Amazon Parrot Behavior

My Question: Good morning, I have a question about my amazon parrot’s behaviour. He (or she) is a 3 years old yellow crowned amazon, he has always lived with my husband and me, from when he was only 3 months old. He is an untroubled happy parrot, both my companion have a good relationship with him and he seem to be healthy (we make periodic check-up and it’s all ok).

Sometimes he have a strange behaviour: my husband and me are on the sofa and we’re watching tv, he is playing on the furniture and on his swing-perch, then he comes to us, climb on my husband legs and begins to make something like a low duck cry, he crouch and shake his wings fastly. I need to tell you that I use to give him two teaspoon of handfeeding parrot
cream before he goes to sleep, but he does not recognize this act if the food comes from my husband. I think he is asking for some regurgitation from my companion, but I don’t really know what does it mean this behaviour. if we try to distract him in some way he flies away and goes to play again on the furniture.

I would like to know what he is trying to telling us with this behaviour if it is possible.

Thank you for the attention and sorry for my disastrous English.

Hello Jade, Thank you for sharing your question with us (in very fine English).

Behavior is a tool, part of our biological endowment, to change the environment in some way that has value for the individual behaving. In other words, behavior serves a purpose.

To determine why an animal repeats a behavior pattern such as the one you describe, the first step is to identify the consequences (outcomes) that have been produced by doing the behavior in the past.

The behaviors you describe sound very much like the pattern a baby parrot learns to demonstrate to get food from its parents. It is not hard to imagine that if these behaviors result in other outcomes, such as food or attention from you and your husband, your bird will offer the pattern more, as a general “I want” communication.

If the behavior is reinforced only occasionally, it may make it harder for you to identify the maintaining reinforcer. Intermittent reinforcement of the behavior will also make this behavior pattern exhibited by your bird more persistent—in the same way that intermittent reinforcement results in persistent gambling behavior.

These four questions help us focus on the ways in which behavior and environment interact:

1. What does this behavior look like (use observable, measurable terms)?
2. Under what conditions does this behavior occur (when is it most likely to occur)?
3. What is the immediate consequence (outcome) the behavior produces for the animal (what purpose or function does it serve)?

From your description, I can posit the following assessment:

Antecedents: When Jade and husband are on the sofa watching TV
Behavior: the bird comes to husbands leg, vocalizes with a “duck cry”, and crouches and quivers his wings
Consequences: Sometimes we [fill in the blank]

You can think about the different outcomes this behavior has produced in the past that account for your bird repeating this pattern under the conditions your describe in the Antecedent term above.

It sounds like your bird has good independent play skills since, when you distract him from the behavior, he flies away and engages in some activity on his own. That is what we strive for, to keep our birds active, independent and behaviorally healthy. If you want to reduce this behavior (which is not always necessary, of course), first determine what the reinforcer is that maintains it, and provide that reinforcer for a behavior you want to see more.

We hope that helps!
All best,
Susan and Gay