Quaker Parrot Behaviour

Quaker parrots adapt much of their behaviors from their surroundings. They learn things by repeating them regularly. Some Quakers are very well-behaved while others are difficult to handle. It is very important to set limits of behavior on them during their initial bonding with you. It is easy to set good behavioral habits in a baby parrot since his mind is still in the development stage. On the other hand, when you bring an older Quaker parrot home, you will have to define his limits as he will already be having a set pattern of behavior.

Let’s learn some of the common traits and behaviors with quaker parrots.

Social Nature of Quaker Parrots

The most prominent behavior of a Quaker is his social nature. In the wild, Quakers live in quite a large flock of hundreds of parrots living together. They build colonies with one huge nest taking a form of apartments for different families. Such nests are a result of team effort they put into making their dream home. They move in large groups from one place to another in search of food and water.

quaker parrot stick

In our homes, Quakers find companionship in their owners. They rely completely on them for their socializing needs. This is the reason they demand much of our time and attention daily. If you introduce a pair of Quakers in your home, they will find a company in each other.

If left alone, Quakers are bound to behave badly. They will either feel depressed and sad for the lack of company or become extremely noisy for the want of attention. In either case, you need to address this issue appropriately.

Quaking and Shaking

Quakers derived their name from their distinctive habit of quaking. No other parrot species show this behavior of shaking and quaking. The abnormal-looking shaking performed by this species is very normal behavior for them. A little Quaker will retain this disturbing habit probably for the first year of his life. You will be able to observe him shaking when you hand-feed them.

Good Talkers

Quakers are adored for their excellent talking abilities. It is one of the primary reasons to keep them as pets. Quaker parrots learn to talk at a very young age and build a huge vocabulary with time. They possess an outstanding skill of mimicking sounds. You can train a Quaker to sing rhymes and songs with the help of repetition technique.

There is a flip side to every coin. With so many positives, the talking capabilities of a Quaker also brings in some annoying habits. They will start mimicking the sound of you coughing if you develop a cough. They might also scream, at times, to demand your attention. But such behaviors can be corrected with appropriate training and some punishments in the form of completely ignoring them. Just reward their good behavior to get it on repeat and ignore the bad one for them to never repeat it.

Uncontrollable Chewers

Quakers have a habit of chewing anything and everything they can. They feel the urge to do it naturally. If they are not able to chew anything for long periods, they tend to become destructive. To avoid such behaviors, it is important to provide them with enough chewing material. Add some natural unpolished wood and chewable toys to your pet’s cage to get him engaged. It will keep him busy and happy for a long time.

quaker parrot

Quaker parrot Breeding Behavior

Quakers undergo several hormonal changes during their breeding season. They become over-protective of their nest-box inside their cage. Their dominating tendency is at its peak and they start protecting their cage from their owners too. Giving them some space to remain stress-free and feel secure for their offspring is the best we can do to support them at such times.

More about quaker breeding:
https://parrotquaker.com/quaker-parrot-breeding/

Some Quakers tend to show excessive screaming and general vocalizations during the breeding season. Even a perfectly tamed Quaker parrot might bite you due to the hormonal changes he is experiencing during the mating season. Try to subside their territorial mannerisms by calming them down with their favorite treats.

Noisy behavior

Quaker parrots are very vocal and tend to express their emotions by voicing them out. While they can chatter endlessly the whole day, they might become noisy sometimes. To address this issue, you will be required to find the reason behind such bad behavior. The reasons range from lack of attention received from you, a pain experienced by them, hormonal changes in their bodies, a feeling of loneliness, or just a concern for your well-being. Never ignore your Quaker’s abnormal vocalizations as he might need your help.

Quaker parrot Preening

Quaker parrots preen themselves to make their feathers free from dirt and dust. This is a part of their grooming behavior as it helps keep them clean. They pick up oil produced by their preen gland with their beak and rub it all over their body while arranging their feathers nicely. This gland is located above their tail and you will often see them rubbing their beak at that point.

Quakers only preen when they feel safe and secure with their surroundings. A preening parrot, therefore, is a happy and relaxed one. Quakers also preen each other when they develop a good bond. Your pet Quaker might also preen you if he is attached to you dearly. That beaking in your hair is his way of showing his love for you.

