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Are macaws clowns?

Macaws, Cockatoos, Greys, Poicephalus, Conures, Lovebirds, Parrotlets, Parakeets etc. Discuss topics related to specific species of parrots and their characteristics, mutations, pros, and cons.

Re: Are macaws clowns?

Postby Pajarita » Sun Jan 17, 2016 2:51 pm

The 'a' word that escaped you is 'anthropomorphizing'.

Yes, the way you, young people, feel is what gives me hope that, one day, animals will have the right to good lives instead of been considered mere objects possessed by humans.
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Re: Are macaws clowns?

Postby Viatrixa » Wed Feb 10, 2016 5:01 pm

;) Just clarifying that most of the time when I say "clowning around" (at least when I refer to a bird) I mean that lightheartedly, though it's good to know the reason behind some of the behavior.

Birds are very complicated creatures - if one is of the sciency and humorous kind, you can joke that the "creature you are caging is the product of millions of years of evolution." So, remember: your feathered buddy is essentially a miniature dinosaur. People do tend to see human traits very easily in all pets - sometimes this is harmless, sometimes this can lead to problems. For example, one might be horrified at the concept of being dominant to a dog, but the truth is that in a healthy dog & owner relationship, you are his or her pack leader. In nature, being dominated in such a manner isn't always a negative thing (Im not sure who stated this, I think it might have been Cesar Milan?).

Birds, at least from my very newbish observations, need guidance more than dominance like that. They're extremely intelligent and learn very, very quickly - my little Simo is hardly half a year old and already he's so smart it stuns me. He learns super fast, and I also honestly feel that I learn from him.

As for the comparison to little kids, there was a very interesting documentary - I forgot it's name. In it, they presented the exact same puzzle to a dog, a toddler, and a cockatoo. The puzzle consisted of getting to a reward which was a nice treat (different for each of course!) but the actual puzzle was 100% same for all of them. The dog unfortunately failed completely; the toddler showed some interested but also didn't get very far. The cockatoo however, solved it in no time, and it had never ever been presented with such a puzzle. Just goes to show what little feathered Einsteins we love!

Just today, we bought a "birdie puzzlebox" for my little ringneck. It has holes in certain shapes and little blocks correspondingly shaped blocks. We put some treats for him in the box, and the blocks on top of them. Initially he poked at the holes and tried to get to the treats that way; until he realized that the easiest way is to pull the blocks out and THEN get to the treats. Maybe I'm just impressed easily but I still enjoyed seeing him work that puzzle so quickly! My lovely little baby. :irn:
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Re: Are macaws clowns?

Postby Wolf » Wed Feb 10, 2016 11:38 pm

Just hang on to that sense of wonder and awe that so many of us seen to lose as we age. They are wonderfully intelligent creatures. I can honestly say that although I never wanted a bird in the house and then Kiki showed up, that I am utterly and completely amazed and fascinated with these birds. I now have 7, so I guess it shows.
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Re: Are macaws clowns?

Postby Pajarita » Thu Feb 11, 2016 1:02 pm

I agree with you in principle although not in the language - I don't like to use the word 'domination' when it comes to dogs (I also don't agree with Cesar Milan methods) but I do agree that been leader (it's actually a parental role more than a leading one -even in wild canines social groupings) is a good thing when it comes to dogs. They do much better when you set behavior parameters because they want to please the parent (the human and what used to be called 'alpha') and knowing what pleases us makes them feel secure in their relationship with us. Parrots also crave security and the sense of belonging, it's only that discipline and the desire to please us doesn't really work with them because their social groupings are not 'leader' based but a more democratic 'flock' based so, yes, guidance and, most of all, outsmarting them so they think that they came up with the 'idea' is the way to go.
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Re: Are macaws clowns?

Postby Viatrixa » Mon Feb 15, 2016 12:11 pm

Pajarita wrote:I agree with you in principle although not in the language - I don't like to use the word 'domination' when it comes to dogs (I also don't agree with Cesar Milan methods) but I do agree that been leader (it's actually a parental role more than a leading one -even in wild canines social groupings) is a good thing when it comes to dogs. They do much better when you set behavior parameters because they want to please the parent (the human and what used to be called 'alpha') and knowing what pleases us makes them feel secure in their relationship with us. Parrots also crave security and the sense of belonging, it's only that discipline and the desire to please us doesn't really work with them because their social groupings are not 'leader' based but a more democratic 'flock' based so, yes, guidance and, most of all, outsmarting them so they think that they came up with the 'idea' is the way to go.


Dominance is actually a very misleading word - despite what it's actual dictionary definition is. I use it often thinking of the original latin meaning (dominus) implying the leadership position with animals, not the... shall we say, exertion of control. My friend once put it this way: "Don't control the dog, but instead, be it's leader". Too much dominance can break the dog and no one wants a poor soulless puppy who has no own will. You can put a muzzle on a dog, but this only prevents it from biting and doesn't actually -STOP- it from biting. To stop it from biting, you have to be a leader to it and instruct it.

I must confess that for the most part I don't agree with Milan's methods either; but some however, are very humane and functional. For example, if a dog is of a herding breed, it's unquestionably healthy to take it to a ranch / farm once in a while and let it's natural instincts take over. I won't go into the methods I disagree with (albeit from your mindset Pajarita, I almost dare to hazard a guess we think of the same things XD)

The issue with any animal expert is that they do partially work in the show business in one way or another, and thusly some methods are more designed for a submissive animal. With animal experts, one has to carefully pick and mix some of their methods and ignore others. A good way to determine weather some method / tactic is good for an animal is by answering the following question:

"Are you doing this to make your own life easy, or are you doing this to make the animal's life easy?" :swaying: naturally logic will of course get one far here: some cockatoo owners wear headphones to protect their ears from the morning vocalizations. :mrgreen:

Birds need guidance and a flockmate they will learn from. In this case it's us! We ignore his "I INSIST A TREAT" squawk, but reward him when he tries to imitate laughter or sounds etc. Though it takes a bit of practice too with the unwanted vocalizations because there are moments when he might be telling us something (eg. water bowl is empty)

LOOK HOW MUCH I'VE LEARNED IN HALF A YEAR! :irn: I owe it all to my lovely Simo. And you board guys ;)
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Re: Are macaws clowns?

Postby liz » Tue Aug 14, 2018 4:40 am

Finding a post from Wolf really makes me miss him.
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