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Dancing Senegal Parrot

Kili

Type: Senegal Parrot
Genus: Poicephalus
Species: Senegalus
Subspecies: Mesotypus
Sex: Female
Weight: 120 grams
Height: 9 inches
Age: 15 years, 9 months
Caped Cape Parrot

Truman

Type: Cape Parrot
Genus: Poicephalus
Species:Robustus
Subspecies: Fuscicollis
Sex: Male
Weight: 330 grams
Height: 13 inches
Age: 14 years
Blue and Gold Macaw

Rachel

Type: Blue & Gold Macaw
Genus: Ara
Species:ararauna
Sex: Female
Weight: 850 grams
Height: 26 inches
Age: 11 years, 9 months
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Stop Parrot Biting
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List of Common Parrots:

Parakeets:
Budgerigar (Budgie)
Alexandrine Parakeet
African Ringneck
Indian Ringneck
Monk Parakeet (Quaker Parrot)

Parrotlets:
Mexican Parrotlet
Green Rumped Parrotlet
Blue Winged Parrotlet
Spectacled Parrotlet
Dusky Billed Parrotlet
Pacific Parrotlet
Yellow Faced Parrotlet

Lovebirds:
Peach Faced Lovebird
Masked Lovebird
Fischer's Lovebird
Lilian's (Nyasa) Lovebird
Black Cheeked Lovebird
Madagascar Lovebird
Abyssinian Lovebird
Red Faced Lovebird
Swindern's Lovebird

Lories and Lorikeets:
Rainbow Lorikeet

Conures:
Sun Conure
Jenday Conure
Cherry Headed Conure
Blue Crowned Conure
Mitred Conure
Patagonian Conure
Green Cheeked Conure
Nanday Conure

Caiques:
Black Headed Caique
White Bellied Caique

Poicephalus Parrots:
Senegal Parrot
Meyer's Parrot
Red Bellied Parrot
Brown Headed Parrot
Jardine's Parrot
Cape Parrot
Ruppell's Parrot

Eclectus:
Eclectus Parrot

African Greys:
Congo African Grey (CAG)
Timneh African Grey (TAG)

Amazons:
Blue Fronted Amazon
Yellow Naped Amazon
Yellow Headed Amazon
Orange Winged Amazon
Yellow Crowned Amazon

Cockatoos:
Cockatiel
Galah (Rose Breasted) Cockatoo
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Umbrella Cockatoo
Moluccan Cockatoo
Bare Eyed Cockatoo
Goffin's Cockatoo

Macaws:
Red Shouldered (Hahn's) Macaw
Severe Macaw
Blue And Gold Macaw
Blue Throated Macaw
Military Macaw
Red Fronted Macaw
Scarlet Macaw
Green Winged Macaw
Hyacinth Macaw

Glossary of Common Parrot Terms

Bird Toss Trick

Comments (13)

By Michael Sazhin

Monday March 30th, 2015

Check out Kili's newest trick. Well actually it's not that new but we have not made a video about it before. I taught Kili the bird toss or what I like to call "boing boing." It's a trick in which I can toss Kili up and down in my hand like a beanbag.

The trick first came to me when I was walking about Phoenix with Ginger and her Senegal Parrot Sammy on a harness. Sammy is a really easy going Senegal Parrot that just about anyone can hold. Sammy is the star of Ginger's Parrots Movie. Anyway, so I taught Sammy to wear a harness in no time and we went to a Sunday morning parrot outing with other parrot owners. I was holding Sammy and we were there a while so I started turning Sammy over and playing. I forget why exactly but I started bouncing Sammy up and down in my hand and before you knew it we had a new trick.

Ginger and I passed by Dr. Drigger's office (a well known Avian Veterinarian in the Phoenix area) and I showed him what Sammy could do. The doc thought it was hysterical and took a video.



Fast forward to more recent times. Kili is very good about laying in my hand. So I started preparing her for the bird toss. At first it was just a matter of moving my hand up and down while holding her. But then I started letting go and allowing her to go up out of my hand a little and back down. It's nothing more than a trust building exercise. If Kili gets too uncomfortable, she just flips over and lands on my hand or flies away. But I can see her overcoming her fears in order to earn treats.

