Budgies and other birds definitely know what kisses are as they actually give budgie kisses or ‘budgie taps’ to each other as a form of social bonding.
Budgies and other members of the parrot family are very sociable birds who love company – both of other birds and humans – and love to show and receive affection which is fun for their owner.
In this article you’re going to discover the following
- Do birds like to be kissed?
- Do birds know when you kiss them?
- What happens when you kiss a bird?
- Do birds understand affection?
Sound interesting?
Let’s get started!
Do Birds Like To Be Kissed?
Yes, birds definitely like to be kissed and the top of their heads gently stroked as a sign of affection.
They will often respond by giving you a kiss back!
Although an avian kiss is not quite the same as a human kiss it is still fun to receive.
Some birds even stick their tongues out while they are kissing you so that they can give you a friendly lick too!
Many birds in the parrot family will often accompany their kiss for you with a strange kissing sound – that they will have learnt from you!
Some birds will ask for a kiss or a stroke on their head and he will do this by fluffing his feathers and inclining his head in your direction.
Even before you start to stroke him or give him a kiss, you may well find he tries to gently groom your hair or eyelashes with his beak.
This is a bonding gesture called called allopreening and is a lovely way for your bird to show how much he loves you!
Do Birds Know When You Kiss Them?
Birds do know when humans kiss them but you have to make sure that your bird sees your gesture just as a small sign of affection and not get him sexually frustrated.
Make sure that you limit your kisses and strokes to your bird’s head, feet and around its beak.
Most birds return kisses by putting their beak against your face, on your cheek or on your lips.
Sometimes, your bird may gently nibble you with their beak too.
Some birds form a strong emotional bond with their owner rather than another bird, but this situation needs to be handled be carefully as it is not ideal.
What Happens When You Kiss a Bird?
Your bird will enjoy being given a kiss as it will help them to feel secure and protected.
You may well find that in gratitude they fall asleep on your chest, shoulder or leg or that they start to preen your hair as a sign of affection.
This is all great fun, but it is important to remember that kissing your bird is not actually very healthy as it is one way for you to get Psittacosis.
Psittacosis is a zoonosis, which means it a disease which can be spread from birds to humans.
An alternative way to show affection to your bird is to gently stroke his ears.
Do Birds Understand Affection?
Birds definitely understand affection and also like to feel bonded to their human.
When your bird feels confident not only will he shower you with attention and kisses, he will want to show you how much he cares about you!
You will find that he is happy to snooze on your shoulder and may well head for his food bowl when he sees you eating.
He will also want to sing and dance for you to show you how special you are- and in competition to you when you are singing your favorite tune!
Having a pet bird can be a wonderful experience.
The first few weeks can be difficult as the bird has to learn to trust you but once trust has been established and your bird has started to relax in your company, he will love to receive affection from you and will be happy to return it to you – it doesn’t get much better than that!
