Sam Foster
Avian Consultant
Specializing in Cockatoo Care and Behavior

Cockatoos and African Greys: Are they Really So Different?

Part 2of 2 - Phobic Behaviour

by Sam Foster and Jane Hallander

This article is reprinted from The Pet Bird Report, with permission from the author.

According to Webster?s dictionary, a phobia is "an exaggerated, usually inexplicable and illogical fear of an object, class of objects, or situation". If we use this meaning as a standard, how do we then determine which behaviors in our companion parrots are truly "phobic". The bird who throws itself to the cage bottom, screaming to scare us away is probably phobic 'if' he repeats this behavior whenever one or more people try to handle him. The parrot who runs away from your hand or the "up" command may mot be phobic, but instead just be trying to assert his own flock dominance.

A number of excellent articles have appeared over the years in The Pet Bird Report discussing various methods for successfully dealing with this particular problem. Our intention here is to analyze some of the possible causes of phobias and why they appear to be more prevalent in some species, such as cockatoos and African greys. Hopefully, through a greater cognizance and understanding of the instincts and thought processes of these highly intelligent creatures, we might learn to avoid potentially traumatic situations or events that can lead to phobic behavior.

There are many often repeated theories and phrases concerning the care and behavior of companion parrots...things such as “birds are prey animals”, “never force a hand-raised baby to wean”, “it is critical to teach young birds to be independent”, and “parrots in captivity are still wild animals”. Although we believe statements such as these to be true, and may use them as a basis for the daily interaction with our birds, do we fully comprehend the enormous impact that following these guidelines, and others like them, have on our birds future emotional health, adaptability, and long term happiness in a pet environment?

Let’s begin by considering all the different cockatoo personalities. Are there some cockatoos who show phobic tendencies more than others? If so, why is this and what factors may be involved...such as genetics, natural instincts, the physical environment or human “engineering” . Consider this scenario. Four Rose-breasted Cockatoo babies are taken from the nest as they reach 7-days of age and are brought into a clean, well-maintained, bright, and cheerful nursery to be hand raised. They are placed in a brooder made of clear acrylic with red low wattage bulbs for warmth, allowing the hand-feeder to easily monitor their actions and progress, day and night. All four babies eat well and are growing at a normal rate, although the breeder and hand-feeder both notice that these babies cry considerably more than the other cockatoos in the nursery who are close to the same age.

At around five weeks of age it becomes noticeable that when the top is taken off of the brooder and the hand-feeder reaches in, the Rose-breasteds appear extremely distressed, hissing and huddling close together for security. As soon as the babies are out of the brooder and being fed, they calm down and seem fine. This same pattern of behavior continues until they are moved into a small weaning cage, then the problem is no longer obvious.

This breeder has a small aviary and there are only a few other babies being raised at the same time, including two Umbrella Cockatoos and three Goffins. Although each baby is given individual attention every day, including lots of cuddles and scratches, by the time the Rose-breasteds are fledging, there is some concern that they are not going to be as affectionate as either the umbrella or goffins babies. In an effort to correct this situation and increase their desire for human interaction, the Rose-breasteds are separated and put into individual cages, and the hand-feeder spends more time with these babies on a daily basis throughout the weaning process, attempting to teach them to enjoy more physical contact.

When the youngest galah is 10-weeks old, all four are given their first wing clips. The umbrellas and goffins are close to the same age and fully feathered, and are also clipped at this time. The youngest goffins is a very small bird and can still fly extremely well, even with quite a few feathers cut from each wing. So it is decided that for her own safety, all the primaries on both wings should be clipped to prevent her from flying into a window or out the door, and indeed that works to totally eliminate any flight capabilities.

The following week, one of the umbrella’s loses his balance while dozing on the playgym. Although he instinctively flaps his wings, he cannot slow the force of his fall and lands hard on the tile floor, breaking several tail feathers. Fearing there may be other injuries, the breeder takes the young umbrella to her avian veterinarian. After a thorough exam, it is confirmed that there are no other injuries. The vet and his assistant carefully wrap the young umbrella in a towel and pull the broken feathers. The bird is then returned to the nursery where both the breeder and hand-feeder are extremely cautious from that point on not to leave him unattended, even for a moment, while he is out of the cage.

Over the next few months all of these birds are successfully weaned onto a varied and nutritious diet, and sold to caring and responsible people who are given both verbal and written directions from the breeder for the continuing care of their pet cockatoos. Eventually, each young bird leaves the facility to become a much treasured and adored addition to its new home, adjusting quickly to the new surroundings and appearing perfectly content.

The question is, are any of these cockatoos more likely to develop behavioral problems or phobias than others? It appears that all of these birds were thoughtfully and lovingly cared for by both the breeder and the hand-feeder, and the new owners were educated to some degree about proper diet and husbandry. With this seemingly ideal start in life, what could possibly go wrong?

