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Very odd bird behavior (1 Viewer)

Christophy

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Standing outside having a smoke and a little bird flew and landed on my head. I tried to shake him off but it appeared to need me for something. So I fed him some corn chips and now he is my BFF. Every time I go outside, within a few minutes he lands on my shoulder. I did notice that when he eats he scraps his beak against the sidewalk, not sure what that means.

The bird on my head

The bird being cute

The bird eating cornchips

Is it normal for a wild bird to just become friends with a human? :t:
 
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It’s a House Sparrow, maybe a young one, the tameness probably coming from it having been hand-raised somewhere nearby. House Sparrows normally shelter in thick vegetation and that may explain its attraction to your hair.. And, of course, everybody likes corn chips. . ..

In any case, lucky you to have the companionship of the little critter.
 
House sparrow for me as well and her's a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BF :t:

Enjoy!
 
A moonwalking crow

I was siting by the birch tree in my garden and I noticed a crow doing what looked suspiciously like the Michael Jackson moonwalk. I was obviously shocked so I moved in closer to get a better look, almost as if in reply to my intrusion on its personal space the crow turned its back on me and defecated in my vicinity before flying up to the top of the birch. Has anyone seen this behaviour before in crows? I’m desperate to know if anything like this has been documented:
 
Well strangely enough I was listening on my porch to a 1960’s era recording of Rule Britannia and I spotted from the corner of my eye what appeared to be a common chaffinch (female and I deduce about 2 years of age from its prominent stance) and it starting jouncing in time to the beat, rather than defecating it intact left me with the rather sweet gesture of a wing flutter and two 180 twirls. Mystifying but I guess there is so much still to be and so much we shall never know about avian society
 
Hi Peter,

it intact left me with the rather sweet gesture of a wing flutter and two 180 twirls. Mystifying but I guess there is so much still to be and so much we shall never know about avian society

There seem to be videos online of parrots dancing to music, and the twirls are known from the crane's mating dance ... maybe every bird actually appreciates music and dance? I can't imagine much research has been done in this area yet :)

Regards,

Henning
 
Hi Christophy,

Is it normal for a wild bird to just become friends with a human? :t:

In Germany, House Sparrows, if treated friendly, can get used to humans very quickly. I've stood outside Berlin central station, and there were sparrows hovering near everyone who left the building with a sandwich or a donut in his hand. Clearly, the sparrows were expecting to be fed, and a lot of people happily complied - as the sparrows knew from experience.

I've read that House Sparrows are quite capable at recognizing faces, though the article I read focused more on how good they are to recognize humans who are a threat to them. Still, I'm sure they can use this just as successfully to recognize their friends! :)

Regards,

Henning
 
Hi Peter,



There seem to be videos online of parrots dancing to music, and the twirls are known from the crane's mating dance ... maybe every bird actually appreciates music and dance? I can't imagine much research has been done in this area yet :)

Regards,

Henning

Reminds me of Gerald Durrel's pigeon in My Family and other animals which apparently could distinguish between different time signiatures such as 3/4 and 4/4.
 
House sparrow:) friendly bird. I've seen loads of sparrows in my garden, and yesterday I counted approx. 20 on my grass and on the feeders I have. They look like a huge family of adults and babies, and they make a regular appearance everyday and throughout the day
 
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