In birds (Parrots specifically), why does speech effect their eyes?

how very interesting. are the birds messy? I want a bird- Im just going to get one

@trailsillustrated well I will say this…. there will be poop. lol

@trailsillustrated Birds are very messy. If you love birds you don’t care. I say go and get one!

Well, all I can think of is that in humans the pupil can be dialated after taking drugs (therefore not a lot of brain activity going on) so maybe in parrots if there’s a lot of brain activity going on (i.e. formulating words) it has the opposite effect? But I really have no idea, it’s an interesting observation.

Pupil dilation and contraction are a form of body language for birds. Their eyes vary when they are excited (as in when mimicking and playing), when they’re angry, ect.

Parrots’ pupils tend to dilate when they are happy – they see someone they like, or they have the prospect of something delicious on the horizon. Perhaps the pupil constriction is extra effort like squinting.

http://www.parrotchronicles.com/departments/pupils_behavior.htm

@syz oh cool. So, he’s just showing how excited he is to be speaking to me, haha. He’s such an awesome bird. :)