Post by siobhan on Jun 15, 2016 14:58:14 GMT -5
I keep seeing a meme on Facebook with a cockatiel staring down several cockatoos of varying types and the caption is, "I'm a cockatoo, too!" or something to that effect. I knew that, sort of, but the more I observe Rocky, the more I see the same behaviors, scaled down somewhat, in Freddie and Johnny.
For example, Rocky will do this thing where he arches his back and throws his head back to indicate I should come here NOW. If I don't, the body language becomes a shriek in fairly short order. In the mornings, especially when I'm a bit late getting to this task, when I go to open the other birds' cages, Johnny does the very same thing, including the calling for me, only his call is not QUITE as ear-splitting as Rocky's.
I've seen Johnny doing that for years and never realized that big 'toos do it or why until Rocky moved in and I figured out why HE was doing it.
There's the crest, of course. Freddie pops his crest up when he hears or sees something that interests him, or annoys him, or puzzles him, and Rocky's crest does the same. A lowered crest, on either of them, means they're relaxed and in Freddie's case, it's safe to kiss him (that's the only time Freddie will allow a kiss). I wouldn't try kissing Rocky when his is up, either, but if I tell him to "put your head down" which is the way we phrase it, he will usually comply. Freddie does not comply with such requests. Freddie is an independent thinker. LOL
Freddie has learned to mimic Rocky's scream to add to his impersonations of Ringo, Clyde and Jade and he's also doing a sound that I think is a wild bird, which they can hear through the open windows. This morning Rocky was mimicking Ringo and the tiels' whistles. Pretty soon they're all going to sound so much like each other that I won't know which is making noise.
For example, Rocky will do this thing where he arches his back and throws his head back to indicate I should come here NOW. If I don't, the body language becomes a shriek in fairly short order. In the mornings, especially when I'm a bit late getting to this task, when I go to open the other birds' cages, Johnny does the very same thing, including the calling for me, only his call is not QUITE as ear-splitting as Rocky's.
I've seen Johnny doing that for years and never realized that big 'toos do it or why until Rocky moved in and I figured out why HE was doing it. There's the crest, of course. Freddie pops his crest up when he hears or sees something that interests him, or annoys him, or puzzles him, and Rocky's crest does the same. A lowered crest, on either of them, means they're relaxed and in Freddie's case, it's safe to kiss him (that's the only time Freddie will allow a kiss). I wouldn't try kissing Rocky when his is up, either, but if I tell him to "put your head down" which is the way we phrase it, he will usually comply. Freddie does not comply with such requests. Freddie is an independent thinker. LOL
Freddie has learned to mimic Rocky's scream to add to his impersonations of Ringo, Clyde and Jade and he's also doing a sound that I think is a wild bird, which they can hear through the open windows. This morning Rocky was mimicking Ringo and the tiels' whistles. Pretty soon they're all going to sound so much like each other that I won't know which is making noise.
In fact, Bonnie learnt her first whistles from the cockatiel in our outdoor aviary, not from us. So perhaps it's not surprising all your birds are starting to mimick and sound like one another.