all 149 comments

[–]Austinswill 142 points143 points  (5 children)

Its wanting to make a nest, not being vain.


She probably thinks that video's about her.

[–]BraveRock 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Her face, it was apricot...

[–]Mohammed420blazeit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh wow, I always thought Fleetwood Mac sang that. Thanks for making me go listen to the song lol

[–]xNeon 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I've had a peachface lovebird just like her in the past, and this is exactly what she would do when we gave her paper. She then took it to her cage and tried to make a nest with it.


I grew up with a lovebird, and she would shred ANY piece of paper she could get her beak on to make nests. You had to be careful what you left out. I don't think she ever got all the way through any of my homework, but I definitely turned in a lot of assignments with the edges nibbled off.

[–]chungski 392 points393 points  (20 children)

That bird's ability to cut the paper into long strip is quite amazing.

[–]lasernut 112 points113 points  (7 children)

Probably been taking lessons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZBHZT3a-FA

[–]chungski 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Haha that was adorably awesome!

[–]ikesbutt 1 point2 points  (5 children)

So...it's okay for bunny's to eat paper?

[–]lasernut 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Dunno but apparently it is fairly normal for rabbits to chew wood looking for fiber: http://bunnyproof.com/top-10s/top-10-best-chew-toys-for-rabbits/

[–]spattem 11 points12 points  (2 children)

as long as there is no ink or glue, yes in moderation its fine.

[–]Hereibe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, in small doses. For newspapers, only the ones printed with soy ink. :)

[–]moichido1 15 points16 points  (9 children)

[–]BATTLE_TOADS_ 7 points8 points  (2 children)

This reminds me of something i would find on super late night tv when i was a kid in the 90's


It's from the tv miniseries of Stephen King's The Langoliers from 1995.

It's about a group of people who wake up in an abandoned airport in an alternate reality or something like that. Also, Balki's twin brother goes a little nuts and tries to kill everyone.

[–]moichido1 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You are quite correct sir!

[–]Hereibe 2 points3 points  (4 children)

What the…where is this from?

[–]unbowed8 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The Langoliers

[–]moichido1 3 points4 points  (0 children)

From Stephen King's The Langoliers, that is Bronson Pinchot. This is one of my favorite King adaptations, from a collection of short stories all concerned with time

[–]Revenant10-15 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Perfect Strangers

[–]Jewmangi -1 points0 points  (0 children)


[–]Contero 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That door noise...

[–]hefnetefne 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I was surprised to learn just how dexterous birds are with their beaks.

[–]diegojones4 153 points154 points  (34 children)

That's really interesting. Can anyone explain to me why she would do that or even learn it?

[–]Phijit 293 points294 points  (30 children)

Apparently from the YT comments, that's how they carry their nesting material. She just wants to build a home :)

[–]diegojones4 94 points95 points  (27 children)

Neat! That's pretty clever to carry it that way. Birds always amaze me.

[–]CptJackHarkness 138 points139 points  (5 children)

Yeah, but why not just get a suitcase.

[–]_Abroham_ 36 points37 points  (4 children)

It can grip it by the husk!

[–]mountainryan 10 points11 points  (2 children)


[–]FirebertNY 4 points5 points  (1 child)

A 5-ounce bird cannot carry a 1-pound suitcase.

[–]Illuzzi0nz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Who are you to tell them what they can and cannot do.

[–]Aurathior 5 points6 points  (0 children)

But is it African or European?

[–]M0b1u5 72 points73 points  (20 children)

They're actually dinosaurs, so yeah, they ARE amazing!

[–]Gecko99 39 points40 points  (10 children)

You got downvoted but it's true. Birds are theropod dinosaurs of a lineage that survived the K-T extinction. Other theropods had feathers, like the velociraptors.

There's actually another clade of birds, called the Enantiornithes, or opposite birds, which didn't survive that extinction event. Through convergent evolution, many of them evolved into birds very similar to ones alive today, like ducks, seagulls, and cormorants. But they generally retained their teeth and clawed wings.

EDIT: Now he's upvoted. That's my good deed for the day!


There are birds now with clawed wings?

[–]Gecko99 9 points10 points  (4 children)

The hoatzin comes to mind, which has claws on its wings when it is young.

