Bobbing head in 10 wk old Quaker - please reply!

My QP Ralph is almost six years old and still bobs his head, usually when he likes something, when he agrees with something I've said or wants me to say or do something again (for example, if I sing to him and he wants me to repeat what I sang). The head bob is typically more common in very young Quakers, but there are lots of older ones who continue with the behavior.

Is this head bobbing not a derivative of the "quaking" that have earned these Quakers their name?

As the others have noted, it is more common in young Quakers, and many grow out of it (Cupcake doesn't do it), but at any rate, certainly nothing to worry about

Thanks everyone for your feedback . I really do appreciate it. Mary

Pretty interesting.  As long as I've known her, Cupcake really hasn't displayed this behavior, but I've definitely seen it in other Quakers of all ages.  

There is a pair of grumpy Quakers that are owned by a parrot store near where I live--not for sale birds, and they are such an odd pair.  There is one who has a greatly disfigured beak, but lives and eats normally, and seems pretty sweet, especially because his beak does not give him the ability to bite in any painful way... and the other one, his grumpy protector, who doesn't let anyone near him and has this weird slow head quake/bob to everything he does...  he is clearly not a young Quaker, and I believe they have been friends a long time

My QP Chuckie still bobs his head when he "begs" for food. He makes a slightly different movement, more a weave side to side, prior to trying to bite. A parrot psychology book I read a while ago indicated that most parrots will pin their eyes (a sudden opening and narrowing of the pupils) prior to biting, As Chuckie's eyes are fairly dark, it is next to impossible to tell if that is happening. One strategy that has reduced nips is for me to verbally tell him what is about to happen in his environment before I act. That has about a 50% success rate. There are times when he declares through aggressive actions that he does not want me near him. Other times he is a total cuddle bird with a strong desire to arrange all the wisps of hair on my hands and fingers. I know deciphering QP attitude can be a challenge, and each of our little bundles of terror/joy are individuals with habits of their own. To all who struggle with why in the world QPs bite the hand the feeds them, know that the are a wild animal who is tolerating us. To paraphrase a line from a book (I have forgotten the title) I read years ago: a parrot is more like an alien from outer space than most other companion animals, and we have to adapt to them if we choose to have them in our homes.

My other Quaker almost never bobs his head. It's an individual thing. Jade, as Gary said, also uses her bobbing as a nod. I say "Is Jade a good girl?" and she nods enthusiastically. LOL But they do understand a lot of what we say. It's really kind of amazing.