Bird body language

We're all conscious of body language in humans, but a bird's world is even more centered around body language.
All that head bobbing, feather fluffing, tail wagging and foot tapping is much more than just mindless birdy movement, it's all part of a highly complex system of communication, and if you learn to decipher it, you'll have a much more enlightened relationship with your feathered friend.
Learning to speak 'bird'
It's very difficult for us to read a bird's facial expressions, but we can observe their eyes, tail, wings, beak, overall posture and the noises they make and learn a lot about them.
Eyes Unlike humans, birds are able to control their irises. They'll enlarge and shrink their pupils rapidly - called 'flashing' - when they're excited, greatly interested in something, angry, frightened or feeling aggressive.
Stretching
This is another common behaviour performed by birds. No doubt it serves the same function as human stretching, but with birds it's also a social action. Parrots especially will stretch as a form of greeting when they're approached. They'll usually raise their shoulders, and one wing and the opposite foot will be raised in unison. This is a friendly greeting, signalling that all's well.
Wings
Birds' wings are not only for flying, they're also a means of communication. Wing flapping can be used to get attention or just as a display of happiness. Wing drooping in older birds can indicate tiredness or illness. In young birds this may be part of the process of learning how to fold and tuck their wings. Birds will also sometimes flip their wings and this might mean anger or pain, but when accompanied by hunched shoulders and head bobbing, it's attention seeking and often means the bird wants to be fed.
Tails
Some birds, such as geese and ducks, waggle their tails all the time. However, when a parrot wags its tail it's often a sign its pleased to see you. Tail flipping is also a general sign of happiness and playfulness, whereas tail bobbing can indicate respiratory distress if combined with heavy breathing.
Attention seeking
While dogs beg for attention by sitting up on their haunches, parrots will stare intently, flatten their body, lower their head, hold their wings out at shoulder level and quiver them. Cockatoos will also solicit attention by slowly scratching their head and neck while adopting a soulful expression that clearly pleads for you to give them a scratch.
Let's relate
There are so many more quirky little body language behaviours you can read in your bird - foot tapping when their territory is threatened, sudden onset of ‘weak legs' when they don't want to be put back in their cage, beak grinding as a sign of contentment, chewing for entertainment and even regurgitating as a sign of affection.
is highly complex and I've only summarised a few postures and their possible meanings. When you're reading your bird's behaviour you need to take its whole posture and the bird's environment into account. If you have a bird, take the time to research its body language. Communicating with your bird in this way will make the relationship you develop much more satisfying for you both.

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