You’re not imagining it: a lot of companion parrots get noticeably louder right around this point in late winter. The daylight shift is small to us, but to birds it can feel like a huge seasonal signal. If your bird suddenly sounds like an alarm clock with opinions, this is usually fixable—without punishing normal bird behavior.
Before you panic, make sure your emergency basics are still ready. Keep this pet bird first aid kit checklist current so you’re prepared if behavior ever crosses into real distress.
What changed this week?
In many U.S. homes, sunrise is getting earlier and rooms stay brighter longer. Birds track light hard. That extra light can nudge hormone-related behavior: louder contact calls, territorial posturing, nesty behavior, and lower frustration tolerance.
The key point: your bird is not being “bad.” Your bird is being a bird with a body clock that just got a signal boost.
The 10-minute daily reset
Do this once in the evening for a week:
- Light control (3 min): dim the room earlier, close bright curtains, and avoid late-night TV glare near the cage.
- Foraging setup (4 min): prep one easy foraging station so your bird burns mental energy instead of scream-energy. If you need ideas, rotate from this toy and enrichment guide.
- Predictable wind-down (3 min): same phrase, same perch, same calm interaction before bedtime.
Consistency beats intensity. One dramatic “perfect day” does less than seven boring, repeatable evenings.
If your bird is also barbering feathers or escalating into chronic over-grooming, review this practical piece on feather mutilation warning signs and talk with an avian vet early.
When to call your avian vet now
Book a same-day or urgent check if noise changes come with open-mouth breathing, tail bobbing, sudden lethargy, appetite drop, or droppings changes. Behavioral spikes are common this season, but medical issues can hide inside “just being hormonal.”
Bottom line
Your parrot didn’t wake up and choose chaos. The season shifted, and your routine needs a small update. Start with light, add foraging, keep bedtime consistent for 7 days, then evaluate. Most households hear a real difference by the end of week one.