It is very disturbing to me that the highest incidence of extreme phobic behavior I see in cockatoos, through my research studies, consultations and discussions with breeders and other behaviorists, is in Rose-breasted’s. Considering the limited number of these birds in captivity in the United States compared to many other cockatoo species, the percentage is alarming. There are also some others who appear to have a slightly higher incidence of phobias such as Citrons, Goffins, Umbrellas and Moluccans (although this certainly does not mean that other cockatoos never exhibit phobic behavior). We should remember that the numbers of these particular birds kept as pets, in comparison to most of the Australian cockatoos and some other South Pacific species, is significantly higher, and so it is natural to assume that we might see more problems, of various natures, in these birds. Yet, it is interesting to me that these four cockatoos are native to Indonesia, and that the Rose-breasted is the Australian cockatoo who seemingly suffers from this affliction more than others. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Just what can happen to a bird when unrealistic expectations are placed upon it while still young...the inner battle with instincts and genetics....and how might that lead to phobic behavior?

Although African greys are limited to only two sub-species, we are hearing of basic differences between the personalities of the nominate sub-species (Congo, for lack of a better term) and the smaller, darker Timneh sub-species. Many individual owners, breeders and behavioral consultants say over and over that Timnehs have a quieter, less prone to neurotic behavior, personality than their larger cousins. I used to think this was due only to the fact that Congos were imported and bred in much larger numbers than the less colorful Timnehs. However, the past 10 years have seen a great interest in Timneh African greys, with a resulting large number of domestically bred, hand-fed birds released to the pet bird market. And, they are still notable for their adaptability to change and calmness in the stressful situations that might drive a Congo to pluck feathers or become truly phobic.

This made me rethink my theories. I do still believe that there are much larger numbers of neurotic, insecure Congo African greys than Timnehs, simply because there are more Congos to count. However, there hasn’t been a great number of neurotic Timnehs produced in the past 10 years, as we breed and sell more of them. Here is my current theory and this is a theory that applies directly to cause of phobias in African greys, since we see many fewer phobic Timnehs than phobic Congo greys. Briefly, Timneh greys start talking and vocalizing sooner than Congos -- some Timnehs as soon as five months, while Congos usually don't start vocalizing a lot until after they are a year old. If we assume that vocalization is an important part of an adult bird's communication within a flock -- danger calls, mating calls, foraging calls, etc. -- we might say that a parrot is genetically programmed to start imitating calls when he or she matures enough to become part of everyday flock 'business'. A juvenile, still under intensive parental guidance, probably has little need to imitate and learn flock calls. If this is true, it would appear that Timnehs might mature faster than Congos, making a long parental guidance period unnecessary.

Unless they endure severe abuse, we rarely see wild caught, imported greys of either sub-species that show true phobic symptoms. This is probably because they are raised and parented over a natural, for each sub-species, period of time. In a domestic breeding environment, weaning and fledging times might be the same, however if it is true that Timnehs are genetically programmed to interact sooner with the flock, they might not fall prey to the insecurities that we seen so often with six to 18 month old Congo greys.

Looking at Yellow-nape, Blue-front and Double yellow-head amazons, species where there is early vocalization and possibly early independence, we see very few cases of feather plucking and phobias. This all indicates that how we handle certain species during their most formative times sets the stage for future behavior.

Phobias in African greys and other African parrots are related to their abilities to emotionally deal with what they perceive as 'prey/predator' situations. For example, many natural predators to African greys come from above -- raptors, such as hawks and eagles. I have had several clients with greys who became very phobic toward their primary handlers after overhead, track lighting was installed in the birds' room. Usually, the owners didn't think to remove the parrots from the room while work was in progress. In all instances, here were birds, genetically programmed to fear danger from above, in the middle of situations with people working on ladders above their cages, noisily pounding with hammers and drills, pieces of ceiling or lighting parts occasionally falling around them and eventually, bright lights that weren't there before turned on overhead. I'd be phobic too, if I were a prey animal that didn't understand the cause and effect reasoning behind what was going on in my territory.

Another common cause of phobia in African greys is 'feather pulling'. Because greys are heavy bodied birds, they can be very clumsy juveniles. This probably doesn't happen in the wild, because wild greys are fully flighted and so make up for any clumsiness by flying and gliding gracefully. In our artificial environments we must clip wings, for the birds' safety. This causes many young greys to crash to the floor if they lose their grip on perch or cage, sometimes breaking blood feathers. It's a common practice with some veterinarians to pull those broken feathers, and sometimes even surrounding feathers, out by the shaft. This can be very painful to the parrot, who perceives it as torture, rather than a veterinary procedure. The bird's owner is often present during this torturous event. The parrot associates the pain and fright with those who are in the room with him, and a long term phobia of veterinarian and owner starts.

Let’s consider how some of this same information might apply to those three clutches of cockatoo babies. How about the goffin’s with the severe wing clip? We have seen numerous accounts of phobic birds who are also severe feather pluckers or feather shredders. In trying to correlate one with the other, it appears that this is a tragic example of “pain” as it relates to phobias.

