I've posted about this before. But I finally got around to taking a video of her doing this.
Backstory: this is a female ekkie that is about 11 years old and a very active egg layer. She has one bird successfully raised thus far. Her mate, a male who is about 10 years old now and her son, about 3 years now, are both very vocal birds. Her mate doesn't talk at all any more. He used to say "hello" but all he does now is a variety of chirps, whistles, squawks, and screeches. He'll mostly be quiet when no one is around. The juvenile is a chatterbox. He LOVES to talk. He is so incredibly social. Most of the time he will greet you and try to engage in chatter. If you don't respond, he'll say "Helllll-looooooooooooooo???" He's hilarious. Sometimes you can hear him in the other room, rehearsing his vocabulary of phrases.
But that female... she is a very reserved bird. Not very social. Her owner is somewhat bonded and she'll easily go on her fingers. I've had her perch a number of times. But if she gets mad? She bites HARD. Just the other day I was changing her water. Sometimes she's in a combative mood. She had quickly scrambled to the perch near the water dish and as I put the new water dish in place, like a bullet she darted her head out in the space, caught hold of my finger, and bit down hard drawing blood. The other two never do that.
(note -- this video attenuates the sound. it's MUCH louder than it sounds)
When she's nesting? She almost never squawks. But when the nest is gone and she has nothing to do... all you have to do is be in the kitchen nearby, in view, and then the squawks start. About 1 per minute on average when she gets going, sometimes 2 per minute. If she's being fed from above her cage by her mate, nothing. If she's out on the couch with her mate and hanging out, rarely squawks. It can be dead silent. You walk into the kitchen and start doing something, like preparing tea. You can be so very quiet, the other birds not making any noises either, and then like a crack of thunder the female will squawk. It's MOST unpleasant. I wish there was some way to encourage different vocalizations. She picks up nothing from the other two. And in fact... the male has now gotten in the habit of imitating her loud squawk on occasion, when he's annoyed (wants to come out of his cage but no one is obliging him).
Backstory: this is a female ekkie that is about 11 years old and a very active egg layer. She has one bird successfully raised thus far. Her mate, a male who is about 10 years old now and her son, about 3 years now, are both very vocal birds. Her mate doesn't talk at all any more. He used to say "hello" but all he does now is a variety of chirps, whistles, squawks, and screeches. He'll mostly be quiet when no one is around. The juvenile is a chatterbox. He LOVES to talk. He is so incredibly social. Most of the time he will greet you and try to engage in chatter. If you don't respond, he'll say "Helllll-looooooooooooooo???" He's hilarious. Sometimes you can hear him in the other room, rehearsing his vocabulary of phrases.
But that female... she is a very reserved bird. Not very social. Her owner is somewhat bonded and she'll easily go on her fingers. I've had her perch a number of times. But if she gets mad? She bites HARD. Just the other day I was changing her water. Sometimes she's in a combative mood. She had quickly scrambled to the perch near the water dish and as I put the new water dish in place, like a bullet she darted her head out in the space, caught hold of my finger, and bit down hard drawing blood. The other two never do that.
When she's nesting? She almost never squawks. But when the nest is gone and she has nothing to do... all you have to do is be in the kitchen nearby, in view, and then the squawks start. About 1 per minute on average when she gets going, sometimes 2 per minute. If she's being fed from above her cage by her mate, nothing. If she's out on the couch with her mate and hanging out, rarely squawks. It can be dead silent. You walk into the kitchen and start doing something, like preparing tea. You can be so very quiet, the other birds not making any noises either, and then like a crack of thunder the female will squawk. It's MOST unpleasant. I wish there was some way to encourage different vocalizations. She picks up nothing from the other two. And in fact... the male has now gotten in the habit of imitating her loud squawk on occasion, when he's annoyed (wants to come out of his cage but no one is obliging him).
