Understanding Bird Behavior

Every time we interact with our bird, we affect its behavior, that is, we influence its behavior. Sometimes this is positive, sometimes negative. At times, we do this with intention, many times not. But most certainly, we do affect its behavior. Understanding bird behavior may appear to be easier than it is. It is based on interpreting the birds' instincts and natural habits. Many parrot owners experience the reoccurring problem of misinterpreting their bird's behavior. They credit their birds with having the same intelligence and behavioral characteristics as human beings. They give their birds credit for being able to hold grudges, thoughtful of human's emotions, and considerate of human feelings. This simply is not true. Birds are self-centered, and behave to please themselves. Parrots cannot anticipate the results of an action until they have experienced the consequence of this action. If the consequence is positive, the action may be repeated. If negative or neutral, the action will probably cease. Some of the behavior we see in parrots is instinct driven. These behaviors are generally associated with survival and reproduction. The behaviors we have the ability to influence most often are the learned behaviors.

When teaching a bird a behavior, many humans use the same methods they would use to train the family dog. This method in many cases is based on dominance, a negative reinforcer. Birds, like cats, respond best to positive reinforcement. The most rewarding approach for trainers and bird alike is to encourage the bird to learn the desired behavior using positive reinforcement. Dominance has very little use in bird training. Training a desirable bird behavior is a bit more difficult than just giving a bird a treat when it does something right. There are some key elements that are important in training new behaviors.

The first principle of training is to interpret the motivation for an action. Every action has motivation based on gaining pleasure or avoiding pain. Most everything birds do is linked to gaining pleasure or avoiding pain. Understanding the motivation will give you the clues necessary to help you shape your birds' behavior. To gain insights into your bird's behavior, ask yourself two empowering questions: What is motivation, and How does it apply to behavior in the wild? Much of the behavior we see in pet parrots is driven by instincts. A parrot hatched in captivity still has instincts important to its survival in the wild.

Positive reinforcement: Positive reinforcement is the most important tool we have to shape bird behavior. Positive reinforcement is anything that occurs in conjunction with an act that tends to increase the likelihood that the act will occur again. Positive reinforcement is something the subject wants, such as food, a scratch on the head, verbal praise, a kind word, security, comfort, etc.

Negative reinforcement: Another reinforcer widely used by bird owners and bird behaviorists is negative reinforcement. It is something the subject works to avoid. An example of how negative reinforcement can be used to train birds: A woman at a seminar once told me she didn't have to use treats to get her bird to do tricks. She demonstrated how she taught her bird to kiss and do a big eagle. She held her Cockatoo up to her mouth and said, "kiss! kiss! kiss" pushing her face into the bird's. The bird finally pecked her on the lips, and she stopped the harassment. Mission accomplished. Then, with the bird on her fist, she extended her arm and rolled it back and forth until the bird put its wings out to maintain its balance. The action stopped the harassment. This lady was training her bird using negative reinforcement. I also call it harassment training. This bird finally learned a peck on the lips was the only way to stop the harassment. Extending its wings would stop the rolling perch. Negative reinforcement is used many times in dealing with caged birds. When we chase our bird around the cage to get it on the hand, the bird tires from the chase and reluctantly gets on our hand. When it bites our hand, we may drop the bird to the ground, some even strike their bird to stop this behavior. Being chased, falling to the ground, or being struck may be something these birds will work to avoid in the future, maybe not. The most important point to understand about the differences between positive and negative reinforcement is this: an animal that is reinforced negatively will only work at the level necessary to avoid the negative stimulus. An animal trained with positive reinforcers will look forward to these interactions and work towards earning the reward. When we respond to our bird's loud obnoxious scream with our own, "No" or "Shut up!" is this a negative reinforcer? What if your bird enjoys your loud scream? Parrots in the wild congregate and spend time screaming for many different reasons. You may be positively reinforcing the scream, not the message you are trying to get across.

Punishment is a method that has little use in bird training. Punishment always decreases the probability of an act occurring again. Punishment takes place after the action, is not directly associated with the action, and the animal cannot stop the behavior to avoid the punishment. Example: You come home and see your parrot on the sofa next to the coffee table. A hole has been chewed into the edge of this beautiful table, which took place probably hours before. You sweep the bird up, toss it in the cage and cover it up. This is punishment. Tossing the bird in its cage is not directly associated with the action of chewing the table. You don't know exactly when the bird chewed the table. The bird cannot control the outcome, and it cannot stop chewing the table to avoid the punishment. In situations such as these, punishment seldom affects the unwanted behavior. Punishment should always be avoided when working with animals. Animals live in the here and now. They do not understand that they are being punished for something that happened in the past. What's of primary importance to them is what is taking place right now. A dog runs through the field; its master whistling for the dog to come. Later, the dog returns. The master whacks the dog. The dog must now decipher which event earned the whack. Swimming in the creek, chasing the rabbit, sniffing the tree, or coming to his master. It is most likely that the dog will associate the action occurring at the time, with the whack, i.e., coming to his master.

Understanding positive and negative reinforcement, and avoiding the use of punishment are very important aspects of bird training. The key to modifying bird behavior is understanding motivation and the responsible use of reinforcement. Taking ownership of your bird's behaviors, will heighten your sensitivity and give you the motivation needed to solve any behavior problem.