Hey! I was wondering if introducing two male birds is any different than introducing a male and female bird? I am used to dog intros (and cats a little) but not birds at all. Do birds tend to react differently or have preferences for males or females?
It varies from species to species and many flock structures will have male : female ratios to consider, as well as individual characteristics!
It’s honestly a pretty complicated structure that doesn’t boil down to simple answers.
Some species will have a lot of female aggression, others will only show aggression with males and females present, some individuals just aggress towards specific individuals. There’s a ton of variables.
One of the many reasons why it’s not recommended to cohabitate parrots in the same cage! Their social structures are complex and we have barely scraped the tip of the iceberg on how they truly function.
When it comes to finding compatible birds I find it best to look at the birds’ history: what birds have they lived with in the past, what are their triggers, do they show territorial tendencies, does the whole species have a trend leaning one way or another with sex-based aggression or pro-social behaviours between various species?
As well as their behaviours: do they default to aggression when scared or threatened? Do they try to create space? Do they have conflict resolution skills? Do they seek out social interaction?
Answering those questions gives you a much better view of their compatibility with potential companions!
