How to Know if Your Bird Loves You? – 13 Signs of Unconditional Love

Translated by Nick R

It is said that love is capable of anything and indeed it is; many have died for love and many others have loved to death. But is your pet bird capable of loving you as much as you love it?

Can birds love you?

Yes. All pets are capable of feeling and even expressing affection for other animals, including humans. We, as good owners, always want to show our pets how much we love them and that can be returned positively, animals are amazing beings and with different ways of expressing feelings or emotions. Despite popular belief, it is not only conventional pets that show love, birds can do it too.

Although, some species are more receptive and have a greater capacity to express themselves. In general, all birds are affectionate, and intelligent, and can express emotionality, showing their love. Species such as parrots, cockatoos, cockatiels, and macaws are the most expressive birds and have a highly developed language, which allows them to show affection very easily.

This is due to the social behavior of birds, most of which are organized in social groups: flocks or communities. In addition, they are monogamous, the vast majority of them are so faithful that they stay with the same partner all their lives!

Oh, love, love, love…

How to find out if your bird loves you

To identify whether a bird feels appreciation or affection for you, you must take into account three factors.

Trust

Birds are animals that take their time to offer their trust. This is not the case with other pets that tend to trust humans much faster, such as dogs or cats. Therefore, one way to detect that you are building a bond with your bird is trust. Well, if your little friend trusts you, it means that you can get closer without scaring him/her and you can open the door to a possible harmonious relationship.

Body language

Birds don’t have the ability to express emotions or feelings through their faces, because they don’t have the facial muscles that we have to smile or frown when we are angry; body language is a way they developed to express themselves. Each species of bird has its own way of expressing itself, with different codes, and some may have a greater ability to communicate.

Learn more about body language here.

Noises

The bird emits sounds when you are near, many may be interpreted otherwise and not as a sign of love. But, the truth is that birds emit various sounds and many are with an intention, depending on the situation. Some birds, in fact, developed very sophisticated communication mechanisms such as patterned sounds as a form of community language. A clear example of this is parrots, which managed to develop a special organ for this purpose: the syrinx.

So, what should I take into account to know if my bird loves me?

Does your bird love you?

Considering the above factors that influence how birds express emotions and, particularly, love for their owners, you will find that there are many signs that indicate whether a bird loves you. Your bird’s behavior will tell you everything, so pay close attention to its attitude.

In this case, I am going to use as a model of analysis, the most common birds in homes; I am talking about domestic pets such as parrots, macaws, cockatiels, lovebirds, parakeets, zebra finches, goldfinches, and poultry such as chickens and ducks.

Signs of unconditional love from your bird

Getting close to you

Does your bird always look for ways to be closest to you? If the answer is yes, then your friend loves you very much. Birds, as I mentioned before, are a bit distrustful, since they have been gradually domesticated and maintain their survival instinct. In addition, they are always very aware of their predators, which can be everywhere. But they are social animals as well.

Once you’ve gained their trust, you’ll have a loyal friend for life (and many are very long-lived). Birds are very loyal and will protect their loved ones with their lives. So, if your little friend is constantly seeking your company, it’s because he wants to feel protected or to be pampered. You’ll see how he’s always moving in your direction inside and outside the cage, aiming to get closer to being petted. He definitely loves you!

He closes his eyes when you’re close

One of the signs that we almost never pay attention to and that is determinant in the affective bond between owner and pet is when the bird closes its eyes while you are near. This is an act of faith because birds’ vision is extremely important for their survival, they depend on it a lot. The orientation of their eyes is lateral (100% attentive). So, if your pet does this frequently, it’s because it trusts you and loves you.

They say that “love is blind” and birds do handle this very well. Someone who loves you will never doubt you; be responsible with the trust they give you.

Grooming your hair and asking to be groomed

Grooming is an intimate behavior that birds perform among their own, among members of their flock or community as it is very important socially. Grooming is a way to strengthen the affective bonds of the group, increasing harmony and cohesion among its members. That is, if he does it with you, you belong to his family. He’ll also ask you to groom him as an expression of reciprocity. In addition, grooming means he feels safe and stress-free.