[–]CrimsonNova 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Oh my god, this thing looks like it comes straight out of some fantasy. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

[–]turd_deli 1 point2 points  (1 child)

"also known as the Stinkbird..."

[–]CrimsonNova 2 points3 points  (0 children)

the bird has a disagreeable, manure-like odor and is only hunted by humans for food in times of dire need.

Hahaha, well at least we wont hunt them to extinction!

[–]lartius 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can confirm. Used to breed love birds, this is how they bring material back to nest.

[–]invisiblecamel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That and a lot of the bird species do the same.

[–]dobbelmoral 16 points17 points  (1 child)

I used to have two lovebirds and each time I replaced the paper in the bottom their cage the female would instantly start ripping it apart the same way as the video. She would then carry it the same way into her house where they slept and kept eggs.

[–]diegojones4 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's really cool.

[–]Long-Ball-Larry 66 points67 points  (5 children)

The narrator is not exactly David Attenborough.

[–]Ralanost 44 points45 points  (0 children)

Dude was high as fuck.

[–]congelar 6 points7 points  (1 child)


welp now i gotta watch UHF

[–]timetraveltrousers10 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sounded more like Kumail Nanjiani

[–]I_ama_Borat 90 points91 points  (10 children)

I remember when my lovebird did this. Went through all that work. I was so amazed. Then the female lovebird stayed in her little house nesting for like weeks until she finally created those beautiful baby eggs. Next day she ate them both.

[–]karadan100 17 points18 points  (7 children)

This needs to go in /r/unexpected

[–]Sparkybear 19 points20 points  (6 children)

It's not uncommon for animals to eat their own unfertilized eggs. Eggs are very expensive to create, energy wise. So when they don't get fertilized by a male, the female will eat them to regain some of the energy lost during their creation.

[–]autmnleighhh 7 points8 points  (5 children)

Imagine if female humans did this....

[–]Kellygrl6441 10 points11 points  (4 children)

I'd rather do that, than bleed for a week! Our eggs are TINY! It'd be like eating a tiny seed.

[–]autmnleighhh 4 points5 points  (3 children)

No no no, we would still bleed...gotta get that iron back some how.

[–]Johablon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Like you never had an omelet.

[–]ZeMeest 1 point2 points  (0 children)



We had a lovebird that did the exact same thing. We also would give her a sign that we were going to pet her by showing her two fingers in a petting motion. She'd turn around and spread her wings for us to pet her on the back. However, after growing up, I realized that we pretty much helped her get the sexy time feelings. Euuwahhhh!

[–]Dudeicca 4 points5 points  (2 children)

[–]ih8karma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

laughed at what it was, but stayed to watched it all as I have not seen it.

[–]sneakysneakers 218 points219 points  (5 children)

Guuuurl, dats a nice ass weave.

[–]andbruno 145 points146 points  (3 children)

I got my tail did.

[–]JDM713 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Tail done feathers done everything did.


Some people say it ain't how it is, but it do

[–]thebeefytaco 7 points8 points  (0 children)

nice ass-weave

It actually is.

[–]ErgoNonSim 22 points23 points  (1 child)

Every time a video with an animal that can be kept as a pet makes it to the front page because of cuteness over 9000, some people will decide that they just found their new pet...

So, here's a few links on Lovebirds :

[–]kerovon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'd also recommend including a link to /r/parrots for people thinking about getting one. The community is quite good, and is welcoming to questions from prospective bird owners.

[–]CZ-Jack 12 points13 points  (0 children)

These birds are really amazing. I have had parakeets all my life and a few years ago we got a Lovebird. He has made a pretty strong bond with my 3 Labrador Retrievers. They are very careful around him and will play with him. One of my labs will take his small ball and push it around for my Lovebird to chase. Every night I go to get my dog to bring him downstairs, the bird notices. He always sends out a slight chirp when I take him away.

[–]neonblue 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Aw my lovebird used to do this. She was addicted to it too. As soon as I would leave my desk unattended for even ten seconds, or the piano with sheet music on it, she would hone in and destroy it.

[–]CrimsonNova 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Sounds more like a hatebird to me.

[–]Starkai 101 points102 points  (2 children)

This is what the media and a mainstream dedicated to unrealistic expectations of physical attributes has done. She was already lovely, but she felt inadequate when comparing herself to perfect models. /s

[–]Gornil 4 points5 points  (0 children)


What is this?

