Can Birds Tell When You’re Sad? (Shocking Pet Info)


One of the perks of having a pet is companionship. A companion is always there, even at your lowest points, and, interestingly, some pets can understand and portray emotions. Birds, for instance, are famous for their deep feelings for each other and their owners.

So, can birds tell when you’re sad? Birds can know that you are unhappy and sad due to their innate ability to form deep emotional connections with each other and humans. They can also perceive your energy and reflect the same in their demeanor. You will find them trying to console you by touching and rubbing against you. Generally, pet birds can sense and portray emotions, but it depends on the individual bird, its species, and how strong the connection is between you two.

If you cry in front of your bird, the chances are high that it will stop what it is doing and come closer. Does it mean that they can tell that you are sad? Read on to find out!

Can Birds Feel or Show Emotions?

Birds’ ability to show emotions is one of the most highly debated animal characteristics. Although it is tasking to tell what animals feel, the chances are high that they can perceive and express sentiments.

Birds feel and express their emotions verbally and non-verbally. You can see it in their demeanor and their sounds. The primal feeling is fear, where all animals retreat or become defensive when there is impending danger.

When birds are in love, they tend to scoot closer to the other party and get excited when they meet. Others initiate touch, and their faces generally light up. They combine joy with love, and you will notice frequent singing when they are content. Birds also depict jealousy and anger when another person or bird comes close to their loved one. Another common feeling is grief, especially after death or disappearance.

Individual birds have unique methods of expression, which depend on the species, their personalities, and how attached they are to you. Parrots, for instance, tend to grasp emotions faster than most bird species, which is probably why prospective bird owners are inclined to have them. In contrast, birds have individualities; not all parrots show empathy the same way. While some are very passionate and vocal, others tend to keep to themselves and prefer not to get involved.

On the other hand, this ability depends on how close they are to you and how long they have known you. Birds, like most animals, take time to feel an attachment to their owners; hence, it is rare to find a bird immediately loving a new owner. The more time you spend with them, the stronger they will feel about you.

Pet parents give various accounts of their birds portraying emotions. Some owners are certain that their birds observed and sensed their feelings and reflected the same. They get happy when you are excited and depressed when you are in a bad mood. The most likely explanation is that they can read energies.

Can Birds Sense When You’re Sad?

Birds are some of the sincerest pets you will come across. They don’t hide their emotions; they fly away when scared, chirp when content, and get feisty when angry. Some reports also claim that they can reflect their owners’ feelings given their ability to read energies.

Several pet owners have stated that their birds can tell when they are sad. Their birds walk up to them and initiate cuddling by touch. Depending on your bird’s personality, it can know that you are dejected and try to comfort you in its way. They may use body language or verbal expressions to try cheering you up.

Birds can also get sad when you grieve if you two have a strong connection, and you can tell by their general change in body language. Birds are known to understand and show sorrow, especially when their loved one dies, and they may never be the same for the rest of their lives.

Some African Grey owners are certain that their pets are empathic, able to sense emotions. Experts even state that they may be better at it than humans. They observe their owners’ state, physically and emotionally, especially after forging a strong emotional connection with you.

It is easy to affect your bird with your emotions directly. If you feel stressed, your birds may feel the change in energy and start being distant. Consequently, they will portray a negative demeanor, which is likely to affect their health.

Birds are sensitive in emotions; therefore, they tend to get attached to the humans or animals close to them. Others even get lifelong mates and can die when the other dies. They are also likely to get affected when humans ignore or replace them. Depending on how connected you two are, your bird is expected to show empathy when you are sad. They can sense that something is off with you and try to make it better in their cute little way.

Do Parakeets Know When You’re Sad?

Most animals can understand changes in your emotions. Some parrot species can also become wild and aggressive to those who offend you. If you have a deep connection, your bird can replicate and reflect your feelings.

Parakeets are smart enough to read your feelings, especially sadness. The birds can also tell when you are happy, sick, or angry. However, this doesn’t happen overnight; you two must have been together and observed each other for a long time. Hence, new keepers may not experience this phenomenon. Every parakeet has a unique way of comforting you when you are down or grieving. Some may land on your arms and rub their body on you while others chirp while looking at you, sincerely.

Parakeets are good at emotion decoding, even better than humans. The birds can sense you are sad according to your tonal variations, words, and body language. Besides, they can also tell if you are unhappy by reading your face and observing your energy. With such an excellent skill, the birds can portray common emotions like jealousy, fear, anger, and misery.

Therefore, if you are a parakeet keeper, it is best to understand that your positive and negative emotions can affect your bird. Once the parakeets realize that you are not ok, they will strive to comfort you in any way they can. First, the bird may chirp at you, follow you around, snuggle and tickle you with their bills trying to lift your spirits in your despair.

Additionally, they can rub their back on your face and neck in consolation. In other cases, the parakeets may behave differently. Instead of consoling you, they cry out and shout for your attention; some researchers believe it is their way of calling on you for consolation.

Do Birds Understand Crying?

Various bird owners give different accounts of what happens when they cry in front of their pets. Others state that they tend to console them and rub against them during such moments, but does this mean that the birds can link crying to sadness?

Birds may not understand why you are crying, but they can sense that something is wrong. The only time they will link crying to emotions is when they hear cries and calls from their fellow birds. Since they speak in the same language, it is easier for them to understand each other than for them to understand the human language. Some birds cry for territorial reasons when separated from others or as a warning of looming danger.

All birds cry for certain reasons and comprehend what they convey to each other. However, some bird species can’t decode it when you weep but can read the emotions you are experiencing. Although birds can’t understand the whole point of crying, it does not mean they cannot tell others’ cries of their kind. There are certain special instances where the birds cry out among each other.

The bird can chirp to call out the rest of the flock. The lost bird will cry out to contact the rest, and the rest will respond to try locating it. Male birds can also scream to scare away other males who want to invade their territories. In other cases, birds cry out to alert the rest of the flock of an impending predator to help them escape.

Wrap Up

One of the best experiences as a pet owner is when your pet understands your emotions and consoles you in your moments of despair. Birds tend to form deep feelings with each other and their owners. Similarly, they have no problems with showing how they feel. They will come to you when you are sad and sing, rub, or nudge you, hoping to make you feel better. Some owners utilize this ability and make birds their therapy partners during illness or after traumatic experiences.

Science has it that they can tell when their owner is sad and get affected by it. Grief, particularly, has such a great impact on them that they are known to die from a broken heart. For instance, if a bird’s mate dies, the other may live in misery for a long time or stay that way for life.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is an owner of several pets including reptiles, cats and dogs. An avid writer, who loves to share her insights into caring for pets.

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