With the advent of TikTok and the short video format, content creators have since used this platform to produce videos at a much faster rate without the need for fancy video editing and sophisticated camera equipment. And Birds, like other companions, have become popular subjects in this content space, treating us with their endless supply of energy and amazing feats of intelligence.
You might already be following these popular Birds on social media, but there are things about their fame that shouldn’t just fly over our heads — pun intended.
3 POPULAR BIRDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Recording animal videos is now more doable: The short video format does not take a lot of recording time.
Most of these pet-centered videos are basically unrehearsed recordings of an animal companion’s usual day with their humans, minimizing animal stress while generating income.
Some examples of these popular avian social media stars are listed below.
@fuuuchann0516
@fuuuchann0516 is a Cockatiel who captured the hearts of his audience with his cute dance moves as he sings and whistles to different tunes. One of his videos has about 45 million views as of writing, where his human plays the guitar and he sings along. He’s well-known for striking a pose at the end of the verse.
@angus_mcbangus
@angus_mcbangus is a Green-Cheeked Parakeet who rose to fame with his playful antics and his ability to mimic human speech. He often sings along with his human, saying his name right on cue — he definitely has musical timing.
@yumyumthetiel
@yumyumthetiel is a Cockatiel who breaks into song and headbangs when the occasion calls for it.
PARROT POPULARITY
Green-cheeked Parakeets, like @angus_mcbangus, are Parrots native to South America. They are also known in the pet trade as Conures. These Parrots are popularly bred due to their playful disposition and intelligent nature.
Cockatiels, such as @fuuuchann0516 and @yumyumthetiel, are a species of Parrots found only in Australia who have also been purposely bred in captivity for the pet trade.
SOMETHING TO SQUAWK ABOUT
Parrots are highly social creatures. They form flocks and would congregate together during feeding, preening, and roosting. They are also very vocal Birds, making all sorts of sounds to convey different types of emotions.
It is their social behavior that made them very good pets. These Birds would also imitate what they observe in their human companions, thinking that the human family is their flock. This is their way of blending in with the flock whom they belong to.
Being very vocal creatures also allows Parrots to imitate human speech. For a human, a singing and dancing Bird may be nothing more than interesting content to attract views, but for the Bird, the song may be his way of trying to impress a mate, and the dance could mean that the Bird wants to reassure the human about how they are still a part of their flock.
“BIRD BRAIN”
Birds in general aren’t commonly associated with intelligence, hence the infamous insult “Bird brain”. This makes these videos even more interesting as we are wowed by these performances that “push the envelope” of what we think Birds are capable of.
Being around so many Bird species in the wild, I can attest to how the stigma of Birds being dumb is so far from the truth. They are highly adaptable, intelligent, social creatures who have been blessed by Mother Nature with incredible survival skills.
What actually makes a Bird indifferent, to the point of being misconstrued as “dumb”, is the difficulty of a majority of Bird species to adjust to captivity.
Being used to vast flight spaces in the wild, a single Bird could fly over hundreds of meters in a matter of seconds just to look for a suitable branch to sit on. Cramming them in a cage must feel incredibly suffocating for them.
3 BIRD-FRIENDLY TRENDS TO FOLLOW
While these viral videos of Birds are a convenient way to prove that Birds are indeed intelligent, they also promote keeping wild Birds as pets or poaching them in the wild. They encourage backyard poachers to piggyback on the trend and catch Birds and sell them on the black market.
So, whenever the topic of keeping Birds as companions comes up, I always offer simpler, more eco-friendly alternatives.
MAKE YOUR HOME BIRD-FRIENDLY
Plant native trees and let the Birds come to you. Watch them congregate outside your window in the morning as you drink your coffee.
GO BIRDING
Take up Birding and observe their beauty in the wild.
Sure, you probably won’t hear these Birds talk back to you nor will you see them dance and sing, but these alternatives will not require you to attend to their daily care, which can be demanding and tedious.
You will also be treated to many other benefits: being one with nature, enjoying the outdoors, and encountering these amazing avian wonders showing you the best versions of themselves.
TAKE PHOTOS, NOT CAPTIVES
With the advanced technology we have these days, even a smartphone can be used to take great photos and videos of wildlife.
You also need not travel to the most remote of locations. You’ll be surprised how much wildlife can be seen in your local parks or school grounds with lots of tree cover. All you need to do is go out there and explore!
