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Why Do Parrots Dance? Interesting Facts & Reasons

Nicole Cosgrove Profile Picture

By Nicole Cosgrove

colorful macaw parrot bird perched

As far as the smartest and most skillful birds go, parrots are up there with crows and ravens. They can build nests, crack open nuts, and mimic human speech. Another amazing thing our feathered friends often do is bust out moves to a funky beat. Why do parrots dance, though? Are these birds just trying to repeat after their pet parents?

Or could it be that they can understand music and groove to it the way humans do? Well, the science isn’t clear on that just yet, although there are quite a few interesting theories. The good news is—you can always teach your winged companion new moves and vibe to some tunes together. Let’s learn how!

bird divider

They Can Process (And Enjoy) Music Like We Do

A study by Aniruddh Patel,1 a Tufts University cognitive neuroscientist, suggests that parrots can “sense” music like humans. Instead of perceiving it as a bunch of noises, they can follow the rhythm and dance to it. One of the very first parrots to do that on camera was, of course, Snowball, a popular cockatoo on YouTube. In the many videos, he’s exceptionally artistic, creative, and diverse with his moves.

And it’s not just bobbing or bouncing: the parrot is dancing to the tune, like shaking his head, swaying, lifting one of his feet to the beat, and banging his head like a metal fan. Patel and his research team asked the owner’s permission to film the bird and were blown away by his ability to adjust his dance moves to “follow” the track. His every move was spontaneous!

woman with parrot bird playing guitar
Image by: Nuva Frames, Shutterstock

How Many Dance Moves Do Parrots Have?

Today, Snowball is recognized by Guinness World Records as the birdie with the most dance moves (14 in total), including:

  • Body roll
  • Counter-clockwise head circle
  • Downward head bob
  • Down-shake
  • Foot lift
  • Foot-lift with head swing
  • Headbang
  • Headbang with lifted foot
  • Head-foot sync
  • Pose
  • Side-to-side moves
  • Semi-circle sweep (low- and high-head)
  • Vogue

How Do Parrots Sync With the Music?

Dr. Patel’s research proved that parrots are capable of slowing down or speeding up to match the tempo of the song. Before this study, it was believed that only humans were capable of that. According to the doctor, the auditory and motor parts of a parrot’s brain are interconnected—that’s how they can keep up with the beat. They may not always be 100% in sync, but it’s obvious that parrots understand tempo.

And one more thing: During these tests, Snowball was the only dancer in the room, meaning he wasn’t repeating after anyone. All the bird needed to start bouncing to the beat was a proper beat! By the way, Snowball wasn’t the only musical parrot to participate in tests. Alex, an African grey, showed similar results in research conducted by Irene Pepperberg and Adena Schachner.

red bellied parrot
Image Credit: Charlotte Bleijenberg, Shutterstock

It’s All About the Good Vibrations/Vibes

If your attempts at bringing the dancing queen/king out of your parrot have been failing so far, it might be that the tunes are wrong. It is believed that parrots can feel the vibrations generated by various compositions and thus can have favorite songs. This is confirmed by many pet parents who have noticed their parrots getting “in the mood” when a specific song is on.

In the Snowball videos, we have groovy tunes with heavy drums. However, some birds prefer to dance to slower tracks, like a ballad or even a classical piece. A quick note: for an animal to be able to dance to the rhythm of a song/track, it needs to be a highly intelligent species capable of learning, memorizing, and performing various moves. Here are the five traits required for that:

  • Ability to link sounds and movements
  • Skills necessary to imitate others
  • Tendency to create strong bonds
  • Proficiency in mastering complex sequences
  • Ability to follow communicative movements

In the animal kingdom, this is a rare sight to see. Monkeys, for example, can follow and copy movements, but they lack vocal learning abilities. Besides, most animals do something to get food or gain attention. This is dictated by primal instincts. But parrots have advanced cognitive abilities and dance just because they feel like it. The fact that Snowball and Alex were coming up with their own moves is an indication of that.

