Bonding

Question
Hello a friend of the family left his beautiful parrot with us when he was moving last summer and never took him back, he seems to have bonded very strongly with me and acts aggressive towards other people when Iam holding him, (even towards his former owner) he holds up both his wings like a phoenix and tries to nip at people that get to close and sometimes he will get down and chase them away from me  but when Iam not around he is pleasant with everyone els. Is this normal behavior for these birds ? Our friend won't take him back now because he thinks it would upset him too much and I personally love spending time with him now but Iam worried he might hurt someone.

Answer
This kind of behavior is of concern and could very well hurt someone.  The stance you're seeing is typical of a bird trying to make themselves look bigger and more imposing and they're usually pretty serious about landing a bite if necesssary.

This bird needs more socializing, more 'gentle' time.  

The best part is that the bird has someone they trust (being you) and the chore will fall to you to calm the situation down.

Making sure there is regular 'out of cage time' (we advise no less than 4 hours a day, every day; ours are out for no less than 7 hours).

There's not nearly enough room here for each step you can take to change things so check this out for more details:

 www.4AnimalCare.org  (click on the bird tab and go to 'my bird hates me' for details on alter behavior like this).

Keep in mind that this poor bird isn't sure where 'home' is or who his owner is.  These are highly intelligent animals, recently scientists have rated them right up there with apes and dolphins in their learning ability and perceptions, so don't sell this companion short.  By working together and figuring out a mutual 'language' you'll be surprised at how far you can get.

 Good luck!   www.4AnimalCare.org