Ask Lafeber

Bird Behavior/ Sounds

Why does my female cockatiel makes too loud noises in the morning or when I’m doing some work?

Hi Aban,

Birds vocalize in order to communicate. Your cockatiel is likely doing contact calls in order to get attention. When you respond to these calls – even if you are telling her no, or be quiet – as far as she is concerned, the call worked. The best way to deal with excessive noise is to ignore it. Any response encourages her to call out even more. It is not a fast process to teach a bird to stop being loud, but it can be done. However, keep in mind that she had to be allowed to vocalize some. Birds are loudest around sunrise and sunset – this is their natural time to vocalize. You can cover her cage at night so that she isn’t as likely to start calling too early in the morning. But once she is uncovered, you should let her make noise for a while – it’s her way of greeting the new day. Ignore the noise and as soon as she is quiet for a minute or so, go to her and say good bird, and give her a treat. Stay consistent and she will learn that being loud means she will be ignored, and being quiet means she gets treats and attention. You have to be consistent. Every time you get frustrated and yell at her or reprimand her, you have lost ground in her training. The best thing to do is leave the room until she stops. And only go back and give her attention once she is quiet.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda