Whenever you go on social media, you are inundated with cute bird videos, which I love. Or you get quick fix solutions on how they solved their birds’ problems, which I

don’t love.

You might have heard common advice like “just ignore your bird if they are screaming” or “simply don’t let your bird on your shoulder”.

This advice is what people try first, because they see it working for others on the internet. Here’s why you shouldn’t immediately jump to implementing these

solutions.

It doesn’t consider ONE KEY THING: that all behaviour has a function for that animal.

Our parrots are living, feeling, and behaving every day. We need to take that into account when we are looking at any “problem” behaviour. Changing any behaviour to work

better in our homes must take the function, the environment, and the emotional state, into account.

What do I mean ‘take the function into account’? If your bird is screaming, and you ignore it, you are not rewarding the screaming! While this is possibly true,

it’s only if that’s what the bird is trying to ‘say’ by screaming.

What if the bird was screaming because their foot was stuck in a toy? What if the bird was screaming because their food bowl was empty? What if the bird was screaming

because the sun is directly on their cage and they are overheating? Screaming can have many functions. Ignoring the scream doesn’t take into account the

function that scream has for that animal. 

But my bird is screaming for attention! Surely I shouldn’t be rewarding that!

WAIT. If your bird is screaming for your attention, and you ignore them, you are ignoring not only their communication but also their needs. The question I will ask is: how would you prefer they ask for your attention? How can that bird get your attention, fulfill their need, and communicate to you they need your attention right now? Is there something your bird can do that will have you jumping up and running over to them with the same intensity you would to tell them to be quiet?

Are you just ignoring them until they are “quiet” and not bothering you anymore?

Does that fulfill their need for attention?

We need to be mindful that our birds are communicating their needs to us every day. Their behaviours have functions. Simply ignoring behaviour doesn’t solve the issue,

since we are not addressing the function that behaviour serves for the animal.

Ignoring your bird doesn’t give them any information on what they CAN DO to fulfill that need.

This is true for everyone, and every bird, in every behaviour. All of it has a function and is an expression of a need from your bird. Be sure to tell them what you want

them to do to fill that need.

We can’t create a plan to solve a behaviour until we know what function that behaviour serves for that animal.

Otherwise you might as well be talking to a stuffie.

Look for certified professionals, or ask if they are certified. Or simply follow Parrot SOS for more bird behaviour and training tips, from a certified parrot behavior consultant.