There are several ways in which such a clip can affect a bird, the most obvious being balance and the inability to adequately counter a fall. Repeated falls of any nature may cause blood feathers to break or bleed even though there may be no other serious physical injury, which there often is. We humans may analyze this situation concluding that it is the fall itself that causes the bird to suffer pain. However, in the mind of a pet bird, he may suddenly, or over a period of time, associate that repeated physical and emotional suffering with what “he” perceives to be the cause...us. In this situation, the highly emotional bird may begin to chew or shred these broken or damaged feathers out of pain or nervousness, or both. In some cases, when combined with a phobia, this activity becomes habitual and the pattern is extremely difficult to correct.

The umbrella who had his tail feathers pulled as the result of falling from the playgym could potentially develop a phobia at some stage if forced to undergo this same procedure again. He might also exhibit extreme fear or anxiety when taken to the vet even for a routine exam, or when a towel is used for restraint, as a result of that past experience. In these situations it is imperative for the owner and avian veterinarian to discuss this situation and how they can create an environment to hopefully minimize that possibility.

And what lies ahead for the Rose-breasted’s? The complexities of this beautiful little cockatoo could certainly fill a book. Very briefly, the human “engineering” which can occur in some hand-raising situations, as described previously, battle strongly with genetics and instincts. Placing young chicks just removed from a dark nestbox into a clear or brightly lit brooder can have a negative impact on many birds, not just Rose-breasted’s. Their natural instinct is to stay “hidden”, with protection offered from a dark tree cavity and from the bodies of parent birds and siblings. Constant or unexpected movements and activities of people in the nursery, or even lifting the cover of the brooder and peeking in, may represent a continual danger to some young birds, causing repeated traumas during an extremely sensitive developmental phase.

Separating a clutch of cockatoos is not something that I would personally recommend, unless there was a health issue involved. The social structure of the galah is unique, even to other cockatoos, and the interaction of siblings (or other young cockatoos in the case of a single chick) plays an important role in their maturing process.

As for attempting to “force” a Rose-breasted to enjoy more tactile interaction, there may be some long-term emotional risks for the bird involved in this process. As with most baby birds, cuddling and close body contact are typically enjoyed, and even sought after, by galahs. Due to instinctive behavior, they will generally become more independent (although still very affectionate and social) as they reach fledging. When the human caretaker views this as a problem, or unnatural cockatoo trait, they may overcompensate by showering the bird with even more attention trying to “increase” the birds dependence. Again, this is where a problem may begin. *Specific Rose-breasted Cockatoo characteristics and behavior will be discussed in future Pet Bird Report articles.

While no one can absolutely guarantee that a young cockatoo or African grey will grow into a happy, well-adjusted adult bird, or that they will never develop a phobia, there are certainly ways to minimize potential problems. The successful hand-raising, weaning and socializing of young birds must be a combined effort, to include the breeder, the hand-feeder or "teacher", and the new owner.

The breeder can help insure the physical health of babies by properly caring for the breeder birds. The hand-feeder (teacher) plays a tremendously important role, and the lasting influences of this impressionable stage can be seen throughout the birds life. This "teacher" not only furnishes a safe haven and abundant food supply, but provides necessary lessons in natural and "flock" behavior, play, eating habits, dominance and rule- setting. Young cockatoos and African greys (indeed all pet birds) who do not receive these early advantages are more likely to face either physical or emotional problems at some point in their lives.

It is also important for there to be an open and honest line of communication between the breeder and the new owner. A caring and conscientious breeder who is dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing, and healthy environment for their birds should not feel ashamed if an unavoidable accident or injury, or inexplicable illness, occurs despite determined efforts to prevent such incidents. One of the greatest disservice’s this breeder can do to the people involved, and to the young bird, is to keep that information from the new owner. No matter how insignificant something like having a few tail feathers pulled as the result of a fall may seem, or how irrelevant it might appear that a bird went through a short period of obvious distress during the hand-feeding process, these and other day to day events have the “potential” to negatively effect a birds behavior at some stage in its life, under certain circumstances. Whether or not that actually happens depends on a number of variables, including the individual birds personality, the extent and duration of the trauma, and the owners willingness and ability to prevent situations which might appear threatening to a sensitive companion parrot.

It is crucial for us to remember that natural instincts and genetic influences are always present in our pet birds. Our continuing efforts to better understand the impact of these factors on the actions and reactions of parrots in captivity, and to apply that knowledge in a positive and responsible manner during the early developmental stages of life, can possibly lead to a dramatic reduction in some of the severe, and much too prevalent, problems such as phobic behavior. Hopefully, as our knowledge and experience in aviculture continues to increase and expand, there will be ongoing positive changes in the philosophies and husbandry of both breeders and pet bird owners.

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