The funny thing is that this trick wasn't taught in the usual click and treat method. Instead it would happen here and there in the course of a year. Sometimes just playing with her out of boredom, other times right before putting her in the cage for a meal, little by little Kili learned to bounce like a champ. This was sooner a long term type of training rather than quick accelerated learning. I tried to get her to learn it quickly at first but it just wasn't working. So spanning it out over time without any hurry was the best thing for this type of a trick.

To teach the more basic requisites such as touching, grabbing, and turning your bird over on its back, please refer to my book, The Parrot Wizard's Guide to Well-Behaved Parrots.

An interesting thing I noticed is that both Sammy, Kili, and Truman do better with the bird toss while wearing a harness. Perhaps it's the security they feel of still being partially held (by the harness instead of hand) or something else, but the harness definitely helped get the trick going in the beginning. And without further ado, here's the video:



Part of: Parrot Trick Training, Blog Announcements, Senegal Parrots
Kili Senegal Parrot Trick Training Bird Toss Boing Boing
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Comments

Post Your Response


liz

Posted on March 31, 2015 02:22PM

I don't see any purpose for this trick. I do think that it should not have been posted. They are not toys to be thrown around they are little beings. Please don't encourage this as many little birds are going to get hurt or tramatized.

Pajarita

Posted on March 31, 2015 04:21PM

I'm sorry but I have to agree. How does this benefit a bird in any way? It doesn't create trust, it brings it no pleasure or exercise. It does nothing but objectify the bird (a beanbag?!) and provide an inane titillation to the human. It certainly will not make bird lovers happy, Michael.


marie83

Posted on April 2, 2015 05:04PM

I've never disagreed with you teaching tricks to your birds Michael and have a lot of respect for you but I agree with the others, this is irresponsible and needs taking down. As for Kili what would she do if you misjudged her landing? She is there trusting you, not spreading her wings and taking flight so she would just fall to the floor more than likely or leave it too late to save herself without injury. Maybe you are holding her over a bed/cushion or something but that's still not really the point.


Michael

Posted on April 2, 2015 06:35PM

[quote="marie83":ms2mj70v]As for Kili what would she do if you misjudged her landing? She is there trusting you, not spreading her wings and taking flight so she would just fall to the floor more than likely or leave it too late to save herself without injury. Maybe you are holding her over a bed/cushion or something but that's still not really the point.[/quote:ms2mj70v] You didn't finish watching the video. If there is any doubt in her mind, she just flies away. It is entirely not forced upon her. We've been playing around like this for over a year and just building up height. It's a low priority trick. It's just something we do when bored. Started something like passing her from hand to hand and eventually bouncing just a little and more and more. If she gets tired or doesn't wanna do it, she can flip over and land on my hand. If she's really had it, she just flies away. She's a perfectly willing participant and is in no danger. People toss babies all the time. Babies on the other hand don't have wings. So a slip up or mistake could be harmful!


marie83

Posted on April 2, 2015 09:23PM

[quote="Michael":wk58gt1v][quote="marie83":wk58gt1v]As for Kili what would she do if you misjudged her landing? She is there trusting you, not spreading her wings and taking flight so she would just fall to the floor more than likely or leave it too late to save herself without injury. Maybe you are holding her over a bed/cushion or something but that's still not really the point.[/quote:wk58gt1v] You didn't finish watching the video. People toss babies all the time. Babies on the other hand don't have wings. So a slip up or mistake could be harmful![/quote:wk58gt1v] Yes I did finish watching the video. Doesn't change my opinion, there is still a chance you miss the catch and Kili doesn't save herself in time. George was once rolling about on a towel on my sisters bunk bed on he fell off the side and only saved himself 1 and a half-2ish feet from the ground. I'm sure your not as tall as a bunk bed even if the difference is kili expecting the toss and George not expecting the fall. You can't always predict animals and they aren't always 100% on the ball at all times either. My gripe with the video is other people copying you more than that issue although that is still an issue. As for tossing babies I wouldn't know, it wouldn't be something I would do if I am ever in the position of holding one.


liz

Posted on April 3, 2015 02:15PM

Michael, you know your birds. Though I do not agree with a lot of your practices the big problem here is that you posted it. It is like a TV program teaching how to make a bomb. Some one is going to try it. Little birds are going to be injured or killed.