Eye Pinning

Shrinking and enlarging of eyes by parrot species is called eye pinning. Quakers pin their eyes when they are over-excited, aggressive or are paying close attention to something. They might show this behavior while learning new words or songs from you. If your Quaker gets excited while playing with you, he might pin his eyes to show his happiness. An angry Quaker will also flash his eyes at you to express his anger and bite you hard.

Head Bobbing

If your Quaker is bobbing his head, don’t think that he wants to dance with you! Such behavior is usually shown when your pet is hungry. It is his unique way to ask for food. It is better to feed them at this point to avoid any bad behavior.

Stretching Wings

Quakers stretch their wings to greet their owners. Normally they stretch legs and wings at the same time for such greetings. Single-sided stretching is done by them on these occasions.

Quaker parrot Biting

Parrots are infamous for their biting behavior. An untamed parrot will bite you, no matter how calmly you represent yourself to him. Even baby Quakers have these biting tendencies. When you bring a little one home, he will bite you unless you train him not to do that.

quaker parrot biting
quaker parrot biting

The way we experience everything we see with our hands, Quakers experience things with their beaks. When you extend your hand to your new bird, he will try to explore it with his beak. This leads to his biting behavior with repetition of the same thing every time, if not corrected by the owner.

Sometimes, a well-tamed Quaker might also bite his owner out of excitement, fear or nervousness. It happens because he needs an outlet for the extra energy built-up due to the emotions he feels at the moment.
Read more about Quaker parrot biting habit and how to stop it:
https://parrotquaker.com/quaker-parrot-biting/
https://parrotquaker.com/8-reasons-why-is-your-quaker-parrot-biting/

Quaker Parrot Personality

Quaker Parrots are curious by nature. They like to explore everything around them. They will indulge curiously with their cage and its accessories, their toys, and even the food you provide them. Sometimes this behavior might lead to problems like a Quaker might try to explore an electrical wire or your party-wear dress. To avoid such serious issues, it is advisable to engage them in stimulating toys. With all their attention on the interesting toys, they are less likely to damage your household items while exploring or get hurt themselves.

Grinding Beak

Quakers grind their beaks when they are sleepy or are feeling extremely relaxed. It might sound odd to us but is very normal behavior on their part. Though it is not aimed at doing so, this grinding keeps their beaks in good condition.

Also for getting their dose of Minerals, and get their beak healthy, you should add cuttlebone which is full of Calcium, inside your cage.
More about cuttlefish bone in this article:
https://parrotquaker.com/do-quaker-parrots-need-cuttlebone/

Constant Eye contact

Quakers do not usually make eye contact with humans due to their discomfort with the species. Only a tamed parrot will make eye contact with his owner as he does not see his owner as a potential threat. At times they stare at an object for long periods when they develop a keen interest in it.

Affectionate behavior

Wild Quakers show affection towards their flock mates, their partners and their offspring. They care for each other and provide a lifelong companionship. Being social creatures, they are happy in receiving affection from others too.

Pet Quakers develop an affectionate feeling towards their owners. They preen their owner’s hair to the feeling of care towards them. Quakers also become sad when they are left alone at home by their owners due to this bond they develop.

Territorial Behaviors

Quaker parrots are territorial beings as they guard their places of living with huge built-up of twigs. They build compartments in their nests for providing sufficient space to each. In such a way territories are divided among them.

quaker parrot nest

In our homes, Quakers tend to rule their cages. They become extremely protective of their belongings and can even become aggressive towards their owners while protecting their things.

Extra Stimulating Behavior

Quakers are filled with abundant energy. They are such a good source of positive energy that they can take all your stress away in a matter of minutes. Sometimes, their constant quacking and chatting sounds might become a concern for you. Redirect their energies towards games and toys in such situations. A radio or television might also come to your rescue to engage their attention elsewhere. Quakers also enjoy taking baths. Giving them a good bath will busy them preening their feathers for a few hours.

Quaker Parrot Aggression

Quaker Parrots are an aggressive species. They tend to get control over their surroundings. They like to keep their nests in a particular manner and do every effort to achieve perfection. As pets, they want their belongings to be kept at the right place. They will adjust their toys and cage accessories as per their likings. If you try to shift their things, be ready for an aggressive bite or a scream from their side.

