Holistic Bird Magazine - Winter 2003
The Importance of Foraging
excerpt from Foraging Behavior by Cheryl Rose

Parrots exhibit four main behaviors:

1. socializing,
2. grooming,
3. sleeping and
4. foraging.

Two thirds of their day is spent foraging for food. The parrot in captivity has his food served to him in bowls and doesn't need to spend time foraging, or does he? We wonder why our parrots pick their feathers or have behavioral problems? Perhaps they are bored?

If we take away the three of their four natural behaviors or limit them, they can still groom or preen. This could lead to over preening or feather picking.  Perhaps we need to evaluate our parrot's quality of life in captivity and see what we can do to meet more of their natural behaviors; perhaps we can reduce their over- preening or feather picking.

A flock of wild Pionus parrots was observed in Mindo, Ecuador.  Below is a chart of their daily routine:

As we can see, parrots spend the greater part of their waking hours foraging for food and eating. We can enhance their lives and stimulate their minds by giving them some of the challenges that they have in the wild. (Also note that wild parrots sleep for about 12 hours a day.) Let's offer some ideas to our parrots to stimulate foraging and create an environment that encourages and develops motor skills and curiosity.

In the wild, birds need to be inquisitive in order to find certain foods. We can increase this natural curiosity by hiding food in different places, but don't immediately start hiding their food. They might not find it right away. Remember their foraging skills haven't been used or are rusty and we need to encourage that curiosity. You may need to show your parrot several times at first where the food is or that by tearing open a folded dixie cup there will be a treat inside which will be a positive reinforcement for foraging.

For hand-raised birds who've never had to forage, some give up fairly easily when things don't come as easily as they've become accustomed to, so working with these birds to help them discover the reward can be discouraging for their owners when the birds don't pick up right away. Encourage foraging inside and outside of the cage.

References:
Shade, Russ; Pionus Parrots: Wild Birds Captive Pets A Stategy in Coexistence
Parrot Festival 2003, Houston, Texas

Echols, Scott D.V.M.; Diet & Dietary Behavior in Psittacines, The
Importance of Foraging in Parrots,Parrot Festival 2003, Houston, Texas
© Pickin' Parrots 2003