Grey Fisher
Don't force birds to share perch
 How do pet stores keep their parrots on the same play perches without fighting? We have a blue-and-gold macaw, greenwing macaw, a Moluccan cockatoo, an umbrella cockatoo and an Illiger's macaw, each with their own personalities. We have two play towers for them and not one of the birds will share either of the play areas with another. The Moluccan, greenwing and the blue-and-gold love to be out. (The Illiger's has its own perch and the umbrella doesn't like to leave her cage.) What can we do to get them to behave so they can share perches?
-- Lynne Allen, mallen@umbc.edu
 THIS IS A common question and one that I actually have addressed before. (Check out Different species may get along - or not.) First of all, not all birds are going to get along, just like not all people will. Mixing different sizes of birds - your Illiger is much smaller than your other birds - also can be dangerous. Even between well-matched birds, injuries and even death can happen in a split second. Think very carefully about whether you want to encourage your birds to flock together.
Most pet shop birds are babies. They have grown up with lots of other birds around and generally are well socialized. However, when we take them home, they quickly learn that being the center of attention is a pretty cool thing. When another bird comes along, they often either a) bond with the new bird and exclude you, or b) more likely, see the interloper as competition and do everything in their power to let him know he isn't welcome.
How do you eliminate or at least reduce this behavior? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, positive reinforcement can help. Reward good, calm behavior in your birds when they are near each other. If you are holding one and it begins to show aggression to another immediately put it down so as not to inadvertently reinforce the negative behavior. Let them see that they only time they get the good scratches or treats is when they are calmly near each other. With time and patience, you may be able to attain the harmonious flock that you dream of - but never forget to keep your eyes open for any signs of aggression.
Grey Fisher is a trainer at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Previously he was a trainer with Natural Encounters, Inc., a world-renowned organization that helps zoos all over the world train birds and many other types of animals using positive reinforcement.
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