Bird express behaviours that seem bizarre to us humans. Some behaviours are instinctive and other behaviours are learnt. We understand when birds do things like preening themselves, bathing in birdbaths, caring for their young and chirping, behaviours that can seem foreign to us include ruffling their feathers. So why do they do this? Why do birds ruffle their feathers? 

Birds ruffle their feathers when they are preening, this helps them better groom their feathers, another reason why they ruffle their feathers is to regulate their body temperature or express that they are not doing well health-wise. If your bird is tense it may ruffle its feathers to relax

Why do birds ruffle their feathers?

When a bird riffles their feathers, it may be because of or signalling several things.

There are many different interpretative meanings to the body language of birds. A common body language tactic is the ruffling of their feathers. Ruffling their feathers is a way to preen and clean their plumage.

Ruffling feathers is also a way of self-regulating their body temperature. The continuous or frequent ruffling of the feathers can be an emergency warning sign that they are not well.

It’s also been documented that ruffled feathers results in reduced levels of tension in birds. A tense bird may try to shrug off some of the tension by occasionally ruffling its feathers. This could be a telling sign that your bird is troubled by something in the environment and feels uneasy.

How do I know if my bird is happy?

Besides singing, screeching and chatter, birds can also communicate their happiness through their body language. Birds typically quiver when they are excited, they wag or flip their tail feathers up and down when they’re happy. Smaller birds like canaries and songbirds are known to flutter around you in fits of enjoyment. Parakeets tend to cuddle and may try to preen or stroke your hair to show their happiness and affection.

How can you tell if a bird is sad?

A sad bird will show their discomfort by being rigid, silent, shy, or aloof. Any posture that is rigid, unmoving, detached or distancing from you also shows distrust and discomfort. Sad birds also ruffle their feathers in a bid to shake off some of the sadness. Also, sad birds will appear restless moving side to side while being quiet.

How do birds show affection?

Much like humans’, birds also have a range of body language to communicate their affection. Some birds kiss each other, others sing long delightful songs. More often, birds will seek to be close, snuggle, perform beaking, hop about and even hang from your hair as a sign of their affection and closeness with you.

How do you tell if your bird is bonded to you?

A bird that trusts you will bond with you. A bird that is bonded to you will display behaviours like those of appreciation, affection, and happiness. A bonded bird will seek to mimic your behaviours, for example, eating while you’re eating and being in the same mood as you are in.

More so it will treat you as another member of their flock. That is, they will seek to preen you, by pulling at your hair. They will seek to engage you in playful activities for example landing on your head, hanging on your clothes and hair. They will display levels of trust like sleeping in your hand, lap or beside you. They will show high levels of excitement when they see you by flapping and flicking their tails. Songbirds will sing and flutter whenever they get the chance as an expression of their bond with you.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, there are many reasons why a bird may ruffle its feathers, this can include regulating body temperature, preening themselves or a sign that it is not feeling well. You will know if a bird is doing well if it’s singing and chirping. You’ll know that the bird is not doing well if it is aloof, silent or shy. If your bird is getting close to you, snuggling around you then you know that it feels affection for you. Trusting you and mimicking your behaviours are signs that the bird is bonded to you

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