TOPICS IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY: REVIEW

NORMAL AND ABNORMAL PARROT BEHAVIOR

Brian Speer, DVM, Dip. ABVP (Avian), Dip. ECZM (Avian)
Abstract
Behavior and behavior-associated issues are an important part of psittacine medicine. However, many
veterinarians have an approach to parrots from the basics of handling and restraint to their assessment of
behavioral issues (e.g., feather plucking), that fails to take into account the importance of understanding a
birds natural behavior in the wild, and how these actions can be adapted to optimize interactions
between the bird and their human owners. Understanding how to inuence parrot behavior by positive
reinforcement rather than punishment is key to improving the welfare of these captive birds and their
owners. Copyright 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Key words: abnormality; behavior; interaction; parrot; reinforcer
T
here is an increasing interest in behavior and behavior-associated problems in avian species.
Unfortunately, our understanding regarding the proper methods for the identication,
description, and treatment of behavior problems still remains inconsistent for most
veterinarians caring for birds in general practice. Generally, most medical records often reect
the documentation of historical and physical examination ndings, and diagnostic testing for
and treatment of identied or perceived states of disease. Comments regarding behavioral observations
are rarely mentioned in most medical records. Overall, recommendations for behavioral intervention are
rare or far from complete and rarely documented in regard to treatment response or outcome. In the
absence of recognition and documentation of problems or a proactive discussion of behavior, relatively
advanced states of behavioral problems should logically be expected. The presentation of avian patients
with advanced behavioral problems commonly occurs in most veterinary practice settings. Therefore,
behavioral intervention efforts seem to be comparatively futile, frustrating, and unfortunately not a
practical pursuit in day-to-day practice.
The common veterinary terminology that has
been used for describing approaches to the
examination, diagnosis, and medical treatment of
birds has included descriptions such as capture
and restraint. Most of these procedures have
involved direct physical overpowering of the birds
and restraint with or without the use of chemical
immobilization. Granted, these approaches tend
to get the job done, but with time, there seems
to be a learned and undesired fear-associated
response by many of these birds. This in turn can
lead to greater long-term concerns about their
behavior, risks to the bird and handlers when the
birds are being examined, more risk of problems
during medical procedures, and more difculty
separating stress-associated changes from early to
moderate states of disease in some laboratory
diagnostic test results. In recent years, it has
become increasingly apparent that many medical
procedures can be performed with less force or
coercion with the handling and restraint methods
used and less of a resultant undesired experience
by the birds. A higher standard of care continues to
evolve; one that includes more of an emphasis on
animal welfare, with higher standards of animal
care, informed recommendations of techniques to
2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
1557-5063/14/2101-$30.00
http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.jepm.2014.06.009
From the Medical Center for Birds, Oakley, CA USA
Address correspondence to: Brian Speer, DVM, Dip. ABVP (Avian), Dip. ECZM (Avian), Medical Center for Birds, 3805 Main Street, Oakley,
CA 94561. E-mail: avnvet@aol.com.
2 3 0 Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine 23 (2014), pp 230233
implement enrichment and training programs,
and, in many cases, increased use of operant
conditioning for husbandry and medical
procedures. Starting with less aggressive methods
of restraint and physical evaluation, practitioners
should be positioned more optimally to have the
time to observe, identify, discuss, and guide their
clients and patients toward a more balanced
address of real or potential behavioral issues in the
future.
WHY IS BEHAVIOR AN IMPORTANT
CONSIDERATION IN DAILY PRACTICE? ______
The behavior of avian species in a captive setting
directly affects the quality of their lives, their
interactions with their stewards/owners, their
health, and the probability of a veterinarian
maintaining a long-term doctor-client-patient
relationship. It is known that behavioral
conditioning of captive bird species in most
circumstances can lead to a reduction of the risks
associated with physical evaluations or medical
procedures. Conditioning and guiding medical
behaviors also allows for a reduction of expenses
associated with maintenance and preventative
health procedures and allows for a more complete
patient evaluation in most circumstances. A
behaviorally conditioned and less fearful bird will
likely provide diagnostic test results (e.g., complete
blood count) that are minimally affected by stress,
thereby reecting the true physiologic state of a
patient. Diagnostic test results altered by
physiologic stress can lead to misdiagnosis and
errors that effect the veterinarians assessment of
what proper treatment protocol to prescribe.
Assisted mostly by the recent veterinary
advancements in the diagnosis, treatment, and
preventative management of infectious and
nutritional diseases, the position of the pet bird in
society is changing. The pet bird as a family
member is emerging as a signicant portion of the
patients seen at veterinary practices that treat avian
species. Clinical patterns of diagnosed conditions
are progressively shifting from predominately
infectious diseases toward metabolic, neoplastic,
and behavioral disorders. Some of the more
commonly discussed parrot behavioral disorders in
avian practice include attention-acquiring
behaviors (e.g., screaming and aggression),
undesired displacement behaviors (e.g., self-
mutilation), territoriality (e.g., protection of a
specic person and other bird or inanimate object
via aggression), biting, feather damaging,
unwanted or excessive vocalizations, reproductive
issues, phobic-type behavioral problems, or
apparently psychotic issues including obsessive-
compulsive type disorders. Many of these
behavioral disorders are often chronic or extremely
advanced at the time of the initial veterinary visit.
