Bird Behavior Dictionary by Jesper

Here's a little list of cockatiel-behavior I made for my own enjoyment for those of you new to these lovely creatures; anyone out there wanting to add or modify something, feel free to e-mail Jesper.

SIGHING:	The neck is fully stretched and the bird seems to be exercising its beak on thin air.
YAWNING:	When 'Tiels yawn, it looks just like when we do it, no neck stretched or anything.
BEAK-GRINDING:	Often accompanies yawning as a bed-time ritual. This is a sign that the bird is really cozy and having a good time. Usually the feathers are all puffed up and cuddly.
FEATHER RUSTLING:	They will also do a little thing sometimes where they rustle all their feathers, which they do to calm themselves down after a fight or a scare. I call this "Shaking off the scare".
THROWING UP:	However, if the thing it does is more like a stretching of the neck plus a rhythmic, choking motion, the bird is probably throwing up (you don't always actually see anything coming out of its beak as it might swallow it again, but sometimes it will shake its head afterwards and food will be flying in every direction)
THE HEAD-BOB:	The bird bobs its head up and down, going "bagoy, bagoy, bagoy, bagoy"! It is probably coming on to you, any way it is in a good mood, thank you very much!
SCRATCHING:	Your bird bows its head to you; this translates to: "Please scratch me". The bird pushes you gently with its head still bowed: "Hey, I said scratch me, now!!!"
THE EAGLE:	The bird spreads its wings all the way out while standing up, perhaps doing a little backward jump. Something scared or surprised your 'Tiel, and it is making sure that whatever caused the fright is impressed by his wingspan!
BOASTING/ HAPPINESS:	The bird leans forward and spreads its wings, head down, tail up, sometimes in odd angles or places! He is showing off to you, or just displaying how great it is to be a boy birdie!
DOMINANCE:	Your bird is walking around with his wings slightly spread out (giving him that "broad-shouldered look"), every now and then glancing back to make sure you see how dangerous and impressive he is! Watch your fingers!
DRUMMING:	The bird drums with its beak on the perch. This might just be a display of testosterone from the males, but it might also be a call for order in the evening, indicating that the meistersinger is about to raise his voice!

DO YOU SPEAK "CREST" ?
A QUICK GUIDE TO 'TIEL BODY LANGUAGE...

CREST UP AND FORWARD ALL THE WAY:	Your bird was probably just scared or surprised or he is extremely curious.
CREST STRAIGHT UP:	Your bird is paying attention or is absorbed in play!
CREST BACK BUT JITTERING:	Probably a sign of stress. Your bird has been scared for an extended period of time, and now he doesn't show it as obviously as before, but something is still bothering him. Maybe that new cat you bought... ?
CREST BACK, BEAK CLOSED:	Your bird is relaxed
CREST ALL THE WAY BACK, BEAK OPEN:	Watch it, the bird is very angry! Probably he will also look you in the eye. His next move will be an angry, snake-like hiss, but he will wait until you pull that hand away, just to mark his victory! Don't annoy your bird when in this mood, you'll lose his trust.

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