Umbrella cockatoo
So many people over the past several months have commented that their bird smells bad that I have been wanting to do a post on the subject. I held out only because I’ve been unable to get any particulars from the people complaining – where is the odor emanating from: Body? Breath? Poop? I’m still not sure what they were talking about.
But, the simple fact of the matter is, there should be no “odor” coming from your parrot. The different parrots have smells that are unique to their species, but none of the smell could be appropriately referred to as an “odor”.
For instance, birds with powder down feathers smell noticeably different that those without. My cockatoos and cockatiels smell completely different from my quaker (whose smell reminds me of the owl I had when I was growing up). Amazons have a musky odor to them. These are all normal and to be considered a natural scent.
Wet blue fronted amazon
Beyond what is normal, there are really only a few reasons that your bird might have an odor:
Poor Hygiene:
Birds that are not bathed frequently enough will begin to smell dirty after a while. If the cage and general environment is unclean, a smell will begin to intensify. A bird’s feathers can also pick up cooking odors, and if the owner smokes cigarettes, the residue from the smoke will settle onto feathers and it will sometimes take many bathes to eliminate the smell.
Your bird should be bathed no less than twice a week to keep feathering in great condition and to eliminate dander or debris that could collect and cause odor over time.
Illness:
There is no illness that causes a bird’s body to smell bad, and a healthy bird’s dropping will have no odor to them either. However, odor from the droppings of an ill bird might carry a detectable odor.
If even healthy droppings are allowed to accumulate and cage liner is left uncleaned, it can make the area surrounding the cage smell bad, which might be misinterpreted as odor coming from the bird.
Bad breathe in birds is pretty uncommon. But it could be caused by infection somewhere between the crop and the lower digestive system, by rancid food eaten (which I have never heard of actually happening, but it could), or in rare cases, by candida. But, again, bad breath is quite unusual.
Hormones:
Hormones will sometimes elevates a bird’s normal scent. Such is the case with the male amazon. Cockatoo owners might notice a distinct smell to their breathe when they get excited (I notice it year round in my umbrella cockatoo). These are normal scents.
If you notice an odor coming from your bird that can’t be explained, you need to seek the assistance of an AVIAN VET. A standard vet, unfamiliar with parrot physiology and disease, may not properly diagnose your bird’s condition.
Exceptions to the NOT-smelly rule:
The musk lorikeet is appropriately named and has a sweet musky scent (which becomes more potent during breeding season) that is not for everyone and keeps it from being a commonly kept parrot in aviculture.
The nearly extinct kakapo has a heavy, musty odor that can’t be missed. Its smell may be part of the reason that this ground dwelling species had a near complete loss of population following the introduction of non-native ground predators by settlers.
Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
15 comments
To anyone wondering why a bird smells a certain way, I can add a bit of feedback as a biochemistry person. But first I’ll say there is a book about this: The Secret Perfume of Birds: Uncovering the Science of Avian Scent Book by Danielle J. Whittaker. So re scent: you bird may smell like something (or nothing) to you but the way you interpret the scent is likely irrelevant to it’s purpose. In order for you to perceive a smell, you need to have the receptors. Dogs can smell things humans can’t smell and we can smell things they can’t smell (ie. petrichor at lower amounts). When something evolves the receptors to perceive a smell, it is usually because it conveys some evolutionary benefit. So we can smell rotting corpses and poop and they generally seem gross to us ,so we stay away from them. This tends to be good for our health. If your bird smells like maple syrup (mine does) it is likely because that’s just because those are the notes of their complex cocktail that you are able to perceive. And you have an association with that smell: maple syrup.
My green cheeked conure smells exceptionally good (intoxicating in fact) after he has spent time with me outdoors. His feathers smell like ozone, a fresh outdoors smell that encompasses all that is good in the air and none of the bad—-the BEST smell in the world!! Which made me wonder if other birds, wild birds smell like that, and that made me wonder if the ozone smell is also a product of bird’s feathers that helps with lift and flight—-is that possible? At any rate, my conure smells absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, and my daughter feels the same! Love!
My 27 year old cockatiel’s smell changes from time to time, it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with his diet or stress. Usually he has a dry grainy smell but on occasion it changes to maple syrup. I have no idea why. I have looked for information via the web, it doesn’t appear to be common, but there are definitely other bird owners out there, across an assortment of species , that say their bird smells like maple syrup. Why?
our maxi pi pteribird smelle like tea roses…ergo her full name was pteri tea rose max. our noble macaw has a distinct indescribable scent which has intensified as he has older and infirm
If only there was a macaw scented scratch n sniff I LOOOVE THE SWEET SMELL OF MACAW
My BFA’s smell has changed from the musky more to a smell like the musky plus a perfume smell. Is this normal? He just turned 2 on May 1st.
Hello, my yellow crowned Amazon, who is 23, came to me from a rescue situation. Basically mom became drug addict and went to jail. I’ve had a lot of animals, some exotic, but not parrots. My problem is Charlie could have so much freedom and fun if he would quit attacking me, lunging at me and bitin my arms with significant bleeding and bruising. I need help becoming the flock leader and letting Charlie go with me places!! Help.
what is the best shampoo to use on cockatiels? Also, I noticed when mine are setting on a clutch, they hold their bowels and then eliminate after setting on the eggs for an extended time…this poo smells truly horrid. Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to reduce or eliminate it? I know a lot of chemicals are very toxic so I have been limiting my cleaning to plain Ivory dish soap and water.
My one blue & gold macaw’s regurgitation smells like sour apples / vinegar. His diet consists of fresh fruits and vegetables (apples, blueberry, grapes, snaps, carrots, broccoli), a few seeds/nuts/peanuts, and pellets. He is 10 years old. Is it a problem we need to seek a vet’s opinion or do tests?
My female eclectus has a distinctively specific musky smell all the time, which is changed in “sweet” and “sour” overtones depending on what she eats! I akin it something like to how you describe wine – a bit barnyardy! She particularly loves onions and garlic – which i don’t let her eat much of at all (as it’s not good for birds to eat much of anyway) but every once in awhile, she’ll indulge a little when she’s having a few bites of my dinner. She carries the sweet onion smell with her for the rest of the day.
Interesting article. I just wanted to add that I have 2 Macaws. One is a hybrid, a Camelot and the other a pure bred Blue and Gold. The Blue and Gold when in a state of excitement , good or bad, will start to blush and emit an odor much like a perfume. It’s hard to describe the aroma but it is pleasant. I later found out that this is a trait of all blue and golds.
My macaw smells a bit like pine tree if I put my nose right next to his feathers. Other macaw owners have told me their macaws smell like pine Interesting. Yeah, if we don’t clean our macaw’s cage and change the papers under his perches on a regular basis, the poop begins to smell.
My Pionus smells like chocolate brownies. Yum!
I love the smell of my parakeets! I think it would be a good air freshener.
Our parakeet, Louis does have an odor at times. He feels the need to feed his favorite toy by regurgitating on it. Then when the unsuspecting owners go to snuggle him we are assaulted by this yeasty, musky, not to mention hideous smell! Wish I could get him to stop doing. Gotta love the little pecker head though!
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