Cockatiel Dances Only If Owner Makes The Beat

This is such a cute video. The connection that this sweet bird has with his owner, or bird guardian as some like to say, is obviously very strong and unique. This cockatiel is very well trained, and he seems to be very opinionated about what he will or will not do. The owner of the bird gave the following statement to describe what is going on from her point of view that made her want to film this video: "This is Sir Charles the cockatiel, who will only dance if I make the beat for him, and gets very offended when I stop."

Birds as pets are immensely entertaining. Cockatiels can be a bit sneaky and cunning, so if the video kept going, there is no telling how this interaction would have probably ended. Cockatiels are also extremely popular and very intelligent, but most do not believe that they are at the same intelligence level as the parrots. However, even though that may be what experts have to say, the cockatiel in this video does not look any less intelligent than the brilliant parrots in the thousands of videos that everyone has seen of cockatoos and macaws doing their tricks.

Cockatiels and parrots are known for their mimicking noises and words, but there is something else that is very interesting. Parrots and cockatiels can imitate thousands of sounds and words, and they can learn dozens of tricks if they are just worked with regularly (this needs to be done on a daily basis preferably) and cared for properly.
The little cockatiel in this video dances on her guardian’s wrist when she does two things: she must bounce him up and down ever so slightly, and she must make this “beatboxing” noise that we hear her make. When she does these two actions simultaneously, the sweet bird does his little dance.

After she stops making music sounds, the bird immediately stops all signs of movement. Now this could just be attributed to a very highly and well trained intelligent bird. However, keep watching, and you will see what makes this situation just a little bit different from the normal bird dancing videos that you have grown to expect.

The owner then tries to get her bird to dance again for the camera, but this time she only bounces on him. She does not make the beatboxing sound out loud like she previously did. Shockingly, the bird refuses to dance again. Most parrots and cockatiels will dance if you just bounce them in this way like she is doing here. This bird will just not do it though.

Several more times the cockatiel’s mom tries to get him to dance. However, he seems to only respond when he gets the exact combination of steps that he is looking for. He wants the movement and the sound. He wants both of them together, and he apparently just will not perform if he does not get what he wants! This might be a case of a very spoiled pet, but honestly, that is just the way it should be! He is precious.