Why Does My Bird Do That?: A Guide to Parrot Behavior

An updated guide to healthier, happier birds and owners

According to the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association, people keep more than 17 million birds as pets in the United States. Parrots’ natural intelligence and cleverness are a part of their appeal, but they can lead to a great deal of frustration on the part of owners who just don’t understand where the "misbehavior" comes from. This extensively updated guide focuses on domestically raised parrots and helps owners understand and correct their birds’ behaviors. Readers discover how to identify behaviors that signal illness or stress, manage undesirable behaviors like biting and screaming, and give their parrots proper care.

Julie Rach Mancini (Indianola, IA) got her first pet, a parakeet named Charlie, when she was six years old, and had Sinbad, an African grey parrot with special needs, for ten years. She assisted in the preparation of the first issue of Birds USA and became editor of Bird Talk in 1992. She’s a popular writer of pet-related materials.