Bird keeps landing on my head

[shinbatsu]

Once again, I need some advice, this time for my new masked cobalt, Crow.

She is female, 6 weeks old, and not clipped.

I'm happy with every aspect of her temperament, except for one small problem: she keeps landing on my head.

For now I just rock my head over to the side and she loses balance and flies down to my shoulder, but she keeps trying to get on my head hook or crook.

Is this just a phase for a baby bird? Or should I try to do some kind of tactic to get her off my head. If I can't fix it, oh well. She is definitely a keeper, and will have a permanent home with me.

Thanks.

[linda040899]

Heads happen to be popular landing pads, simply because it's the highest place on their beloved human! I've had my Amazon, as well as my Macaw, land on my head! :omg:

What you might be able to do when you see Crow flying towards you is to hold your hand up over your head and encourage her to land there. Once you get to land on your hand when it's over your head, you should be able to teach her to aim for your hand whenever she's flying towards you and you just hold your hand out away from your body. Being as young as she is, she will pick things up very quickly. :)

[FuzzyAga]

A common trait among lovies, I think. My Juanita lands on my head all-the-time! She's welcome to stay on my head, and she does, usually to swishy dance on it. :) :omg: She will also rappel down my hair onto my shoulders. She has never pooped on my head.

But I've also trained her, by accident I think, to land on my arm, a la falconry. I spot her flying toward me, "Incoming!" extend my arm with my forearm bent at an angle, she extends her feet, and lands on my forearm. Then I bring her in closer to me and try to give her beak kisses. Sometimes I get kisses; other times I get bites.

BTW, is this the first mention of your 6-week-old lovie?

[michael]

........What you might be able to do when you see Crow flying towards you is to hold your hand up over your head and encourage her to land there. Once you get to land on your hand when it's over your head, you should be able to teach her to aim for your hand whenever she's flying towards you and you just hold your hand out away from your body. Being as young as she is, she will pick things up very quickly. :)

After using this tactic with B.B, he now flies circles around my head, lands somewhere's nearby, then offers me a perplexed stare. ... Being as old as he is, I think he tends to pick up on things rather...... slowly :roll:

Most the time though, I really don't mind having him perch on my head. Except when the comb gets stuck............:x

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

yeah, all my lovies have landed on heads. Sunny does this to me but not to my husband. I think it's because i have more hair to grip therefore am a more stable landing pad. I just hold still when I see her flying toward me and once she lands, put a hand up for her step off on, and she comes donw nicely.

My mom's hina is notorious for this. She's a biter, but surprisingly, she won't bite if she's on your head & put a hand up to get her off. Weird hen. Like fuzzyaga's hen, she'll also land on an extended arm ... or hand. When she has out-of-cage privileages, we just open her door & she comes out on her own (no sticking hands in/near her cage or she'll bite).... but once she's out & on her cage, my mom will whistel or make kissy noises and hold her hand up like a perch & Hina will aim for it & land sweetly... until she flys off to look for paper, of course.

I did notice I had a large, new barrette in my hair the last time i visited my parents, and while hina was out cruising in the living room, we had all moved the kitchen.... so when she flew in to join "her flock" she aimed for my head (i was standing closest) but did not land and chirp-protested before she turned around to try another head.... she was frightened by my barrette, but would still land on my hand.

If you don't want your Crow on your head, perhaps something to discourage her from landng there?

[shinbatsu]

BTW, is this the first mention of your 6-week-old lovie?

Yep.

It's messed up because I buzz cut my own hair, and it's about 5mm long. Hardly anything there for Crow to grip onto. I'll start trying the hand technique. Sounds like it will work.

Crow also likes to chew, including my fingers, ear and neck. She very rarely bites hard, but I just blow a puff of air at her face and she stops and nibbles again instead of trying to render flesh from bone. I give her tons of chewable toys, most handmade, to keep her busy.

I bring her to work with me and made this sign for her work cage, which is near the entrance to my cubicle.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/9536/motivator3a45b21480bf9f.th.jpg (http://img189.imageshack.us/i/motivator3a45b21480bf9f.jpg/)

[piousm]

Mine fly for my shoulders, but if I dont have a shirt on the hen in particular tends to go for the head (which I put down to grip). That said, they tend to fly for my wife's head first (in preference to shoulders). Thinking about that, maybe it is because she is smaller, so the shoulder's arent such an easy landing pad. She didnt mind so much until Kiki bent over and bit her forehead hard. My vet encourages me to hold them at heart level. He thinks that when they are on your shoulder they think they are at your "level" (seeing your head as a funny looking bird) and this can lead to dominance/behaviour issues. Kiki certainly thinks she is boss of the house, so there might be something in that, but shoulders are so convenient, coz it leaves your hands free to do other things, and anyway Kiki hates being held - she likes to be on me or in my shirt, but on her terms.