As with most other medical issues, the chronicity
and severity of avian behavioral disorders often
correlate with a much lower success rate for
complete resolution. Earlier recognition and
diagnosis should be expected to result in more
successful intervention and resolution. The means
by which we can recognize the components of
behavioral problems earlier is important and key
to a more effective prevention and early
intervention with many companion bird
behavioral disorders.
BIRD BEHAVIOR: THINKING THE BASICS
FROM AN ORNITHOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE _________________________________
Behavior is the most direct tool that a wild bird has
to respond to its environment, and it ultimately
determines whether it survives and breeds within
its natural environment. The behavioral response
that a captive bird has to its environment has
importance for the maintenance of homeostasis,
both physically and psychologically, in its
nonnatural environment. There are 2 general
functional categories of avian behaviors: self-
maintenance behaviors and social behaviors. Self-
maintenance behaviors are aimed at accomplishing
some specic task to maintain the physical
condition of the individual. Social behavior is
intended to communicate information to another
individual.
In most bird species, daily maintenance
behaviors are self-maintenance behaviors that are
life-sustaining activities performed throughout the
year. These behaviors include feeding, feather care,
locomotion, concealment, communication, and
display. With captive parrots, feeding, feather care,
communication, and display behaviors are
commonly observed daily maintenance behaviors.
Enrichment of these behaviors is shown to benet
captive parrots. Nevertheless, abnormalities of
these activities comprise the most common
behavioral disorders of companion parrots.
Birds engage in a large number of behaviors that
are predominately performed for the purpose of
communication or signaling. These behaviors, in
general, rank among the most complex of all avian
traits. A communication signal is a behavior of the
sender in a way that results in consequential
Speer/Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine 23 (2014), pp 230233 2 3 1
benet to the sender. A display is a ritualized signal
intended to convey a specic message.
THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL TOWARD
BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS FOR PET BIRDS ____
The typical companion bird still has a need for
many of the daily maintenance behaviors of their
wild bird counterparts. There is less of a need for
investment of signicant amounts of time for
foraging and food acquisition, as there is usually a
ready and reliable source of varied food items in
their enclosure. Feather maintenance behaviors
and social communication should constitute a
signicant portion of their daily activities as well.
Young parrots destined for the companion bird
marketplace retain the need for continued
mentoring and learning of appropriate behaviors
as noted in their wild counterparts, in addition to
the need of guidance toward normal human-parrot
ock behaviors necessary for coexistence with
people. These lessons for the companion parrot
include a range of normal social behaviors of
ock interaction with their human cohorts,
appropriate rules of conict resolution, a sound
understanding of acceptable activities and
unacceptable activities, and other maintenance and
social behaviors that may be appropriate for their
species or their continued stable existence as
companion birds.
With pet birds, many abnormal behaviors are
intentionally or unintentionally taught. Often, out
of simple neglect or a failure to teach a companion
bird essential maintenance and communication
behaviors, young parrots do not learn lessons that
are essential for their optimal existence as human
companions. The unsupervised parrot, in the
absence of structured social guidance in its home,
will often nd its own self-reinforcing activities
many of which are inconsistent with the long-term
balanced needs of the pet animal. The outcomes
of these behaviors contribute perceived value and
typically have their origins in immediate
gratication. Toys that are placed in the birds cage
only have perceived value if the parrot discovers
the benet of the toy or if the bird is taught how to
play with the object(s). A toy that has no apparent
value is ignored, and its potential value as an outlet
for exploratory, self-entertaining, and normal
destructive type behaviors is lost. Desired food
items that are consistently made available after
specic signal or display behaviors validate the
repeated use of those behaviors. This scenario is
common with many companion birds, where it is
fed to stop screaming or cease other undesired
signal behaviors. A parrot with the ability to leave
the cage environment and roam the house to seek
out desired activities or social contact is rewarded
when this behavior is repeatedly successful and
will see continued value in continuing its roaming
behaviors. Negatively reinforced escape behaviors,
such as eeing contact with specic persons, biting,
or other avoidance maneuvers to evade handling,
support their continued use by the bird and may
even lead to the development of new and
improved behaviors that may be undesirable by
the owner but more effective for the bird. Although
the immediate reward and value that the parrots
receive from these behaviors support their
continued use, they are often not consistent with a
normal and healthy lifestyle for the years to come.
