Whistling to parrots
In general, it really pushes my buttons when people whistle to birds. What pisses me off even more, though, is when people whistle to (domestic) parrots.
Now, for context, we have four rescue parrots in our household. Yes, it’s a mess, but we love them like they’re our children. These parrots wouldn’t have survived without human intervention, so I took a lot of steps to adapt to them and meet them where they truly are.
Now, having four parrots isn’t exactly normal, so a lot of people are naturally impressed when they see them. Which honestly, is completely understandable.
However, what I don’t understand is unpromped, forced interactions. I’m a firm believer that interactions with domestic animals should always be done under the supervision and approval of the caregiver.
Still, most people who come into my house invite themselves to interact with the parrots: talking to them, petting them (sometimes in inappropiate ways) and even grabbing them. This never fails to make me feel really mad, especially because two of the parrots already have behavioral issues.
Generally, I’m quick to respectfully tell them to stop when the violation is outrageous enough. For example, I’ve stopped many people from petting their backs, which is sexually stimulating and can cause physical and psychological issues in the long term.
I don’t blame them, parrots have some very special needs, and as a society we have certain expectations on what pets are and how they should act. For example, most people expect a pet to unconditionally allow full-body touch when this is harmful for some animals, such as parrots.
But one subtle unrequested interaction I see very often is whistling. This is honestly the most jarring one to me, and it’s so weird I don’t even feel safe to correct them.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not harmful (at least as far as I know). However, it’s just really fucking weird, and for multiple reasons.
- Parrots don’t even whistle like that.
- WHAT do you think you’re communicating? Are you trying to communicate anything or just make noise?
- Do you seriously think the parrot is going to appreciate this interaction?
I don’t even think most people who do this have answers for these questions! Is their thought process really just “Oh they are birds. Birds whistle! I should whistle too to let them know that… IDK I should just whistle no reason at all”. Most people don’t even know why they’re whistling, and that’s what enrages me about it.
It’s also just really out of touch. It’s the animal equivalent of me walking into someone’s house and repeating the words “taco” and “burrito” after learning that one of the persons inside is mexican. “Oh, mexican people love tacos and burritos, I should say taco and burrito I’m sure they will appreciate it.” Do you see the issue?
In reality everyone in the house would just look at me weird. It’s the same with the parrots! The parrots don’t enjoy strangers whistling to them, and they sure as hell don’t understand what it’s for. Meanwhile I’m also really annoyed because of the unprompted interaction AND the sound of it.
WHAT do some people think they’re doing? It’s a random, unrequested stimulus that can be confusing, stressful, or just meaningless to the bird.
Be mindful of peoples’ pets!
Published on 2025-09-10