[–]McFemale 32 points33 points  (0 children)



A real Gertrude McFuzz.

[–]Ruca22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm SO happy to see this. This was my first thought as well!

[–]wut-wut 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My love bird do the same thing, then they scuttle back to their nest but drop half of the paper on they way. Most adorable thing ever.

[–]stevesy17 5 points6 points  (1 child)

"As you can see, she is looking good"

[–]2Talt 3 points4 points  (0 children)

"With a longer tail.. Mhhhhh!"

[–]cuuupcakes 9 points10 points  (1 child)

A woman in Canada actually started a greeting card company made from the shredded clippings from her lovebird, and made it onto Dragon's Den. This must be a somewhat common thing they do?



Yes, my lovebirds use to do this. All my comic books had shredded edges, lol.



[–]davishochs24 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Am I the only one who thinks he sounds like Dinesh in Silicon Valley?

[–]Corvo_Auditore -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That was my first reaction, hence ctrl+f and boom you are not the only one.

[–]lattentreffer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To adorn oneself with borrowed plumes.

[–]The_Music 8 points9 points  (1 child)

Read the title as "Lovecraft Bird"

[–]palordrolap 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ia! Psittacin diasper phfapfr inits fhteathrs.

[–]rovert1995 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We read about this behavior in bio. They put bedding in their back feathers for travel. A cross bred one won't be able to complete the behavior either by just doing the motion without material or not being able to tuck it in their feathers. Fun stuff,


some bird species tuck nesting materials into their tails. this may or may not be it.


I found it cute and sad. The lovebird my cousin had would do this and try to fly :(

[–]KikwisOolo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She's actually gathering nesting materials, they store bits of things in their feathers. Both my lovies do this, males aren't as neat about it as the females, but in any case whoever's bird this is I should soon expect a grumpy, territorial attitude coming their way. Time to hide any nesting materials and locations that they can nest in. Unless you're wanting to get bit to all hell and possibly raise some babies in the near future :o

Source: Proud owner of two lovies!

[–]whatwhyme 0 points1 point  (17 children)

Don't they clip their tails to keep them from flying away? I went strait to sadmode, thought she was trying to fly again.

[–]Cndcrow[🍰] 15 points16 points  (7 children)

It's called wing clipping. And it's really just trimming a few feathers on the end of each wing. After a while they grow back and it's not a permanent thing. It doesn't cause any harm to the birds (for the most part, although there are reasons to avoid it and complications can arise). If you're thinking about buying a bird or owning one definitely talk to a professional, some species it makes sense to clip their wings, others not so much.

Also, it's usually done to chickens as well. Chickens can fly a lot more than a few feet off the ground and they can fly pretty far and high when they are young. Unless we're looking at the disgusting state of some commercial chicken farms. Those birds can barely walk, much less fly. Free range chickens and bantam breeds of chickens can actually fly quite well.

[–]whatwhyme 5 points6 points  (4 children)

Yeah, i sold chickens short i suppose, since ours roost in the tree tops if the wind blows the coop door shut or some such. I just didn't want to start a war the folks who would be sure to remind me that chickens were 'flightless'.

[–]Cndcrow[🍰] 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Fair enough. Everybody seems to think chickens and turkeys are flightless but in the wild/raised free range both of them can fly quite well (turkeys less so, but they're certainly still capable of flying and roosting in trees). My dad has raised chickens as long as I can remember and I have countless memories of trying to find them before night time because some didn't want to go back in the coop. And countless times finding them 30 feet up some tree somewhere with no way of getting them down...

[–]whatwhyme 6 points7 points  (0 children)

We deer hunt up in the mountains, and i have no idea why, but sometimes when you're sitting there, groups of turkeys will come flying down through the trees. I guess they're just higher up the mountain and hang-glide for amusement, since they don't have thumbs for video games or guns to hunt me.

[–]no-mad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We would always clank the feed bucket a few times with a stick before feeding them. This way they would come running when you clanked the bucket. Pretty helpful.

[–]b_alliterate 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Only the boneless chickens are flightless.