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The Pet Is Just Trying to Copy Your Style

Parrots excel at mimicry, and they can imitate not only our voices but our dance moves as well. So, it could be that the bird is just trying to repeat after you (to steal your thunder on the dance floor). This doesn’t happen all the time, though; the parrot can watch you dance for years yet never join in on the action. On other occasions, parrots were recorded dancing to specific tracks even when there was no human in the room.

Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
Image Credit: Ian Fox, Shutterstock

The Parrot Is in Mating Mode

In the wilderness, parrots are often caught dancing. More specifically, males do this during the mating season to win over females. True, the ladies also look at the color of the feathers, the sound of the voice, and the crest, but the dance moves are just as important. So, if there’s no music playing in the area, yet your bird is still doing “karate chops”, that means there’s a pretty gal around.

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Can You Teach a Parrot How to Dance? A Detailed Guide

Yes, it’s very much possible. And, while you might want to keep your expectations low, with the right approach, you should be able to teach the bird a move or two. Parrots are intelligent, curious, and playful pets who like to learn and try something new with their favorite humans. Here’s how the training should go:

  • Pick the right genre. Every bird is different, but most parrots vibe with country music and soft rock. So, if this is your first time trying to connect with the winged bud through music, these genres will be a great place to start. That said, it’s not always important for the tune to have a dance beat for the bird to follow it.
  • Serve as an example. With the music on, try nodding/bobbing your head a bit and check the pet’s reaction. Look the bird in the eyes, grab its attention, and encourage it to join. Still nothing? Try to play that same song a few times in a row and keep bobbing and grooving to it. Don’t change anything just yet.
  • Start adding new moves. If the parrot is finally following your lead, it’s time to switch it up a bit. Please avoid any fancy “human” dance moves that birds can’t mimic. For example, it shouldn’t be hard for a parrot to copy simple arm swings and leg lifts, but it won’t be able to do the helicopter hands dance.
  • Take it very slowly. Parrots have a short attention span. So, keep the training sessions nice and brief. And no, putting the song on repeat while you’re doing something else is not a great idea. Just like humans, parrots need time to relax and clear their heads. Instead, try again in a few hours and see how that goes.
  • Be patient and use positive reinforcement. You can never achieve great results with a parrot by being pushy and lashing out at the pet. Be positive, patient, and “chill”. Also, like dogs, parrots learn so much better when there’s a reward waiting at the end. We’re talking about tasty snacks and shiny toys, of course!
  • Let the parrot do the picking. How do you know what type of music your feathered friend likes? Well, most birds make loud noises when they’re not feeling it. So, you can just let the parrot listen to a bunch of music until one of the tracks “clicks” with it. Who knows, maybe it prefers hip-hop, hard rock, or dubstep?
parrot sitting on a girls hand and kissing her
Image by: Zoom Team, Shutterstock

Are Parrots Good Starter Pets?

The short answer is yes, as long as you pick the right species. There are hundreds of parrot breeds out there, but budgies (parakeets) and cockatiels as the best birdies for first-time owners. They are affordable, relatively small, not that messy, and quick to adapt to new environments. And thanks to their friendly, affectionate, and fun-loving nature, they will be a great choice for children.

You will, of course, have to train the parrot and teach the kids how to interact with it. Responsible owners should also clean the cage, add some perches and bedding, keep the food and water bowls fresh, and let the bird out for 1–2 hours per day. Still, compared to Macaws, cockatoos, and crimson rosella parrots, these species are considered low maintenance.

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Final Thoughts

If you’re a long-time parrot owner, we bet you’ve already caught it dancing to an upbeat song. This is something that many parrots do, especially the ones with witty brains and advanced social skills. And it’s a perfect opportunity for you to vibe along with the feathered bud and break out your own dancing moves.

More than that, if you practice patience, it shouldn’t be that hard to teach the parrot new moves. This way, the two of you can have a proper dance-off! Teaching requires time, of course, and lots of positive reinforcement. But, since parrots are incredibly smart, the pet will start flapping its wings and tapping its feet before you know it!


Featured Image Credit: AKKHARAT JARUSILAWONG, Shutterstock

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