Parrot Cries: With Its Body

A parrot that suddenly begins or overgrooming its owner is not being aggressive—it is crying. Overgrooming (repeatedly nibbling human skin until it reddens) is a redirected self-soothing behavior, a desperate attempt to feel connection.

When we think of a parrot "crying," we often imagine a loud, piercing squawk. However, experienced avian veterinarians and parrot owners know that a parrot’s most desperate cries are often silent. Parrots do not shed tears of emotion like humans do, but they cry with their bodies —using a sophisticated language of feathers, posture, and physiology to signal distress, loneliness, or illness. Parrot Cries with Its Body