Normal Parrot Behavior
In the wild, Parrots are loud, bold, aggressive, colorful, impressive birds. They form variable sized flocks made up of pairs and family groups. Their intelligence, combined with dextrous feet and powerful beaks, allows access to food and other resources.
One of the greatest challenges of living wild is simply finding food. Most wild animals spend most of their waking hours foraging for food. Many leaves, nuts, buds, flowers, fruits and seeds are ripped open, dug up, stripped off, and plucked to supply needed calories. Less desirable foods are sometimes eaten, supplying other nutients to the hungry hoard. Compare this to captive birds that have no opportunity to explore the world, are supplied with high calorie foods, and receiving little exercise, either physical or mantal.
Intelligence
The human criterion for intelligence is the ability to learn. Those species that have a long training period and continue to develop their behavior over a relatively long period are typically considered intelligent.
Parrots are hatched naked or downy, are fed by the parents and remain in a family group for several months, learning to find food and protect themselves. They have a long development stage and developmany complex behaviors. This pattern is similar to that found in both human and non-human primates. By this standard, parrots might be considered highly intelligent.
Learning vs. Instinct
Parrots learn by mimicking. In the wild, role models would include the parents and other birds in the flock. If the intent is to have the bird mimick its human companions, it is best not to house it near or with another bird. birds learn more easily from other birds than they do from humans.
Reinforcement of a particular behavior comes in the form of a responce to the behavior. If the response is favorable (in the bird's opinion), the behavior will be repeated. Behaviors that are reinforced will continue.
Social Arrangements
The term "pecking order" originated from studies conducted on flock hierarchy. The bird who dominated "pecked" the other birds and was considered the leader. Parrots always consider themselves candidates for the top of the social order, and may continually challenge their human companions to see if the position is available.
Cage
An appropriate environment is as important as good training. Birds spend many hours in their cage, so they must be made comfortable. The cage should be as large as possible for the available space. The general rule is that the cage be wider than it is tall. Height is an important factor in establishing leadership over a bird. if the cage goes to the ceiling and the bird can look down on it's human companion, The bird considers itself dominant.The size of the bird is also a factor in selecting a cage. A macaw should have a cage tall enough so that its tail does not drag.
The cage should allow adequate exercise and space for climbing and wing flapping. Birds become territorial about their cages. If the bird has the whole house as it's cage it is not as aggressively territorial as it is with a true cage. This is not to say that giving a bird free reign in the house is necessary - there are too many dangers in the average home - but more time out of the cage is certainly a benefit. All birds that are not under immediate supervision should be returned to their own cage.
Accouterments
An assortment of perch sizes and and shapes should be available, as well as swinging or moving perches, natural tree branches, and rope or wood dowels. Toys such as hard plastic items (that cannot be chewed up), rawhide, cardboard, leaves, flowers, leather pieces,soda straws, twigs, paper cups, or any natural items that the bird can use to chew, eat, or tear up are appropriate. Even soft, fluffy toys are appreciated, or even loved, by many parrots. Avoid toys with lead pieces, spring clips, split ring connectors, sawdust stuffing, or breakable plastic or glass parts.
