Misinformation

If you've ever researched on the internet for an assignment or something similar, you'll know not to trust everything you read. It seems some forums though are worse than others for spouting ill informed rubbish.

As Donna and I are getting more and more into caring for birds, I often read various forums looking for information on whatever species we currently have.

Below is Gloria who you may have read about on Donna's blog.



Now Gloria has a habit of hissing at me and clicking her beak when I get too close to her and I was curious about the clicking, so I did a bit of research. I was pretty sure she was threatening me.

Most of the forums that had information about bird behaviour were populated by people that keep birds as pets. Donna and I don't like keeping birds as pets, especially if they're the type that we see flying free in our back yard. You might find that hard to believe if you visited our place at the moment, we currently have six different species of wild birds in either cages or baskets, but they're all destined for freedom eventually.

If I believed some of the people in the bird forums I'd have no fingers left, because they seem to think that the beak clicking is because the bird is glad to see you. They also seem to think it's cute when their pet lorikeet rolls onto its back so they can tickle it.

Wrong! That beak clicking is a threat gesture from what I could find out from more informed sources. Combined with the hissing and the spreading of her wings, Gloria's basically telling me she's about to attack if I don't move away from her. The rolling on the back that lorikeets do is not cute, it's a sign of submission. The poor little bugger's on its back because it's frightened, I've seen enough wild ones do it, both in care and free.

Anyway, that's my little rant over. Now to go and feed the baby figbird.