[thebubbleking]

Whats wrong with head landings?!?!?!?!?!?

[FuzzyAga]

With all due respect to your vet, I say that the dominance issue with these lovies is not as relevant as it would be with bigger parrots, such as Amazons, Greys, Macaws, you get the idea.

My approach to these lovies is one of live-and-let-live, except where their health and safety might be an issue; otherwise, I let them lord it over me, if it pleases them.

[BarbieH]

Whats wrong with head landings?!?!?!?!?!?

Nothing really with our smaller birds, but poops in the hair are not a good look. Neither is chewed-up hair.

Love the poster! :)

[piousm]

With all due respect to your vet, I say that the dominance issue with these lovies is not as relevant as it would be with bigger parrots, such as Amazons, Greys, Macaws, you get the idea.

My approach to these lovies is one of live-and-let-live, except where their health and safety might be an issue; otherwise, I let them lord it over me, if it pleases them.

Hmmm, that's the approach I've taken, and the vet's attitude is that I've been warned but the birds are happy, so no issue. It'd be nice if Kiki was friendlier to my wife, but I think there is a situation of an immovable object v an irresistable force. I've had bigger birds (galahs) when I was younger, and I'd have to say the lovies make up in determination (and nipping power) what they lack in size.

[FuzzyAga]

Since you mentioned it, if you would compare your 6-week old with CompassionAk's 6-week old--just to be sure--it would be good. Her photos tracked some of the stages of development of her chicks.

You don't seem to be perturbed about taking care of such a young baby so maybe you have experience in taking care of baby lovies. However, if you are uncertain, then this is the place to ask questions.

Please study and compare your 6-week old (feather vs. down, length of tail feathers, color of beak, head size vs body size, and any other points you might consider) to CompassionAk's chicks. I'm hoping you don't really have a 6-week old, but an older chick. :)

http://www.lovebirdsplus.com/community/showpost.php?p=151563&postcount=17

[shinbatsu]

Since you mentioned it, if you would compare your 6-week old with CompassionAk's 6-week old--just to be sure--it would be good. Her photos tracked some of the stages of development of her chicks.

You don't seem to be perturbed about taking care of such a young baby so maybe you have experience in taking care of baby lovies. However, if you are uncertain, then this is the place to ask questions.

Please study and compare your 6-week old (feather vs. down, length of tail feathers, color of beak, head size vs body size, and any other points you might consider) to CompassionAk's chicks. I'm hoping you don't really have a 6-week old, but an older chick. :)

http://www.lovebirdsplus.com/community/showpost.php?p=151563&postcount=17

It looks like the bird at 7 weeks old, which makes sense, because I got the bird at age 6 - 6 1/2 weeks (according to the breeder who did the handfeeding), and I have had her for a week which makes it 7 - 7 1/2 weeks. If the information helps, I got her on the same day she stopped being handfed.

Why would I be perturbed about caring for a young baby? It's not rocket science.

I have absolutely no experience with lovebirds aside from a 1-2 month battle with trying to tame a wild one.

[bookworm0550]

Why would I be perturbed about caring for a young baby? It's not rocket science.

I have absolutely no experience with lovebirds aside from a 1-2 month battle with trying to tame a wild one.

she's just asking cuz some people aren't comfortable with handfeeding babies is all.

[bookworm0550]

whoa!!! you are maya's friend!!!! LOL. tell that girl to get back on here cuz the only time i see her is on facebook, like right now. and i thought you were a chick this whole time!!

[shinbatsu]

she's just asking cuz some people aren't comfortable with handfeeding babies is all.

I'm not comfortable with handfeeding. lol.


whoa!!! you are maya's friend!!!! LOL. tell that girl to get back on here cuz the only time i see her is on facebook, like right now. and i thought you were a chick this whole time!!

!!! How did you know? She was the one that got me into birds. Haha. I used to be into aquatics.

You thought I was a chick? what? Do I talk like one?

[bookworm0550]

well, maya and i are friends on facebook and i noticed her new album "crow". i mention to her that "this chick on lovebirdplus has a bird named crow as well that looks like yours." and then she told me that it it's not a chick, it's a dude and it's her friend. haha. i seriously thought it was maya under a different name.

i only thought you were a chick cuz of your profile pic. i thought the video of you when crow bit you in the face was your boyfriend and the girl laughin in the background was you (but it was maya!)