Sulphur-crested Cockatoo behavior

Question
Many years ago I would visit one of the local pet stores.
I was a regular to the point that I could handle any of the animals with or without supervision.
One of the animals was a sulphur-crested Cockatoo named Bobby.
Many times Bobby would rest on my wrist while "jackhammering" his beak / tongue on my hand.
I always assumed he was getting salt from my hand.
It's been at least 20 years since I've seen Bobby but
I thought I'd ask to see if I was right about the behavior.


Answer
Isn't it amazing how long a memory like that can stay with us?  It's quite possible that Bobby is still around you know?
In psittacines (and other birds to some degree), a tongue is more than a mode of food delivery. It's a valuable tool that with a single touch can determine which foods are ripe, which ones are edible, which things are fun to bite or play with and quite often, they might just like the feel of something.  I have a macaw that loves holding soft cloth in her mouth throughout her sleep time. Of course she can't help but gnaw at it too, so the hole-filled, shredded material has to be replaced every couple days.

Bobby may have been so young that the feel and taste of skin was something he was learning or just fond of. It may have been a habit he learned by your reaction was a positive one.  The thing it least likely would have been was getting salt.  Unlike mammals, birds salt requirements are very minimal. They pick up more than enough from the mineral content of water, in the foods they eat and from clay licks or mineral deposits found throughout their natural habitat.

Bobby really liked you for you - not your salt.

www.4AnimalCare.org (see our birds)