Yes. Let’s Ask, “Why Are Parrots So Noisy” Instead

If you’ve ever been to an exotic bird store, a breeder’s or a person’s house who has parrots, then you know. You could have also heard a flock of parrots fly by- their sound is unique and they are loud. The question is better not as “Is it normal for parrots to be noisy?”  but instead, “Why?”

In the wild if your flock flew from tree to tree then you’d have to be able to hear them. Parrots quickly vanish in a tree, their camouflage being amazingly leaf-like. Of course, since parrots fly considerable distances quickly, they have to be heard over a distance. So, they are loud.

At Home: Parrots & Their Noise

As humans, the chitter-chatter of small parrots, like budgies, may be a sweet sound. The squawking of a Cockatoo or another large bird might be cacophonous. You might consider it difficult to take and even annoying.

I don’t find that my parrots are loud and squawking all of the time, but some common conversations in my house include the phrase, “What?” because in the early morning or early evening it is common for parrots to be vocal. Amazons, for example, are said to greet the day- with their voice – and then say good bye, again with their voice.

A Vociferous Parrot Can Also Be In Distress

Of course, a parrot can voice their joy or their distress – and an unhappy parrot can voice this for hours on end.

What distresses a parrot?

Some of the obvious issues can be boredom or a lack of food, sunlight or water.

However, I want to focus on the loss of their “parrot-ness.” A lost parrot-soul.

I have done it all with parrots: I have hand-raised breeders and pets; I have rescued young parrots and, more significantly, adults. I have observed some of what shapes the personality of a parrot, the conditioning that comes from being hand-fed versus hand-reared, the latter meaning that time and love are given in addition to food as opposed to a parrot almost being ignored and just fed.

Just like humans, the experiences that a parrot has affect and shape their behavior, their outlook on life and how they relate to other parrots or people.

Just like humans, conditioning has a lot to do with whether or not needs are met. Needs go beyond physical needs for food and shelter; just as important and impactful are emotional or social needs for both humans and parrots. Interestingly enough, at this time, we are experiencing the pandemic and people have had to socially distance for months. Now that it is Thanksgiving, the news keeps reporting about the fact that people are planning to fly, against warnings that it is best to stay home, and they are reporting on what percentage of people plan to require their Thanksgiving guests to wear masks.

What’s missing here is the recognition that our human nature is social; we need our family tribe. That need is strong, stronger than an old concern about socially distancing. People have been told to social distance for so long that the novelty has worn off and they’d rather spend their holiday with their tribe.

Parrots are no different, except I might easily argue that they may be more social than people. If people would rather go to Thanksgiving, imagine what a parrot who is deprived of his flock would be like. Imagine a parrot who is isolated and kept in a home or cage by him or herself day after day with only some engagement with humans when we have time to spend with our beloved pet.

In jail, that’s practically solitary confinement. No, I’m not saying you should not have a pet parrot; I’m saying that I’ve rescued parrots that had no other parrots in their lives and I find them to be somewhat broken, “parrotless.” They weren’t given the chance to develop themselves and know themselves as a parrot because they didn’t have another parrot of their species or otherwise to be a parrot with. Instead, being told to be quiet, being clipped and scolded for doing typical parrot things, like eating at the wood furniture, is damaging to the psyche.

You Can Hear Parrots In My Videos

When I record videos, you can hear my parrots. I recently had a question in which someone asked why there is a parrot constantly calling in the background. Well, I have parrots and I know they are loud. It can get hard at times, but during most of the day they aren’t so loud. My parrots particularly seem to want to be YouTube stars because they always seem to get super vocal during videos — and that’s also when get performance anxiety and stop doing tricks!

Yes, if you have parrots, you know they are loud. If their is distress, hopefully you can and will do something about it. For example, our rescue is getting more calm. She is starting to spend time in the bird room without calling, but again, mornings are loud. That’s just the way parrots are. When the opportunity arises, I’m going to try to find her a mate so that she can experience another parrot of her species. Parrots relate and recognize their own species quite differently that other parrot species. Their behavior changes and becomes more “natural.”

Yes, parrots are loud because that’s what they are by natural design.

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Have a questions about parrots?
As the author of “The Parrot Bliss Bond,” I love and welcome questions about having a parrot and creating one of the best experiences of your life!

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