Behaviour

Did you know that Budgies in the wild can fly up to 400km in a single day, in flocks of up to 10,000 birds?! A bird’s main method of transport is their wings. They are happiest when they are able to fly from place to place, towards tasty treats or away from danger. In the wild, birds cover great distances in a single day.

By keeping birds in an enclosure or your home, you are taking away some of their natural instincts and pleasures. Unfortunately, most cages purchased from pet shops or online do not allow the freedom to fly more than a few wing beats. To make up for this, you need to ensure their living area is as large as possible and allow them opportunities to stretch their wings.

All companion birds should be housed in aviaries, not cages. An aviary is a large enclosure for housing birds that allows for flying space. There are both outdoor and indoor aviaries available, so before purchasing one, make sure it suits:

• The species of bird you have,
• Whether your birds are comfortable and tame around people,
• The amount of space you have for an aviary,
• The climate in your area.

For TAME birds that live in INDOOR aviaries:

If your bird is tame, lives in your home and enjoys human contact, you should allow your bird “free flying time” in a safe, enclosed area. Before you let your bird fly out of their aviary for the first time, it is important to:

1) Choose the right location

• A small room, away from noise or other animals and with areas to perch, is ideal to start with. The larger the room, the harder it may be for your bird to return to their aviary. Once your bird has learnt to return to their aviary, you may be able to use other enclosed, safe rooms.
• Close all windows, shut curtains or blinds and make sure ceiling fans are off. Birds can become injured by flying into a window or a ceiling fan.
• Remove any items that may harm your bird or are precious to you. This includes household cleaners, house plants and valued items such as laptops, and important documents etc.
• Remember your bird may leave a few droppings, but these are easy to remove with a damp paper towel. It is possible to toilet train some birds, but this can be tricky to do. Have a look on the internet for ways to do this.

2) Make sure free flying time is always positive. Being chased around a room is incredibly stressful for birds. Instead, you can teach your bird to come to you, or their aviary by rewarding him or her for doing so.

• Remove old food during free flying time, and place new fresh food (or something tasty like millet spray) in the aviary just before you want your bird to return. This will encourage your bird to return to their aviary.
• You can find out more about training your bird under our training section in Mental Wellbeing.
• Leave the aviary doors open the whole time your bird is out; this way your bird still has an area they feel safe to return to.

If your bird is not tame and stresses around humans, they should be housed in a large aviary away from people so that they have the ability to fly in a safe area.

Whenever a bird is not in flight, you will most likely see them sitting on a perch. Just the same as you prefer a comfortable pair of shoes, birds need comfortable perches. Birds not only use perches for standing, but also for scratching their beaks to remove small pieces of food. The best perches are ones that are easy to clean, comfortable to stand on and the right material and diameter to help prevent foot problems. The right size perch is one that allows your birds feed to cover 2/3 of the perch's diameter.

• Natural looking perches, similar to tree branches, often have different widths, meaning your bird can choose the width they prefer. These are the best types of perches. You can use branches from certain types of trees, but some trees can be toxic so check with an adult that they are safe for your bird. 
   
• Wooden dowel type perches are alright, but some can be too smooth and can feel unnatural on your bird’s feet.
   
• A single mineral or pumice perch can help keep your bird's nails the right length, but your bird must have the option to perch on other more natural perches as well. Walking on mineral/ pumice perches too much can hurt your bird’s sensitive feet. Try and avoid sandpaper perches as well, as they can irritate your bird’s feet.
   
• Rope or sisal perches can be a fun addition to your bird’s enclosure but be careful of stray threads, as they may wrap around your bird's feet. If your bird is a chewer, make sure they do not ingest any of the material.

Perches should be placed throughout the enclosure in a way that doesn’t limit your birds flying space. Try to avoid putting food/water bowls or toys directly under any perches, as they may end up covered in bird poo!

Different types of birds take baths in different ways - some birds like water, others use sand or dust. Before purchasing your bird, find out everything you can about their natural behaviour in the wild. All birds like to be clean, and they spend several hours preening and bathing to keep their feathers in top condition.

• If you have a budgie, cockatiel or canary/finch, you should provide them with the opportunity to bathe in a shallow water dish. Birds love fresh water in their water bath. To keep it fresh, provide a water bath a few times a week, but remove it after about an hour.
• Birds like water baths with a shallow slope, just as we feel the safest walking into a swimming pool in the same way. A deep-water bath can seem scary.
• The water bath should have a suitable perching spot at the edge and should be separate to the water bowl, so your bird always has fresh water to drink.
• Birds like quail and chickens should be housed in an aviary with sand or dirt to bathe in. Regular dust bathing helps keeping feathers clean and removing parasites.

Birds are extremely intelligent and are happiest when they have things to do. Toys allow birds to perform natural behaviours such as chewing, climbing, foraging and exploring. Different birds enjoy different types of toys, so try providing a variety of items until you find out which ones your birds like best! Just as we can become bored with our toys, birds get bored of theirs too if they have them all the time. Swap one toy every day for a different one, so your bird will want to play with it as it will feel like a brand-new toy.

Provide your birds with safe toys to play with and chew. Birds tend to love the simple (and cheap!) things in life. Talk to your local pet shop about what bird toys are the most popular.

Here are a few suggestions for toys and objects that could be a hit with your birds:

• Hanging wooden toys with different textures
• Toys to shred and chew
• Colourful toys that are interesting to look at
• Foraging toys that you can hide food in
• Perching toys that your bird can climb

Make sure any items you give your birds are safe and inspect them regularly to check for potential injury points. As birds LOVE to chew, throw away or replace any items that become damaged or dangerous.

If you have more than one bird, check that there are enough items for each bird. Always ensure your birds can move away from a new object and keep a close eye on your birds when first giving them new items.

If they do appear stressed or frightened by a new item, remove it and watch their behaviour – talk to your veterinarian if you’re worried.

Eating from a bowl can be really boring for a bird that in the wild, spends up to 70% of their time in daylight out foraging for food. Make your birds feeding time more like a treasure hunt by scattering their favourite foods around the enclosure.

Here are a few ideas to make feeding time more fun:

• Pinecones: Wedge items from the Bird Safe food list into the creases of the cones. You use smears over the top and dip in seeds.
   
• Cornhusks: Strip a cob of corn of its husk, making sure that the husk stays connected as one. Hide treats inside, and tie together using strands from the husk

• Scatter feed: Scatter seeds on the ground and allow your bird to actively forage
   
• Forage bowls: Place treat items in a bowl and cover with leaves or shredded paper
   
• Baffle Cages: For purchase online. Cages to hide toys, food, items for shredding in. There are also “Creative Foraging System” toys online where birds have to chew through cardboard layers to get to treats.
   
• Treat boxes: Put treat items inside an egg carton or tissue box and close the lids. Parrots and parakeets love to destroy the boxes to get the treats inside.
   
• Stab fruit: Stab vegetable or fruits onto a piece of (safe) branch and hang it in the aviary.
   
• Fruit kebabs: Stab vegetables or fruits onto a kebab stick and hang it in the aviary.

The way a bird behaves will depend on their age, personality and past experiences. If one of your birds changes their behaviour, they could be distressed, bored, ill or injured. Birds that are frightened or in pain may change their behaviour or develop unwanted habits such as aggression or hiding.

Signs that a bird may be suffering from stress or fear can include constant loud vocalisations, sitting hunched or not wanting to move, hiding, chewing cage bars, over-plucking feathers, or eating/drinking/toileting less (or more) than normal.

Be observant. If your bird’s behaviour changes or he or she shows regular signs of stress or fear, ask your parents or caregivers to talk to your veterinarian.