Is your bird is acting a little off, a little nippy, or just plain irritable? Have you noticed increasing vocalizations, screaming, fanning of tail feathers, pinning eyes or outright aggression? Is your bird strutting, lunging and attacking when anyone comes near its cage? Well, it may be due to the onset of Spring, a time when most bird species enter hormonal cycles to prepare for breeding. Birds are hard-wired to respond to increasing daylight and temperatures and these changes, combined with other seasonal changes, can wreak havoc with pet birds and their human companions, if they are unprepared.

So what can one do? Well, for starters, try to eliminate any nesting material from the bird’s environment. For many birds, just the sight of a box or newspaper is enough to encourage nesting behaviors. Try to keep the light and temperature in your bird’s environment at a stable level. With the increasing daylight, you may need to close the blinds or curtains to allow for the bird to have a balance of 12 hours of light and dark. Controlling the amount of lighting can go a long way towards minimizing the hormonal swings your bird may experience. Speaking of dark, don’t forget ensuring that your bird has 10-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep in a quite, dark environment. This may mean that you will need to provide ‘sleep’ cage in a room separate from its normal usual living area. Review your bird’s diet and try to minimize starches and sugars such as corn or grapes. Make sure your bird is getting a well balanced diet. Ensure that your bird is getting plenty of exercise, exercise and more exercise! You may be amazed at how regular physical activity will minimize those hormonal swings!

Your bird's "March Madness" may also mean respecting your bird’s signals and not forcing handling if they are "in a mood". Try not to handle the bird in a way that will encourage sexual behaviors, such as stroking down the back or grabbing the beak. If your bird does get over stimulated, aggressive or lashes out, try to ignore the behavior and not reinforce it. Your bird cannot control these hormonal responses, but its human companions can control how they react and respond. And remember, springtime hormonal behaviors are normal and fortunately, short-lived. The good news is that these behaviors don’t last forever and your bird will return to normal in a couple of weeks.

The Alaska Bird Club • P.O. Box 101825 • Anchorage AK 99510
akbirdclub@yahoo.com