray. This bird's talent for imitating human speech is beyond doubt, but it can also scream.

A parrot screams and dances in the kitchen
Of course, not a single creature will constantly mock your ears.
When communicating with him there will also be quite calm moments. But when purchasing a parrot, you need to understand that there are no completely silent ones among them.

Birds singing is a way to distract from screaming

If you are unhappy with your parrot constantly screaming loudly, try playing music for him

The feathered one will be distracted by the music, his attention will be occupied. By periodically playing the same piece of music, you can teach your parrot to sing songs

When a smart bird hears the same words over and over again, it repeats them, picking up the intonation. Singing is both fun and a great alternative to screaming.

Parrots use their screams to express their emotions, communicate and transmit signals. If you feel that your pet’s behavior is outside the norm, look for reasons not only in him, but also in yourself. Your own balance is the key to a good relationship with a bird.

How to stop a parrot from screaming

The screams of these birds, which are not very pleasant for the human ear - and this is the main advice for owners - must learn to be tolerant. The fact is that these creatures are social, natively living in a pack. By shouting, their wild ancestors attracted the attention of their relatives: they notified that food had been found, or that sudden danger threatened.

The flock scared off the enemy with a general hubbub. Most parrots behave this way to this day. The sounds they make can be called a way of communicating with the environment, and this (if the bird lives in captivity) is the owner himself, his loved ones and even pets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP5vP8xYVLI

Here are some tips for those who are trying to help their pet learn not to accompany their actions by yelling too loudly.

1. A parrot's non-stop screams may indicate that it is not feeling well. Observe your bird: if you are sure that something is wrong with it, there may be a reason to contact a veterinarian.
2. Check for food and drink in the cage. Perhaps the “noise attack” is just a way to inform the owner of a feeling of hunger or thirst.
3. Try not to leave your pet alone for a long time, and if you do leave, equip the cage with various special bird toys - a mirror, ladders, climbing frames, bells, chewers, puzzles, etc.
4. There is also another way out for a bird that cannot tolerate loneliness - to buy him a comrade. However, there is a risk that in this case your pets will talk much less, switching to communicating with each other.
5. A parrot cannot be in complete silence, so let a radio, for example, be playing in a quiet background in your house when you leave it.
6. Try not to pay attention to the bird when it is in the mood to scream simply out of boredom. In every possible way, let her understand that communication will take place only in a peaceful environment.

The parrot is misbehaving