Adding a parrot to the family? Be forewarned: parrots are very vocal. You must be willing to accept a certain level of noise if you are bringing a parrot (or any bird) into your home.
Why do birds vocalize?
- To find their “flock”. This can mean the human family for a domesticated bird. Contact calls will start gaining volume if they are not answered.
- A lack of stimulation. If your bird has nothing else to do, he may start to scream.
- Illness or injury. A sudden scream (without softer calls first) may mean an injury.
- An expression of joy. Your bird may just be happy with his home and family!
- An expression of fear. Your bird may see something out the window that alarms him.
Basically, your parrot is trying to communicate something when he screams. Vocalizing is perfectly normal!
Contact calls are perhaps the most common form of communication. Birds live in flocks in the wild, both for protection and socialization. A lost bird will call out for help; other birds in the flock will call back to help the lost bird find his way back. If you leave the room, your parrot may make contact calls. You can ease separation anxiety by calling back! Use the same whistle or phrase every time — like “I’ll be right back!” — so your bird learns to recognize your contact call.
Boredom is perhaps the second most common culprit for parrot screams. Birds need a stimulating environment; parrots should be out of their cages at least three or four hours every day. They need the exercise of flying or flapping, interaction with other members of the family, and plenty of toys in the cage.
No matter how frustrated you may get, don’t scream back or hit the cage. The parrot will see this as a reward for his scream. If you need a quick break, cover the cage of place the bird in a dark room; they should quiet down. However, this is not a long-term fix — it isn’t very humane to keep your bird locked away in the dark just for doing something that comes naturally.
It is normal for parrots to make noise. If you can’t tolerate noise, a parrot may not be the right pet for you.
Read more about feathered friends from Familes.com!