Interpreting Parrot Tail Movements
Here, the tail
wags back and forth so quickly. A different behaviour from tail flaring (next
item). Parrots usually wag their tails immediately after fluffing their
feathers out as a greeting sign. A
parrot that rapidly flips its tail is must be happy to see you.
This behavior happens as well after the parrot is done
with an activity and is ready to begin another.
This is mostly observed in a delighted parrot. Several of them do this
merely in order to rearrange their feathers. A lot of cockatoos behave in such
way once they are about to eliminate.
Tail flaring
In this case,
the feathers on the tail fan out. A sort of parrots, such as lineolated
parakeets, would quickly fan their tails in and out. This connotes that the parrot is content or
agitated. In some situations, this means
that the bird could bite. However, if the tail flare is combined with an erect
posture, erect nape feathers, and pinpointing eyes, handling the bird could be
so unwise.
Tail preening
Parrots devote a large proportion of time preening to
keep their feathers clean and in a nice look.
A bird which is preening its tail is probably so at ease in its
environment. Anxious parrots will not
preen their tails or wing feathers since they cannot be cautious on what is
taking place around them while they are doing so.
The parrot’s preen gland is located just above the
tail. For this reason, parrots usually rub their beaks on that spot when they
are preening. They have some preen oil on their beaks and rub it on their
feathers. Some Neotropical species, like certain species of Amazons, Pionus,
and Brotogeris lack that preen gland.
Pair bonded parrots sometimes preen each other.
