Quick note on bird communication.
The word please is not really in bird vocabulary. There is a gesture to express interest where the neck is extended and one eyebrow is raised. Perhaps a step forward, or to one side on a perch is taken to add urgency or emphasis, but there really is not any equivalent to Yes, please, or Please in a bird's table manners.
There is, however, and interestingly so, a very clear No thank you in bird language. Birds say it to birds, and birds say it to their human caretakers. Fig says no thank you to the offering of water, or food, or an uninteresting, or unfamiliar toy with a very gentle double peck to my hand. Aside from affectionate cuddly pecks it may be the most gentle of her physical communications with me. It mirrors a human No no, as one might utter at the offering of more wine or tea midconversation at the dinner table. It is soft, and tender, and warm, and comes with a lot of appreciation and gracious thanks.
The word please is not really in bird vocabulary. There is a gesture to express interest where the neck is extended and one eyebrow is raised. Perhaps a step forward, or to one side on a perch is taken to add urgency or emphasis, but there really is not any equivalent to Yes, please, or Please in a bird's table manners.
There is, however, and interestingly so, a very clear No thank you in bird language. Birds say it to birds, and birds say it to their human caretakers. Fig says no thank you to the offering of water, or food, or an uninteresting, or unfamiliar toy with a very gentle double peck to my hand. Aside from affectionate cuddly pecks it may be the most gentle of her physical communications with me. It mirrors a human No no, as one might utter at the offering of more wine or tea midconversation at the dinner table. It is soft, and tender, and warm, and comes with a lot of appreciation and gracious thanks.
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