Birds preen on a regular basis, preening is how these little animals keep their feathers clean and in good shape. If your bird preens around you then it is likely very comfortable with you.

On the flip side, if your bird does not preen around you then it is likely nervous or uncomfortable with its surroundings or with you. Birds can preen each other and preen humans too. If this happens, the question on your mind may be ‘why does my bird preen me?’ this article looks into it.

Preening is a bird’s way of grooming itself, maintaining the quality of its feathers, and ensuring that they are in good shape. If a bird does this to you this means that it loves you, it cares about your appearance, and that the bird is very comfortable around you as preening involves letting its guard down. 

Why does my bird preen me? 4 reasons why your bird does this 

To neaten you up: 

A bird will preen itself in order to maintain its feathers, preening keeps them straight and clean. The preening process not only keeps feathers straight and clean, but it also creates a sheen on the bird’s feathers making it more shiny and beautiful.

When a bird preens you, it is trying to get the same result. Birds will preen your hair in an effort to get it to look neater, keep your hygiene up, and maintain the quality of your hair.

To show affection: 

Another reason why birds preen you is to show affection. Preening is a loving gesture that communicates that the bird cares about your hygiene.

A bird wouldn’t be happy if it had to go around with parasites, dust, and dirt on its feathers, if it cares about you then it would not like you to do this either. Preening you is a bird’s way of showing affection towards you and that it cares about you.

In addition, this process takes an inordinate amount of time, if a bird preens you, you can be sure that it really likes you 

As a sign of trust: 

If your bird chooses to preen you, this communicates that the bird is very comfortable with you and feels safe around you.

The act of preening takes focus and effort. The bird has to lower its guard in order to focus and put effort into preening you. The only way a bird will lower its guard is if it trusts you.

Other ways that birds show that they trust you is if they chew on your clothes, nose, hair, or ears. 

As a way to bond with you: 

Birds can get very attached to their human companions, the more you take care of these animals, the stronger their relationships with you will be.

Once a bird realizes that you provide attention and care to them, they will repay this attention and care by offering companionship and affection in the form of preening you. 

Warning about preening: 

Preening comes from a loving place, but it can still get uncomfortable. Some birds can preen quite aggressively and this can cause discomfort. If this is the case, gently remove the bird when it begins to preen you, the bird will learn to stop this behavior. 

Birds use their beaks to preen your hair, this can lead to the animal ingesting some of your hair products or if the bird preens your face, ingesting some of your makeup products.

To avoid this, keep the bird safe by skipping the makeup and hair care products if your bird enjoys preening you

What about birds preening themselves? 

Generally, healthy birds are happy and are willing to preen themselves, these animals have been preening themselves for centuries, but if a bird suddenly stops preening its feathers and fussing about its appearance then the animal may be ill and you may need to take it to a vet.

On the flip side, if the bird is preening itself too much, then the animal may be suffering from an internal illness, a skin disease, or mental distress. 

Is it ok to preen your bird?

If your bird is healthy then you don’t need to preen the animal. If the bird does not preen itself, the feathers will likely fall off on their own when it’s their time.

Another reason why you should not preen your bird yourself is that having feathers removed can be painful for the bird. That being said, you can help with the molting process by scratching the bird while it is molting.

How else do birds show affection?

Cuddling: If your bird cuddles up to you and can’t get enough of you, then you know it loves you and is trying to show affection just as humans do to each other 

Purring: This is more to show satisfaction around you, the bird’s body will be relaxed and its feathers will start to fluff up as it purrs

Barking: Similarly to how dogs bark to show excitement towards you, birds will do the same 

Kisses: Kisses aren’t strictly for humans, birds kiss their humans to show affection especially to their favorite people 

Regurgitation: This may seem like an odd way to show affection but the reason behind it is somewhat logical. If a bird regurgitates around you, and in close proximity to you, it is trying to feed you and or has chosen you as a mate. 

Head shaking: Not all expressions of affection need to be heard, if a bird shakes its head from side to side in a fluid motion then this can mean that it’s excited, showing affection, or requesting attention 

Tail wagging: Just as with dogs, birds will wag their tails to indicate happiness and affection towards you

Do birds feel love?

According to scientists, there is no evidence that shows that birds experience feelings and emotions like love as humans do.

However, if you’re a bird owner, or a bird observer, you’ve probably noticed birds expressing love to you by being affectionate.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, your bird preens you to help keep up your hygiene. Your bird will also preen your hair in an attempt to keep it neat and shiny just as it would with its feathers.

Other signs of a bird showing affection include cuddling, purring, barking, kisses, regurgitation, head shaking, and tail wagging

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why is my bird suddenly aggressive?, How do birds chew their food?, How do birds defend themselves?, Why does my bird eat its poop?, Why is my bird throwing up?,