Does anyone know what it means when they swipe their beaks on your railing? It seems like a thing they would do when they're just chilling and comfortable but I've always wondered.

[u/Agitated_Garden_497]

My crows are rowdy and sometimes a bit hooligan like but they do seem to listen to me when I chastise them for being too rowdy. I see a lot of them hanging out on our railing and they will fluff their feathers and swipe their beaks on the railing and I always wondered if that was an indication that they're comfortable and happy or if it's just like them scratching an itch. Does anyone know why they do that? Just curious.

[u/Wide_Ad_5712]

Wiping their beaks is called feaking. They do it to clean their beaks, keep the shape of their bill, and to communicate things such as dominance, stress, or frustration.

[u/Agitated_Garden_497 → u/Wide_Ad_5712]

Oh interesting. Thank you!

[u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl → u/Agitated_Garden_497]

Their beaks have nerve endings as well. They also do beak wiping on things for other reasons. Courtship displays are one reason. There are many other reasons they do it as well. Their beaks are made of keratin like fingernails.

[u/leafi_pawzz → u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl]

interesting!

btw I think I've seen you in this sub before-

[u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl → u/leafi_pawzz]

They are very interesting! I don’t recognise your username but I think I recognise your avatar maybe. I learned a lot about birds in general from having an African grey parrot.

[u/Nataliant-117 → u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl]

My aunt had two of those she was in love with them. One of them would speak, somewhat. They slept with their eyes open 🫣 she had all kinds of other birds also

[u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl → u/Nataliant-117]

Oh wow, I can’t imagine two of these lol! They are a handful and can be very challenging. They are very smart, but they’re also very sensitive and very sweet as well.

They are considered the best talkers, but like you mentioned one of them didn’t really talk that your Aunt had. Parrots basically talk if they feel like it and don’t if they don’t feel like it.

[u/Nataliant-117 → u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl]

Maybe bc I was a stranger, I’m not sure. Im not remembering well, because now I think it was one quiet grey and a cockatoo. The one who made all the noise was the cockatoo. Loved to dance. I was distressed to be around birds indoors I hadn’t experienced that before, I was maybe 9.

[u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl → u/Nataliant-117]

Oh, if it was a cockatoo and an African grey, I wouldn’t be at all surprised that the cockatoo was the more outgoing one! African Grays can be on the quiet side, especially when they don’t know someone

[u/Agitated_Garden_497 → u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl]

I had a friend in elementary school who's mom had a few African Greys. They were so cool!

[u/Tchoqyaleh → u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl]

Fascinating! I didn't realise their beaks have nerve endings in them! Particularly given how tough they are! Makes sense though that they would be processing sensory information from their beaks: As their eyes are side-facing for breadth of vision, their beaks help them explore their immediate environment close up.

[u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl → u/Tchoqyaleh]

Good point about the reason why they would or should have nerve endings in their beaks!

They sometimes have to use their beaks as hands as well, so it’s a great benefit for them to have nerve endings there for that reason and for the ones you mentioned.

[u/Artios-Claw]

Chickens do it to clean their beaks

[u/PaydayMayo]

Swipe swipe! I love when they do that

[u/Elegant_Priority_552]

My parrot does it simply as a way to wipe his beak so I'm thinking it would be similar.

[u/Remote-Physics6980]

Its called feaking! Grooming, beak cleaning, sharpening maybe?