Last updated on October 15th, 2022 at 03:01 pm
Whether you’re watching birds at the feeder or taking care of a pet, you’ve likely noticed that birds tend to twitch frequently.
Birds are twitchy primarily because they are prey animals who need to constantly be aware of predators that could attack from any direction. However, they also twitch as a way of shedding old feathers and relieving itchiness during molting seasons, and they use twitching movements to communicate.
9 Reasons Birds Are So Twitchy
Birds twitch for many different reasons. Some of these reasons are part of the natural behavior of a healthy bird, whereas others are signs of a serious health problem.
Understanding their sudden jerky movements can help you determine what your bird is going through, so you can catch early signs of illness if any.
1. Birds Are Prey Animals
Birds, like squirrels, lizards, and other small animals, have many natural predators, including birds of prey and cats.
They need to be able to quickly detect a predator when it’s nearby and be able to run in any direction at a moment’s notice.
So, it’s evolutionarily beneficial for birds to detect and respond to movement as quickly as they do. This comes across as twitchiness.
2. Birds Twitch Their Wings To Communicate With Mates
Birds such as parrots, doves, and pigeons will use twitching movements to communicate excitement, usually related to mating and reproduction.
This is known as aeroelastic flutter, and it makes a fluttering sound that other birds recognize.
You’ll notice that these birds twitch their wings especially frequently when they’re in the presence of birds of the opposite sex.
This is often accompanied by tail elevation, crouching, and cooing.
3. Birds Twitch To Shed Old Feathers
When birds molt, they need to shake out the old feathers to make new ones. Most birds do this once or twice a year, as either a full or a partial molt.
A partial molt is when only some feathers are replaced in a given cycle, whereas a full molt is when every feather is replaced once per cycle.
In both cases, the bird never loses all of its feathers at the same time.
This process lends itself to itchy, uncomfortable transition phases with old and new feathers.
Twitching and flipping their wings helps relieve the itching once the old feathers are gone and the new ones are starting to grow in.
4. Some Birds Twitch Because They’re Epileptic
Sometimes, twitching wings mean that a bird is going through a seizure.
If this is the case, you’ll notice the wings twitching quite frequently and persistently, and it’s a good idea to take it to an avian veterinarian as soon as you notice this happening.
Put your bird in a small box for transport, and ensure that its environment is warm and quiet until treatment arrives.
Seizures can happen due to toxicity, viral infections, or an injury.
Take note of any toxins that your bird may have ingested, like tobacco, pesticides, or poisonous plants, or of any brain trauma that may have happened due to a collision.
Birds may also have seizures in response to overheating, malnutrition, or dehydration.
Be sure to feed your bird a healthy diet of pellets and fresh food rather than seeds, as a seed-based diet is very fatty and can cause serious liver disease.
Your veterinarian will likely treat seizures with a medicine called Diazepam.
And they may also rehydrate your bird with intravenous fluids or cool the bird down by putting rubbing alcohol on its wings.
Once your bird returns from the vet, place it in a small cage with a padded bottom until it recovers.
5. Young Birds Twitch When They’re Hungry
Young birds relying on their parents for food twitch their wings as a way of communicating that they’re hungry, often while puffing out their feathers as much as they can.
Take note of this signal if you’re responsible for caring for a baby bird, as it’s a sign that you’re being recognized as a parent and that the bird needs to be fed.
6. Birds’ Eyes Are Very Fixed in Their Sockets
Birds’ eyes are very fixed in their sockets relative to human eyes.
Where we can use slight eye movements to gather a large amount of spatial information, birds have to move their whole heads to get the same periphery.
This frequent movement leads to the appearance that the birds are spastic or twitchy.
7. Birds Struggle With Depth Perception
Because birds have eyes on either side of their head instead of two in front, they can’t piece together a visual image with decent depth to it very easily.
To compensate, some birds will shake their heads quickly from side to side to gather information about an object or scene before them, making them appear twitchy.
This behavior is known as a “head throw.”
8. The Shape of Flight Feathers Lends Itself to Fluttering
Flight feathers are shaped to be aerodynamic, but they also shift and flutter in the wind, making a noticeable sound.
Researchers have attested that bird wings flutter on their own when the wind is applied, whether or not a bird is controlling the wings.
This means that some of a bird’s twitchy wing movements are just a byproduct of the way its wings are shaped.
9. Birds Twitch When They’re Frustrated or Upset
When birds get frustrated or upset, they twitch or flip their wings to release the tension.
This may be accompanied by biting, screaming, or feather picking, and you may also notice that your bird isn’t making its usual, happy vocalizations.
They may also tap their toes or swing their heads, adding to their twitchiness.
If your bird is twitching and refusing to eat, take it to an avian veterinarian, as this could be a sign of an underlying cause of stress.
Going without food for an extended time is medically dangerous for a bird.
Birds may stress-twitch in response to a recent move, loud noises, or a change in location of the birdcage, as well as any number of other environmental upsets.
Even a difference in your daily schedule can cause stress in your bird, so do what you can to keep the bird’s routine as consistent as possible.