Cockatoos are one of the most friendliest birds on the planet. They become excellent companions and entertain you with their lovely nature. Among the many personality traits they have, being affectionate is one of them.
Cockatoos easily get attached to their owner, seek their attention, cuddle with them and even miss them in their absence. These behaviors clearly show how affectionate cockatoos are.
Their nature is somewhat similar to a human child, they can get emotionally attached to you once they start trusting you. They start screaming when you are not around them, they want to play with you and they surely want you to show affection.
How do cockatoos show affection?
Cockatoos show affection through certain actions. Their body language helps interpret their feelings. Their most common ways of showing affection towards the people they like are cuddling and responding to calls.
Cuddling
One of their most clear way of showing affection is cuddling with you. When my cockatoos want cuddles, they come close to me, puff their feathers and ask me to rub their head. Sometimes, they come, sit on my shoulder and kiss me and look toward me so that I kiss them back. One of my cockatoos likes to get under my hand this is his way of asking for rubs.
I have also noticed that they make lovely sounds when they are in the mood. They also raise and pull back their crest to get my attention (and they always succeed).
Responding to your calls
If your cockatoo responds to your calls or talks back whenever you call his name or talk to him, he is showing affection. Moreover, some cockatoos also learn to mimic, they repeat the words you say. This happens when the bird is emotionally attached to you and is ready to learn from you.
Final thoughts
If your cockatoo shows any such signs, make sure you give him all the love you can. If not, still take better care of him, and don’t lose hope. He will surely start showing affection towards you.
In my entire cockatoo-keeping experience, I have had several cockatoos that showed no affection in the beginning but with time, they became the cuddliest birds I ever had.