You may think it’s just a way to get rid of parasites. But, someone who loves you would not scratch your back with his teeth to take care of your health and remove any parasite you have in your body, it’s called love my friend.

He is happy to see you

A sometimes not so obvious but very common sign is that your bird shows happiness when you are near. If your bird is happy when you arrive, your bird loves you. Happiness in birds can be evidenced through various behaviors:

Purrs, grunts, and clicks.
Flutters quietly, flapping its wings where it stands.
It spreads its wings not far from its body and approaches you.

And he gets sad when you leave.

If you notice that your friend gets sad when you leave, that’s called pure love. Just as, when you arrive he gets happy, so when you leave, he will get sad. He likes to be by your side and simply if you are away from him, he can’t stand feeling lonely.

He kisses you spontaneously

Kisses are very strong expressions of love and we humans are not the only ones capable of manifesting ourselves in this way, birds can also show us their love through kisses as well. In fact, our winged friends usually enjoy kissing their partners and loved ones. So, if you have received these demonstrations of affection, don’t hesitate, your bird loves you. Spontaneous kisses are the best way to let you know how much he cares about you.

Asks for and offers you food mouth to mouth

Food is fundamental for any living being and sharing it is the greatest act of love that can exist. Trust plays a fundamental role in this behavior, the bird must trust you a lot to pass you food from its beak or ask you to pass it food from your mouth. Regurgitating food and passing it from beak to mouth may seem gross, but, it is actually an act of love. They pass food to their mate and young from beak to beak, it’s a way of caring for them as their family.

He flies around you

If it’s more important to your bird to follow you around than anything else, more important than food which he leaves behind to fly by your side, my friend, that’s pure love. Your bird surely follows you everywhere flying, looking for your shoulder. Remember that they are social animals that fly together. This is a behavior that indicates that he loves you very much since this is what they do with their family members.

Don’t let other people touch him

If your bird doesn’t let anyone get close to you when you are near him, your friend definitely loves you and cares for you above anything else. This means that he protects you as a member of his family and that you are his world, he wants you all to himself. If someone will try to touch you or touch him while he is with you, he will most likely try to sting him for defending you, and well, out of pure envy too; he won’t want anyone else to have your attention Shiu! Shiu!

He sings when he sees you

Singing will be always a sign of good health and mood. Songbirds show their happiness by singing, if your bird sings a lot and sings louder when you are around, he adores you. Other birds show their happiness and affection by whistling melodies like those composed by an artist; also a good indicator. In birds such as goldfinches, canaries, and zebra finches, it is the most obvious emotional indicator.

Talking when he sees you

If your bird is a talkative bird and likes to talk a lot, especially when you are around, this is an excellent indicator: your bird wants to tell you how much he loves you. Normally, birds with the ability to communicate with articulate sounds do so with the rest of their group in the wild. But, if in captivity he learned to talk, he will use this means to show you that he feels at ease with you, telling you stories or saying the words that you both like to say the most.

He wages his tail when you approach

Does your little friend wag his tail and blink when you approach? If your answer is yes, you’ll realize that, just like dogs, birds also express how they feel by wagging their tails. If you see her tail wagging and blinking when you are near, she loves you very much and is happy that you are there. In species such as the cockatiel, this bird will wag its crest up and down as a way of expressing love or happiness.

Warm feet

What? It sounds a little strange, but what happens is that the temperature in the feet is indicative of the bird’s state of health. When they are very cold it is negative and when they are warm it is positive. The low temperature in their feet means that they may be in a stressful situation, while, when their feet are at a higher temperature, it shows comfort. So, if your bird feels very comfortable when you are around him, his paws will function as a love thermometer.

Fun Fact

If you’ve ever had a pet bird, you know that its love is unconditional. But did you know that they can die of moral distress?

Yes, they can. Birds can build such strong bridges of love with their master that once they have been abandoned or taken away from them, they can fall into a deep depression until they die. These little animals love all their lives and when separated from their loved ones, they simply can’t stand it and begin to have physical and emotional health difficulties, such as, stopping eating, becoming less active, and even stopping singing. Never abandon them!

Birds can be the most loving pets you’ve ever had in your life. A bird’s bond is very strong and lasts until they die. Love them madly and live like it’s your last day!