Hi Imran, Claire and everyone
I've been to a number of lectures and workshops on companion parrot behaviour, training and care and done my own independent research on breeding behaviours, especially since I have problems with breeding behaviours in my household (see
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =2&t=14905).
My research has found that breeding behaviours are triggered by environmental conditions and pair bond enhancers. Preening is an example of a pair bond enhancer. Other pair bond enhancers are courtship regurgitation, cavity seeking & nest building, copulation and other courtship behaviours such as hopping and strutting and particular vocalisations.
Petting can be considered preening by your bird.
I've quoted relevant sections below from Chapter 21 of the Manual of Parrot Behavior edited by Andrew U. Luescher, 2006, Blackwell Publishing.
"Although social preening is common among parrots, there are many nomadic species that reserve physical contact for breeding and fighting. For species that usually maintain a discrete critical distance between individuals, the physical contact of courtship is a powerful mechanism to synchronize males and females for successful breeding.[15, 16, 28] In a home setting, psittacine owners may inadvertently excite their birds through excessive physical contact, thereby encouraging reproductive behavior. "
"Watch Physical Contact
The role of physical contact, usually in the form of affectionate petting, can become extremely important in inciting and fueling hormonal behaviors. Physical contact seems most powerful in cockatoos, Cockatiels, and Budgies. Cockatoos in fact have been recommended and sold as companion birds that will thrive on attention and probably suffer derangement without it. Many birds train their owners early on in the best techniques to cuddle and adore them. These birds delight in having their crests stroked and will often elicit attention by lowering their head. Many female cockatoos demonstrate orgasmic panting and shaking while caressed by owners. The significance significance of this behavior is often missed by owners, who may interpret it as anything from a seizure to a sinus infection. Owners who have been warned about the risks of behavioral problems and feather picking that may result from a lack of attention are often devastated to see these behaviors develop in their companion birds.
The role of physical contact in most adult birds is reserved for courting and breeding behaviors. It is not surprising to find that species that crave physical attention as companion birds are the same ones that incorporate more physical contact into their courtship rituals. Indeed, the crest of cockatoos has been conjectured to be an important lure. The bowing and head-lowering behaviors commonly demonstrated by cockatoos are likely signals between the male and female. These signals probably serve to synchronize the behaviors of the female and male to time nesting, copulation, and ovulation. The remedy, of course, is to decrease physical contact with susceptible birds. As these patterns are often very difficult for pet owners to break, efforts must be made to frame the change in understandable terms. Unfortunately, most owners will only start to listen once degenerative signs develop."
Ellie.