Behavioural signs of fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) in birds
A few definitions before we get started:
Fear: Emotional response to a known, present or threatened danger
Anxiety: Reaction to a prospective or imagined danger or uncertainty
Stress: Physiological, behavioural, and emotional reaction to a perceived threat or challenge
Veterinarians and behaviour consultants rank behavioural signs of FAS on a 5-point scale, in which scores of 0 and 5 represent a normally relaxed or severely distressed state, respectively.
Comfort behaviour (preening, social interactions)
Relaxed posture (feathers âfluffedâ neutrally)
âSoftâ facial expression (e.g. almond-shaped eyes)
Calm, voluntary interactions with human owners/caregivers
Voluntarily accepts reinforcers (treats, cuddles, etc.) from humans
Calm exploration of surroundings
Absence of comfort behaviour (stops preening/eating treats/interacting)
Alert posture (freezing, standing tall)
Beak held slightly open (poultry are more likely to begin to pant or breathe with their mouths open compared to other species)
Feathers slicked tight against body, bird appears slimmer
Head darting around to search for an escape route
Leaning or walking away from humans (escalation of fear)
Increased respiratory rate
Increased vocalization or alarm-calling
Stress defecation/elimination (will often appear runnier/less formed than normal excrement)
Certain species will pick at their toes, clack their beak, and/or rapidly constrict their pupils (eye-pinning)
Flying or running away from humans
Attempting to take off and fly, even if non-flighted or secured to a falconry glove in the case of raptors (a behaviour called âbatingâ)
Birds with clipped wings/have previously had their wings clipped may often crouch and quiver their wings in anticipation of flying to escape
Lunging with beak in response to threat
Biting when unable to escape threat
Certain species will roll onto their back as a last resort
Panic vocalization (typically made during restraint, when cornered, or when escape is/perceived to be impossible)
Poultry will hit or beat threatening objects with their wings, or kick and âspurâ with their legs and feet
Raptors will tightly grab threatening objects with their talons (a behaviour called âfootingâ)
Sudden, significant feather loss in pigeons
Smaller birds will commonly have seizures
Collapse and cardiac arrest
It is generally recommended that in any training session, if behaviours suggesting that an FAS level of 3 or even 2 is reached, the trainer must stop whatever they are doing, take a moment to reflect on why this is occurring, and try an alternative approach that reduces FAS and respects the animalâs welfare.
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