During such aggressive behaviors, Quakers puff up their feathers and look a little bigger. They adjust their pupil to give you a frowning look. Approaching them at this moment guarantees you a powerful parrot bite!

The behavior of Quaker parrot during Training

When a new Quaker is brought to the home, proper training is required to be given to him. In the initial days of training sessions, he will not trust you as you are a new entrant to his life. He will be skeptical about your intentions and will see you as a predator.

With time, he will become comfortable with you and will start feeling safe around you. He will try to understand your intentions as you teach him step-ups. He will bond with you over peek-a-boo showing happy behavior. If you can set the right volume of sound during these training sessions, your Quaker will always listen to your commands of lowering his voice. The best way to impart discipline in him is rewarding him for his good acts.
More about how to train Quaker parrot in this article:
https://parrotquaker.com/how-to-train-a-quaker-parrot/

Intelligent Acts

When we think of intelligent parrots, Quaker doesn’t come to mind quickly. This is because their intelligence has long been ignored. But ask the Quaker owners’ and they will have numerous testimonials for how intelligent these species are.

Read more about Quaker parrot Intelligence:
https://parrotquaker.com/quaker-parrot-intelligence/

When you’ll bring a Quaker home, you will not see signs of intelligence immediately. But as they grow, it’ll be their subtle behavior that will prove them an intelligent being. There are many instances where your Quakers’ behavior will make you think about their well developed cognitive skills.

You will get an excellent response to your training from them; teach them words and phrases and they will use them totally in context; tell them your name and they will remember them; give them twigs and tree shavings and see them weave a nest which is considered as a masterpiece among bird lovers and architect enthusiasts alike.

The list is endless. Every Quaker will have their brains differently developed depending on how they are raised and what they are being taught. How intelligent your Quaker can be, surely, is only subjective. There is no question if he will be or not.

Quakers can have Hoarding behavior sometimes

Most of the Quaker owners have observed their Quakers to develop a quality of picking up anything, they find interesting, back into their cages. Chances are your Quaker will also have that packrat nature of hoarding things inside their little homes. And when it deciding what they will choose to hide, there are no fixed criteria. Stealing things like pens and pencils or such stick-like objects help them to build their nest. As curious beings they are, if any such thing is shiny or sparkling, make sure to keep it away from Quakers’ sight or be ready to part with it.

Regurgitating behavior of Quaker parrots

Quakers are known to regurgitate out of affection for their mates. While in the wild, many Quakers, especially males, feed on their beaks by regurgitating it into their mate’s beaks. This generally happens when the female Quaker is incubating the eggs and is unable to leave the nest to get her food. And this behavior is inherent in the little birdie as when petted, they like to show affection to their owner or even to their favorite toy by regurgitating on it. A Quaker will normally bob his head rapidly just before regurgitating.

Quake parrot Behavior around other pets

Quakers are extremely social beings but they take their own time to get along with other pets just like we humans open up at our pace. If you have brought Quakers home in pairs, it certainly won’t be a good idea to keep them in the same cage from the very first day. Their introduction should be gradual as one of them or even both of them might behave aggressively. May Quaker owners choose to keep their cages side by side and put them in a single cage only when they are comfortable with each other.

Also, for safety’s sake, it is advised not to keep Quakers with any other species.

Just the way every human being is different, every Quaker parrot is also different. They behave in a specific way due to a number of reasons involved. Their surroundings and training sessions play an important role in deciding the quality of behavior shown by them. A noisy environment will develop tendencies of making noise in them, while a quiet environment will give you a quieter Quaker.

Some of the Pictures used in the article are from https://Wikipedia.com

About ali.demirovic

Hello everyone, I'm Ali from Sarajevo, Bosnia. In my home, I have a Quaker parrot and a Lovebird. My love for parrots started when I was a kid, beginning with a small blue budgie. He was with me his whole life, and I learned a lot about caring for parrots with him. The most recent addition to my family is a female Lovebird, who I got from a local shop. It's been quite a journey to tame her. She's still a bit shy and likes her own space, but she's quite friendly when she's out of her cage. On this website, I'll share my experiences with these amazing birds. I'll also post any useful information I find about keeping parrots. I hope this site will be helpful and interesting for anyone who loves these wonderful birds as much as I do.

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