FEATURE
eight years old and “extremely tame and social”. His owner wrote: “Now I feel he needs a woman in his life?”
F Right? No,
wrong. Why do owners of single parrots
suddenly decide that the bird needs a mate?
It could be that it is showing
signs of sexual maturity and guilt sets in because the bird is being “deprived”. Or perhaps it is becoming nippy and hard to handle. This is the human view. Now look at it from the bird’s viewpoint. This cherished “darling” lorikeet has been a companion for eight years, receiving the undivided attention of its adoring owner. Suddenly, another bird arrives -- a competitor for attention. There is no doubt at all that most companion parrots feel jealousy in this situation -- at least initially, if not permanently. The owner has encouraged the original
bird to bond with him or her, even to regard the human carer as a mate -- often to be preened and even to be the subject of courtship behaviour. The newcomer is therefore often attacked as a rival. Whether it is actually attacked or just
treated with suspicion or indifference depends partly on the species. For example, the Grey Parrot is not an
rom Sweden came this request: “Can you help me find a mate for my darling Massena’s Lorikeet?” He is
When a friend with a Grey rescued another bird of the same species that urgently needed rehoming, the original Grey ignored the newcomer completely. Two years down the line, it just pretends it does not exist. No potential mate there!
aggressive species but a social one that lives in large flocks. When a friend with a Grey rescued another bird of the same species that urgently needed rehoming, the original Grey ignored the newcomer completely. Two years down the line, it just pretends it does not exist. No potential mate there! Lorikeet behaviour is very different. Even though this is another social species, occurring in flocks outside the breeding season, all lories and lorikeets have an aggressive trait that is especially apparent in hand-reared birds. If the owner of the hand-reared male Massena’s Lorikeet had acquired a female, the chances are that it would have been quickly attacked or even killed. Lorikeets have very fast reflexes and the deed could be done before the owner has a chance to intervene. I can recall the case of someone who kept a female Black-capped Lory as a pet,
BIRD SCENE 33
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