Trick or 'Tiel wrote:I already talked about this, he chirps because he likes to be with me and not because he wants another bird. He will stop chirping once I take him out, because he is with me and that's what he wants. You said in another post that "it doesn't matter how many hours they're out, they still keep chirping because they want a mate" or something like that, but it does matter. My tiel will stop chirping when he's with me, because I'm his flock. A single bird of any species will need human interaction to keep them happy. You say that they don't need it when they're with other birds, but I don't have other tiels and a lot of other people don't, so yes my tiel needs it. He doesn't make a peep when he's out and with humans. You also said in another post that it has nothing to do with individual birds, but you also said that a single tiel will need to be slowly introduced into a flock setting. If the single tiel was longing to be in a flock, you wouldn't have to introduce him because he would immediately want to be with the other bird. Why put so much effort into introducing a single bird into a flock if the bird is already happy with humans? Again, if the bird wasn't happy and he wanted to be with other birds, he would just be ecstatic to jump right in to living in a flock. You say that every time a bird does poorly in a flock situation it's the human's mistake. Why is it a mistake when the human intended this bird to live with humans instead of in a flock? The bird was raised with humans, so it doesn't know what it's like to live in a flock. Are you saying that the only birds that do well without a flock are large parrots such as macaws, greys, amazons, etc? Please, please don't turn this into an argument because we've already had it, and nothing you say is going to make my birds want to be with other birds, nor make me get another bird. If I get another tiel because of you, I know it would be a disaster.
Young people are always very sure they have the absolute truth while old people know better than to believe this...
Flocks in the wild are large extended families where the birds know each other from birth. But, in captivity, it's a completely different story because most flocks are made out of individuals that were not born into it - that's why you need to introduce a new bird into it gradually. Not because the bird does not want to be in flock or because the flock will reject the new bird but because strange birds joining a flock is not something that happens in nature so you need to give the new bird and the flock birds a bit of time to accept the fact that there is a 'new kid on the block'.
As to your bird wanting to be with you, of course he does! He doesn't have anybody else, you are good to him and I am sure that he loves you and, most likely, you are the only one that gives it a bit of freedom and attention but saying that our birds think we are their flock is nothing but a romantic notion that parrot owners like to believe. We are not birds, we are not with them 24/7/365, we were not there when they were born, we can't fly with them, we can't sleep with them and we cannot be their mates so, as much as we would like to believe that we provide the same comfort that a real flock does, we don't. These are undomesticated species and their needs are exactly the same as the wild birds because breeding in captivity does not mean anything really changes for them - this only happens when a species is domesticated and we manipulate the gene pool in order to change their genetic make-up -which parrot breeders don't do so even though your bird never lived in a flock, he still needs it, all parrots do... some more than others but even the ones that don't normally bond easily to other birds, like grays, do (didn't you see the scientific study done on African Grays that I posted proving this?). As to tiels calling for a mate, I don't know how old your bird is but, if he is under three years of age, he hasn't reached the age of sexual activity. It's when they get sexually frustrated that they chirp all the time for a mate. I have a single adult button quail right now because the older one died and it calls and calls and calls to the point that even my husband (who is NOT a bird person) is always commenting on how sad it is and demanding I get him another one (I have been looking non-stop but having found any yet) but, when I get him a new mate, he will stop. It's the way nature works to make sure a species will not disappear, it gives them the need to procreate to the point that nothing else matters. All animals have it and the ones that don't get spayed or neutered will do ANYTHING in their power to be able to breed - cats try to get out of the house and howl, dogs pee in every corner and birds call and call and call...