Budgie Body Language
There are a few aspects of budgie behaviour which can indicate how the bird is feeling.
A contented budgie will sit well on its perch either in a proud displaying stance or with feathers puffed out,in a more comfortable,relaxed and chattering mood,with a variety of sounds which can vary in volume from the barely audible to those which can be heard over the radio.A contented budgie will also audibly grind its beak as if its cracking seed.
A frightened budgie will screech loudly, its feathers flattened, eyes alert in readiness to take off at a moments notice.
A distressed budgie will hold its wings away from its body and often appear to be panting or breathing hard with its beak open,sometimes even closing it's eyes for brief periods. A budgie displaying this behaviour is under stress, it is not happy, it is either scared of something or is just too hot and may even regurgitate seed under these conditions,rubbing its head and expelling the seed some distance from its body.
The alarm call is a sharp hissed 'tssst tssst' sound. This can be used sparingly to make a budgie stop what it is doing and fly off. A useful means of communication if the bird is out of reach and chewing at something it should not.
Budgies will bite in self defence. This is a hard bite as opposed to a playful nibble and a sign that the bird does not want to be bothered.As already noted , females bite the hardest and it is not unknown for them to draw blood.It is a good idea to back off when a budgie starts biting hard as nothing will be gained by pursuing an activity other than annoying the bird and that will get you nowhere regards taming or training.
Even a single budgie will display courtship behaviour, generally directed at its reflection in a mirror, but it has been known for this behaviour to occur between a budgie and it's owner if there is a particulary strong bond between them.The eyes go into pinholes with the pupils contracting so that you see a large ring of white with a tiny black dot in the centre,the bird chatters and bobs it's head up and down against it's perceived partner.raising and lowering the feathers on it's head.This is when the budgie will feed it's reflection in the mirror.When males do this you will find de - husked seed stuck to the mirror and on the cage floor beneath it,females produce more of a soup which can make quite a mess dripping of the mirror.
The reason for this difference is because males show off their ability to feed their mate, whereas females regurgitate food which would be suitable for their young chicks.
A female who is ready to mate while she is in the pinhole display mood will make a buzzing sound and go into a U shape with tail and head held high and allow her neck and chest to be stroked,pushing herself against your finger.
Raised wings- A way of cooling off when he or she is overheated.
Yawning- Usually budgies yawn when they are tired, but a series of yawns can indicate a sign
of low oxegen.
Rubbing their beak against a perch-This is the way a budgie cleans its bill after a good meal.
Burying its head under its feathers- This indicates that your budgie is sleeping
Standing on one foot- Again this is another sleeping position.
It looks thin- This indicates that the budgie is scared stiff!!
Grinding in the bill- This indicates thats your budgie is happy.
Shaking its feathers-This is how a budgie gets rid of its dirt particles. This can also indicate a mood change.