Another interesting behavior caique have been observed doing has been given the name “surfing” by the parrot community. When a Caique surfs he dives the back of his head onto a surface and then slides long his back. Caiques will often do this on towels, on hands and on people’s heads.
Because of their coloration caiques often look like they are wearing pants. When a Caique is quite excited or perhaps showing aggressive behavior the feathers on the legs might be fluffed. One person described this as her Caique “was wearing his puffy pants.” For her this was the body language that indicated her caique might be more inclined to bite.
Caiques a species of parrot found in South America. Many South American species of parrots are bred in the United States. However in Australia a caique is an extremely rare bird to see in aviculture. This is because Australia has very strict laws regarding the importation of animals. Because of this a caique can cost $1500-2000 in Australia. In the United States the price is currently about half of this.
In the United States the word “caique” is pronounced “kiy eeek” in Australia it is pronounced “cake.”
Potential Behavior Problems:
Playing with a caique can be a lot of fun. It can stimulate the bird to hop, interact fervently with toys and surf. However a common problem for many parrots is excitement that turns to aggressive behavior. Getting a caique too excited can potentially lead to a bite. If you want to play with a caique do so in a way that does not require you to handle the parrot until he has calmed down. This may mean playing with him on a table top, having lots of toys available he can chew and using a target to cue him to where you want him to go until playtime is over and the parrot appears calmer. For more information on addressing aggressive behavior check out the “Parrot Problem Solver.”
Caique Training Examples:
Trained caique video courtesy of Cory Cordes www.cecexoticsaviary.com