# wing twitching



## Symbro (Oct 28, 2005)

i cant help but to study pigeon behavoir. This wing twitching is really interesting. i first knoticed it with bonded pairs. usually, but not always, the cock dances around his hen while she squats and twitches her wing.

however i have also have a bird that i am taking care of. its wattle is still not white and its tenth flight has almost reached its full length. when i reach in to grab him to feed he bites and wing slaps me. but, now here it is, when i stand above the carrier which is at waist hieght, the baby twitches his wing.

if the baby didnt peck and wing slap me i would take the wing twitching as a sign of him respecting my dominance.

any ideas?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Wing Ticking*

Hy Symbro,

The wing twitch is also a sign of being "ticked off", it can also be a WARNING, BACK OFF, DON'T YOU DARE, STAY AWAY. 

I still have some birds who do that when they see me, usually the hens on dummy eggs, or two males will also do it to each other when close by, between each others territory. It is a defense mechanism also.


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## birdboy12 (Jul 27, 2004)

Yea when my birds get into a fight they do that.Or if I reach in the nest to band a baby.


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## Symbro (Oct 28, 2005)

hmm that doesnt explain why the bonded pair will do it...


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## Mistifire (May 27, 2004)

Baby birds twitch their wings like that. When i hand raised my pige she would twitch her wings, it seems when she was excited it happened more, but yesterday she was sitting by me and i started talking to her and she did the wing twitch , she is an adult now, no mate she is by her self. 

I have also seen the little wild birds outside when the babys are old enough to fly but are still following mom, they twitch wings and the parents will sometimes feed them, the other adults dont usually pick on the wing twitchers.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Symbro said:


> hmm that doesnt explain why the bonded pair will do it...


It is also a display of affection between mates.


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## Symbro (Oct 28, 2005)

mistifire,
that is something i knoticed about the wing twitching. that usually the aggressor will not attack a bird twitching its wing.

Treesgray,
it is quite possible for it to have a double meaning. or in this case maybe a triple meaning.

1) Dont mess with me! I WILL attack 
2) Please, dont mess with me. You are superior 
3) Hey Baby, I love the nest you built.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

So restrained emotions, like when someone is impatient and drums their fingers. In this case, for various reasons, the birds don't act on their emotions, but the energy still leaks out in wing twitch activity. I've noticed the subtle audio quality ("flick, flick, flick..."), which can get your attention but isn't as likely to be noticed by a predator.


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## phyll (Mar 15, 2004)

Jesse displays this behavior when kissing his "mirror" mate.

Phyll


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## Scuiry (Jul 11, 2001)

*WingTwitching*

if the baby didnt peck and wing slap me i would take the wing twitching as a sign of him respecting my dominance.

any ideas?[/QUOTE]

In babies wing flapping and beak poking means, "Feed me! Feed me!" That doesn't mean you should feed the baby every time it does this because they do it even when their crop is full. This behavior evolves into adulthood and can be seen in mating rituals.

Daniel


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Symbro,


Yahhhhh..the light twitching of a Wing can mean different things in different contexts.

It can signal affection and anticipation of gestures of affection, or, it can signal a warning that a wing-slap is probable if an intruder continues to advance..!

Phil
Las Vegas


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