Do Parrots Kiss? ( They love each other )

parrots kissing

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On the internet, you may have seen some hilariously cute video clips of parrots that are seemingly giving kisses to their owners or other parrots.

You may be wondering is this real or something that the parrot has been trained to do over a long time? Well, within this article we will go over this and more to make sure you have all the information that you need.

Are parrots kisses real?

Although it may seem peculiar, parrots do in fact kiss each other and their humans! It is a sign of affection from parrots and parrots love to give out kisses as well as to receive them.

It is a learned behavior from when the parrots are fed by their mothers as babies and comes from the beak-to-beak contact that they use to feed their young.

Parrots will give kisses to each other in the wild, as well as in captivity, to strengthen the bonds between one another and help to reinforce a level of trust amongst the flock.

Can I kiss my Parrot?

Of course, you can kiss your parrot and they may even give you some kisses back. It is a sign of affection in both creatures and translates as such in both instances.

Make sure, to be gentle however as you don’t want your parrot to come to any harm from giving it too much love.

You may even notice that over time, your parrot will start to make the sound of a human kiss when it gives you a peck on the cheek, which can be very cute, as it will associate this noise with the act of kissing.

kissing a pet bird

Even if your parrot has never been kissed before, it will most likely recognize a kiss as a sign of affection and help to strengthen your bond with your pet and get them to see you as one of their flock.

Parrots love to be kissed, but make sure that you only kiss them on their heads or beaks not inside of their mouths or tongue, as you may cause your parrot health problems.

It is also good practice to only give parrots dry kisses and avoid saliva being on your lips.

Will I get sick from kissing my parrot or can my parrot get sick?

When it comes to humans, you are very unlikely to get sick from kissing your parrot. There are, however, a few zoonotic diseases that you can catch from your parrot should they have them.

This includes diseases such as parrot flu, cryptococcosis, or histoplasmosis and so should you have any suspicion that your parrot might be sick, then refrain from giving them any kisses or letting them give you any until they are better.

What is a more likely occurrence, is your parrot becoming sick because of you. There are bacteria within the saliva in your mouth that is not present naturally in birds and so can cause great damage to them if it is introduced into their bodies.

In particular, gram-negative bacteria is one such bacteria that can be within your saliva that can cause great damage to a bird.

A parrot’s immune system does not have the ability to combat this particular bacteria and so introducing this bacteria to your parrot can make it extremely sick and in some cases even kill it.

Some things that you can do to help avoid this unfortunate scenario from unfolding with your flock are, avoid sharing food with your parrots, only give them gentle dry kisses (such as a peck on the beak), don’t allow them to kiss you with an open mouth (or kiss them with an open mouth yourself), and make sure that you avoid lipstick when kissing your parrot.

Final Thoughts

To conclude, you can finally stop wondering about whether those cute videos on the internet were fake or real as parrots do in fact kiss. A great and wholesome way to build trust with your pet parrot, kissing is something that transcends species.

Make sure to give your feathered friend dry and gentle kisses to make sure that they stay healthy and will live a long and happy life, and don’t go sharing your half-eaten breakfast with them!

Hopefully, this article has answered your questions and giving you some useful information to help you and your parrot grow closer.

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