With time, abnormal behaviors begin to develop
from these foundational fertile grounds of
undesired behavior. These increasingly abnormal
behaviors may include a lack of ability to explore,
discover, and enjoy toys or other new enrichment
items placed in their environment; an inability to
enjoy or trust interaction with multiple people; the
development of a one personbonded
relationship; and/or increasing intolerance of a
caged existence or restricted mobility within the
home. Many of these undesirable behaviors are
initially addressed by using positive or negative
punishment. Learned or generalized fear, learned
aggression, and increases in escape and avoidance
behaviors are known consequences of behavior-
change strategies focused on punishment alone. As
these problems continue to advance, feather
damaging behaviors, obsessive-compulsive
behaviors, reproductively associated disorders,
screaming, aggression, biting, and an inability to
accept new human interactions tend to be
increasingly recognized.
A parrots inability to socially interact with
humans without fear or effective social framework
creates an increased need for a series of defensive
or displacement behaviors that are not desired. The
pet bird that behaves inappropriately is less likely
to have close human contact and social interaction
through handling, and thus isolation-associated
problems become increasingly augmented. The
wild parrot that is increasingly isolated from its
ock is less likely to survive. Innately, companion
birds are functionally wild in that they will often
react similarly to their wild counterparts under
these types of environmental conditions.
Consequently, increased attempts to contact its
ock or human cohorts, including communicative
behaviors of incessant or repeated screaming,
contact calls, and other attention-demanding
2 3 2 Speer/Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine 23 (2014), pp 230233
behaviors occur. Unfortunately, common owner
reactions to these undesired social behaviors
include direct or indirect reinforcement of the
behavior or further augmentation of the problem
by increased degrees of isolation and/or other
punishment. Providing the birds with a desired
food item, attention, or increased liberties often
positively reinforces the undesired behavior.
Covering the cage or moving the bird or its cage to
a more isolated location where the unwanted
sound can be better contained further enhances the
isolation or perceived punishment that the bird is
experiencing and ultimately increases the
likelihood for further abnormal behaviors to occur.
Continued punishment can lead to more serious
behavioral disorders or neglect, which sets the
stage for the development of behavioral disease
and with many cases, over time, actual health
problems.
BEHAVIORAL CONCEPTS TO KEEP
IN MIND _____________________________________
One of the fundamental principles of behavior is
known as the law of effect.
1
Simply, this law
states that behavior is a function of its consequences.
The frequency of a response is changed by the
consequences that follow that response. We apply
the law of effect with 2 basic procedures
reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcement
increases the frequency of behavior, and
punishment decreases the frequency of behavior.
Although people often think of reinforcers as
rewards, that can be misleading. Rewards generally
refer to prizes, trophies, or accolades, but many
reinforcers do not t that denition. For example,
if you shout at a bird every time it screams and the
screaming continues because of your shouting,
shouting is a reinforcer for that bird. Punishment
can be an equally confusing term. People often use
it to mean retribution, retaliation, and revenge. In
applied behavior analysis, if a behavioral decrease
is not observed, the consequence is not a punisher
for that particular bird. The ultimate classication
of which consequences function as reinforcement
or punishment is highly individual. The proof the
classication of reinforcement or punishment lies
strictly in the assessed future rate of a birds
behavior(s). If a bird continues to behave in a
particular way, it is being reinforced regardless of
the owners intentions.
There are specic reasons why punishment is not
a preferred behavior-change strategy. Frequent
punishment increases the probability of 4 side
effects detrimental to the quality of life of all
animals. These side effects include aggression,
apathy, generalized fear, and escape/avoidance
behaviors. Unfortunately, these side effects are
commonly observed among captive parrots. These
observations could lead us to consider whether any
of the 4 results could represent a failure,
collectively, on our parts to train or teach the bird
with more effective methods.
2
There are positive
reinforcement alternatives to punishment. Positive
reinforcement is the process of increasing a
consistent behavior by providing an action
through which the bird chooses to perform a
behavior after which the animal is rewarded in a
positive manner (e.g., treat and praise). By positively
reinforcing a desirable alternative behavior at the
same time as ignoring an undesirable behavior, we
increase what we want to see more and decrease
what we want to see less. This procedure, called
differential reinforcement of alternative behavior,
is different than ignoring undesirable behaviors
alone, as differential reinforcement of alternative
behavior has a powerful positive reinforcement
component. In this way, we replace problem
behavior rather than only try to eliminate it,
thereby ensuring higher rates of positive
reinforcement in our parrots lives.
3
CONCLUSION ________________________________
The time to include behavior as a part of daily
avian medical practice is now. Consideration needs
to be forefront in our minds that some of our
commonly accepted and routine capture and
restraint techniques are in reality causing behavioral
problems in companion birds. By thinking, talking,
and actually working toward a more correct
identication and address of behavior concerns
with companion birds, the quality of health care
for these animals can be dramatically improved.
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2. ONeill RE, Horner RH, Albin RW, et al: Functional Assess-
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Practical Handbook (ed 2). Pacic Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole
Pub, 1997
3. Carter SL, Wheeler JJ: Considering the intrusiveness of
interventions. Int J Spec Educ 20:2, 2005
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