Lovebirds are very intentional when it comes to their communication. Everything the lovebird does, from the sound it makes to the body language it displays, to how often it decides to speak to you, all these things will come together to inform you of what your bird wants from you in that moment. Lovebirds awaken with the dawn, get a drink, eat, and then immediately begin to chirp. They will generally quiet down by mid-morning and resume their chirping in the late afternoon.
The clicking of the tongue
A happy, contented, or excited lovebird makes a clicking sound with his tongue. It happens when lovebirds feel happy in their environment that they make this random noise. This is the same sound that a human makes when they click their tongue against the roof of their mouth.
Flipping the wings
The wings of a bird aren’t always for flight; they can also be used to communicate. Flapping wings is an exercise, a display of happiness, or to get your attention. Some birds stretch or cool themselves by flapping their wings.
Preening
The purpose of preening is to keep a bird’s feathers clean, waterproof, and in good condition for flight. When birds are healthy, they spend a great deal of time preening since maintaining their feathers is crucial to keeping them alive.
What Is Molting?
Molting is a process in birds in which their old feathers are replaced by new ones. This happens twice a year or more, depending on their age and the weather. Molting most commonly occurs when the weather changes.
Hormonal lovebird - How to recognize?
Just like most other animals, lovebirds have mating seasons in which they become broody (hormonal) and try to breed. To avoid suddenly becoming a grandparent with adorable little birds (which require a lot of extra care), you should recognize your bird’s hormonal behavior like mating displays, aggression, increased appetite and more.
Paper Shredding
Some lovebird species are known for shredding strips of paper and tucking them under their wings. They shred with precision and each strip is uniform in width with ragged edges. The strips are usually as long as the piece of paper. It is not uncommon for a female lovebird to look like she is wearing a paper skirt after a shredding session. Some lovebirds will take the paper back to a nesting cavity; however others won’t necessarily do anything with the paper after tucking it under the wings. In many cases they simply fly away and the paper strips fall to the ground.
Problems
Signs of illness to be aware of are if a bird seems withdrawn, feathers are ruffled and the plumage is dull, sits with its eyes closed for long periods of time, eyes are watery or dull, runny nose, sleeps a lot, loses interest in its environment and stays at its feed dish. The droppings may change color and be loose (if healthy they are grayish white and not too thin). Also a lot of tail bobbing, dropping off its perch, odd breathing, sneezing, and excessive scratching.
With enough time around your birds, it will eventually become second nature to what your lovebird is thinking about. Just like with human beings, communication is key, so make sure you’re listening to your lovebird’s needs and you can be sure that your bird will be much happier overall after having been properly listened to.
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