Michael

Posted on April 3, 2015 02:38PM

It really just doesn't work that way. When falling down, birds flap. It's reflexive. It's actually really hard to teach this trick because you are essentially teaching them to supress reflex momentarily. They are much quicker to revert to reflex unless high motivation is there to overcome it. I am not worried about people seeng this and possibly trying to copy it because without extensive trust and training it just won't work! The bird wil flap to safety. Go ahead, toss your (flighted) bird and you will aee they can flap out of it just fine. The only situation I have seen birds actually fall is when they get in a fight with each other. And even then they cushion te impact with some flapping.

Pajarita

Posted on April 3, 2015 05:49PM

You might be right and then you might be wrong. But the point is that this is something that does not, in any way, benefit the bird. Quite the contrary, it objectifies it, something that should always be a complete no-no. It's hard enough to make people understand that they are not 'Just a bird' to begin with... You are already in hot water with lots of bird lovers and avian behaviorists, why add fuel to the fire?


Michael

Posted on April 3, 2015 08:51PM

I see no harm in showing people bird tricks and inspiring them to be more involved with their birds. Considering how many birds are stuck at rescues or get dumped by bored people, inspiring interaction, training, love, and passion is what the bird community needs most. Just telling people not to even get birds in the first place hasn't been working out too well now has it?


liz

Posted on April 4, 2015 01:24PM

My Amazons are not normal, probably because I did not have knowledge of the bigger parrots before Rambo came to me. He taught me that he was 5 year old kid. I treated him like a kid and he was happy. Myrtle came to me as a war orphan so I treated her that way. She is now very well adjusted. My way of dealing with them is the same as I would a 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. There are things I do with them that I would never put in the forum. I just don't want anyone else to try them.

Pajarita

Posted on April 4, 2015 07:05PM

[quote="Michael":264379v0]I see no harm in showing people bird tricks and inspiring them to be more involved with their birds. Considering how many birds are stuck at rescues or get dumped by bored people, inspiring interaction, training, love, and passion is what the bird community needs most. Just telling people not to even get birds in the first place hasn't been working out too well now has it?[/quote:264379v0] Michael, even tricks become boring after you've done/seen them a thousand times. And you don't show any love for the bird when you toss it like a ball up in the air... What people need to be taught is respect for their birds, that they are not mere objects of entertainment, that they are sentient beings with feelings, needs and desires.


liz

Posted on April 5, 2015 12:47AM

RIGHT


marie83

Posted on April 6, 2015 03:48PM

[quote="Michael":15b4l89g]It really just doesn't work that way..... ....Go ahead, toss your (flighted) bird and you will aee they can flap out of it just fine. The only situation I have seen birds actually fall is when they get in a fight with each other. And even then they cushion te impact with some flapping.[/quote:15b4l89g] So despite my example your still saying it isn't possible for an accident to happen purely because you haven't seen it with your own eyes? For extra info he was an excellent flier and in good health. Anyway I'm in agreement with pajarita (for this "trick") and I can't see that Kili would actually enjoy the trick but merely tolerating it. I'm not against trick training as I do believe it can enrich the birds life if done right but it should be enjoyable for both parties. I can see other people attempting it and totally ruining the birds trust.

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Trained Parrot is a blog about how to train tricks to all parrots and parakeets. Read about how I teach tricks to Truman the Brown Necked Cape Parrot including flight recall, shake, wave, nod, turn around, fetch, wings, and play dead. Learn how you can train tricks to your Parrot, Parrotlet, Parakeet, Lovebird, Cockatiel, Conure, African Grey, Amazon, Cockatoo or Macaw. This blog is better than books or DVDs because the information is real, live, and completely free of charge. If you want to know how to teach your parrot tricks then you will enjoy this free parrot training tutorial.
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