How to train a parrot: step-up, target training and why feather plucking matters

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Training is not about tricks. It gives a parrot something to think about, makes handling and vet visits less stressful, and builds trust between you and the bird. It works best with positive reinforcement: rewarding what you want, rather than punishing what you do not.

Before you start

Find a reward the bird really wants. A favourite seed, a tiny piece of nut or millet spray often works. Save it for training so it stays special.
Keep sessions short. A few minutes, once or twice a day, ending while the bird is still keen.
Train in a quiet place with few distractions, ideally away from the cage, which the bird may defend.
Read body language. Leaning away, pinned eyes, raised feathers or an open beak mean back off and try again later.

A marker helps

Many trainers use a marker, a click from a clicker or a short word such as "good", at the exact moment the bird does the right thing, followed immediately by a treat. The bird learns that the marker means a reward is coming, which makes it clearer what earned it.

Target training

Targeting is a good first behaviour because it needs no handling at all.

Hold a chopstick or similar stick near the bird.
When the bird looks at it or touches it with its beak, mark and reward.
Gradually move the target further away so the bird must step or climb to touch it.
Once reliable, the target can guide the bird onto a scale, into a carrier or back to the cage without anyone grabbing it.

Teaching step-up

Step-up, moving onto your hand or a hand-held perch on cue, is the most useful everyday behaviour.

Start with a hand-held perch if the bird is nervous of hands.
Hold it just above the bird's feet, slightly in front of its body.
Say "step up" and wait. When the bird lifts a foot onto it, mark and reward.
Build up to both feet, then to stepping onto your hand.

Never force a bird onto your hand or push it into the belly; the bird learns that hands are something to avoid.

Dealing with biting

Biting is communication, usually fear, frustration or overstimulation. Work out what came just before it and avoid putting the bird in that position. Shouting, flicking the beak or putting the bird back in the cage as punishment tend to make biting worse. Stay calm, and reward the bird for calm behaviour instead.

Feather plucking and other stress signs

Feather damaging behaviour, where a bird pulls, chews or over-preens its own feathers, is a serious sign that something is wrong. It can have medical causes, such as infection, parasites, skin disease, nutritional problems or pain, and behavioural ones, such as boredom, stress, lack of sleep, changes in the household or a lack of social contact. Often both play a part. If your bird starts plucking:

See an avian vet first to look for a medical cause. Do not assume it is only behaviour.
Look honestly at the bird's day: hours alone, time out of the cage, sleep, diet and enrichment.
Add foraging and shredding opportunities and short, positive training sessions.
Be patient. Once established, plucking can take a long time to improve, and some birds keep a few bare patches.

Other signs of stress include constant screaming, pacing, repetitive movements and aggression that is new for that bird. Tell us what you are teaching your bird, or what worked for a nervous parrot, in the comments.