Parrots are interesting creatures with how they act, as they perform a lot of gestures and actions we’re not entirely used to.
After all, they’re vastly different species than us with how they eat, show affection, and act day-to-day.
One of the most common acts a parrot does that we have no relation toward is their ability to go on shoulders.
With this in mind, why do parrots go on our shoulders?
To answer this question…parrots go on shoulders when they feel a bond to us, meaning they have a close enough relationship that causes them to express it by being on our shoulder. Our shoulder is similar to a tree branch that they’d generally hang on. A tree branch kind of acts like a home to them, and that’s a similar sense to our shoulders.
Still, it can seem confusing for most parrot owners about what they should do with their parrots if they go on their shoulders frequently.
It can seem odd for a parrot to be continually seeking out your shoulder, especially if you don’t enjoy the attention of having a parrot on or around you all the time.
Regardless, it’s still a vital subject to look at as there’s a lot of information attached to the matter.
If you’re interested in learning more about parrots and why sit on a person’s shoulder, look no further.
We’re going to discuss everything there is to know about parrots and their ability to sit on someone’s shoulder.
Considering there’s a lot attached to this subject than most people expect, there’s a lot to discuss.
We’ll discuss if you should let your parrot sit on you, why parrots enjoy shoulders, and what it means when they do it.
Let’s take a look!
Should you let your parrot sit on your shoulder?
First and foremost, you more than likely want to know if it’s okay for your parrot to sit on your shoulder.
As long as your parrot is healthy and doesn’t do anything wrong to you while they sit on your shoulder, it’s magnificent for them to do this to you.
Just be mindful of how often they do it.
If your parrot becomes too dependent on you and insists on going to your shoulder, you may run into some minor issues with this.
It’s never a good idea to raise a parrot that’s overly dependent on something like this.
Of course, you don’t want to neglect them, but make sure they don’t only rely on you.
On the other hand, if your parrot is sickly or does something wrong while they’re on your shoulder, then it might not be a good idea.
For example, if they go to the bathroom on you or try to bite you, it’s not the best way for them to be near you.
Just be aware of what they do while they’re on your shoulder.
Why do parrots like shoulders?
As you can imagine, parrots like shoulders as they love hanging on structures similar to our shoulders.
After all, when parrots are in the wild, it becomes a natural part for them to hang from branches.
A branch acts as a central home to spend their time and watch the days go by.
In a similar sense, the same can be said with our shoulders.
We’re tall, and as we develop a close enough relationship with them, they might seek our shoulders as a place to hang out and spend their time.
It can be comfortable and enjoyable for them as they spend time with their closest friend.
On our end, having a parrot on our shoulders can be the equivalent of lying in bed with a cat or petting a dog.
All of it is really fun and can lend to a closer relationship between you and your parrot.
As long as your parrot isn’t doing anything wrong, there shouldn’t be any foul into the matter.
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What does it mean when a parrot sits on your shoulder?
If you’re reading into a parrot being on a shoulder, you more than likely want to know why they try to sit on our shoulders in the first place.
It’s not like our shoulders are the most comfortable spot in the world for parrots to hang out.
If our parrots were continually flying to a blanket to hang out in, that’d make more sense than a shoulder.
However, what we need to understand is that a parrot has different interests than us.
We think of shoulders from a human perspective, meaning we look at them like they’re useless.
Although we appreciate the functionality of a shoulder, we don’t see them as places for us to sit as foot-long creatures.
Parrots look at shoulders in that way and to develop a close relationship with us.
After all, our face is right there, meaning we can communicate with our parrot very easily.
Nevertheless, let’s take a look at a few reasons why parrots sit on our shoulders and what it means.
Your parrot feels bonded to you
As we already touched upon, bonding is the primary reason parrots head to our shoulders to stand on.
Parrots want to bond with us, as it can be a way for them to develop a deepened friendship that every parrot owner and parrot hopes to achieve.
It’s a way for them to be close to us while feeling comfortable.
Your parrot feels comfortable around you
Similar to bonding and the overall appeal of feeling close to one another, comfort is a significant part of that.
As parrots develop trust and start to feel a particular way about us in their life, them going on our shoulders is a sign they trust us.
Seeing as trust is so essential in a subject like this, that’s a great thing.
Your parrot likes you
Outside of feeling comfortable around, sometimes it’s a simple sign that your parrot genuinely likes you.
Seeing as it takes a reasonably long time to develop a deepened relationship with a parrot, you might not see them fly over to your shoulder for a long time.
Still, if your parrot ends up doing it, realize it means they at least like and appreciate you.
Your parrot wants to relax
Going back to the notion of comfort, sometimes parrots just want to be on something that reminds them of a tree branch.
Seeing as parrots can’t freely fly outside and hang on a branch, our shoulder sort of acts in a similar capacity with the notion of comfort and relaxation.
Your parrot wants company
Lastly, parrots tend to fly over to our shoulders when they want company.
Most parrots are typically social butterflies, meaning they want attention more than they want utter silence.
Thus, if your parrot is in the mood to play or just be around you, they might fly over to our shoulder as a way to gain our attention.
Why does my cockatiel sit on my shoulder?
Now with the specifics of a few kinds of parrot species, cockatiels are up first as cockatiels are known to develop a strong bond with our face.
For whatever reason, cockatiels react very positively to our facial expressions and can understand emotion with how our faces appear.
Thus, cockatiels tend to fly over shoulders when they not only develop a certain amount of trust, but to get a closer look at our face.
The closest area to our face for them to see would be our shoulders, so it makes sense.
Obviously, all of the examples we discuss apply to, but it’s interesting that cockatiels have an appreciation for faces so heavily.
Why does my macaw sit on my shoulder?
Macaws are amongst the most social parrots in the world, meaning they need a lot of attention and time to play from us.
If we don’t give them enough attention, you may find flying over to our shoulder to demand it from us.
Seeing as macaws are so social in every way, it’s not too shocking to realize something like this.
As a result, make sure you do what you can to play and give your macaw more than enough attention.
It’s never a good idea to ignore your macaw heavily, as they’ll definitely have odd traits from it.
Thus, take a couple of hours a day to spend time with them; otherwise, you’ll see your macaw be suddenly aggressive.
Why does my African grey sit on my shoulder?
Unlike most other parrots, African greys typically go on someone’s shoulder because they love being high-up.
Although all of the above examples can certainly apply to an African grey, it’s not as common as them merely wanting to be high-up.
Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as they don’t do anything wrong.
Be careful if your African grey goes on your shoulder, as they can be fairly demanding about where you stand during the matter.
Still, if your African grey trusts you a tremendous amount, you shouldn’t run into anything too severe from it.