I've been meaning to post about this but I kept on forgetting so sorry for the delay!
On December 21 we had the Winter Solstice for 2016. This means we had the shortest day and the longest night of the year - but it also means that, from then on, the days will be getting longer and the nights shorter in preparation for spring which, to us, parrot keepers, means breeding season for the long day breeders (most species). But, even before that, we will have the breeding season for the short day breeders (cockatoos, psittaculas, grays, etc).
By mid-January, there will be a difference of about 20 minutes and, as we know from studies that birds' bodies register that short a difference, you will start seeing signs of change in all birds kept to a strict solar schedule - one of them being a partial molt.
When the daylight hours hit around 10 hours (this includes civil twilight, not just sunrise and sunset), you will start seeing definite behavioral changes in the short day breeders, the females will get all mushy about affection, the males will start getting a bit antsy and both will start looking for nesting places - and chewing chewing chewing in earnest. This is the time to start increasing protein intake if you keep, as I do, two different diets for breeding and resting seasons.
So, let's all be prepared for it and enjoy living with a 'wild' animal in our homes!