[–]thebeefytaco 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I stopped clipping my parakeet's wings because I thought it was cruel, but he later flew into a window and died :/

[–]Cndcrow[🍰] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's all dependant on which breed of bird you have. For most parakeets clipping their wings doesn't limit their mobility too much (assuming they're going to be indoors all the time), and actually keeps them safer in most situations like your example shows. For breeds that don't have the same mobility as parakeets clipping their wings can be cruel as they won't be able to move around comfortably and will be a lot more limited. In those situations precautions have to be taken so they don't fly into things and hurt themselves. Birds are actually hard pets to take care of properly and it takes a lot of thinking and reading into what's best for specific breeds.

[–]Jack_Of_Shades 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I think it flew away at the end.

[–]whatwhyme 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think their flight is very limited though, kinda like a chicken. A few feet off the ground, or gliding, but nothing sustained.

[–]ArmadilloShield 1 point2 points  (5 children)

No, the primary flight feathers (appropriately termed "primaries") on the edge of the wings are clipped to impede flight.

[–]nutbastard 3 points4 points  (4 children)

  1. Purchase animal gifted with the miracle of flight.

  2. Cripple its ability to fly.

  3. Put it in a small cage by itself.

  4. Wonder why it goes insane and starts pulling its own feathers out.

[–]Gecko99 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Seriously, I can't imagine why people keep birds that aren't for meat and egg laying. They're obviously not built to live in a cage and they're pretty intelligent, you're just being cruel to them by keeping them in a cage until they go insane like a human would under similar conditions.

[–]Lirathal 4 points5 points  (2 children)

My brother has a red shoulder miniature macaw... It's such a nasty fucker. It's not her fault either. She is so amazing smart and emotional but he works long hours, as does his wife and they never have anytime for her and she sits in her cage a lot which is 2x3x5 feet (DxWxH) and I wish I could take her and spend so much time with her and gain her trust but my brother is a little self absorbed and I really equate his actions to animal abuse. It's terrifyingly acutely sad....

[–]Rebarbative_Sycophan 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Birds like those macaws, and african greys especially definitely need a lot of 1 on 1 time. They will get aggressive, and self harm themselves with no brain interaction/puzzles, play time.

[–]Lirathal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh and that is exactly what is happening... So sad :(

[–]Halomom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gotta look nice for the ladies.

[–]aalliso 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Speaking of lovebirds.... This is my little ham.

[–]NorthernNuktuk 0 points1 point  (0 children)


[–]delicious_ketchup 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dat weave.

[–]funktopus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nesting. I had a lovebird that would do that and make nests they just stuck in in the tail feathers for transport. It's funny to watch them with a bunch of paper try to climb.

[–]aspapu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is this Kumail Nanjiani narrating the video?

[–]muthafunga 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"I'm sorry... My Love Bird ate my homework..."

[–]Zay36663 0 points1 point  (0 children)

as you can see, she is looking good


Gimme those stensions!

[–]itzGeo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

shred it and embed it'

[–]chaotic_david 0 points1 point  (0 children)


[–]LajGig 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is actually quite amazing to me. I've never heard of another animal showing a form of fad.

[–]invisiblecamel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love Peach Face Lovebirds. My family used to own a lot of them. They love to see and they're fun to watch. Still, they can be really violent with each other.

[–]suitablyuniquename 0 points1 point  (0 children)

awww i wanted Lovecraft birds


That's really impressive actually, and it appeared they were all staying in as the bird flew off


If chimpanzees putting grass behind their ears was the first non human 'fad', then what is this considered?


According to these comments, nest building.

[–]SueZbell -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Her tail feathers have been cut off and she wants them replaced?

Quit cutting her feathers.

[–]1fuathyro -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

This is an old vid so not sure if the person who posted in youtube is the actually owner (I would have expected more views than that).


[–]HSS-M -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"Depending on the species of lovebird, the female will carry nesting material into the nest in various ways. The Peach-faced Lovebird tucks nesting material in the feathers of its rump, while the Masked Lovebird carries nesting material back in its beak. Once the lovebirds start constructing their nest, mating will follow. During this time, the lovebirds will mate repeatedly. Eggs follow 3–5 days later. The female will spend hours inside her nesting box before eggs are laid. Once the first egg is laid, a new egg will follow every other day until the clutch is complete, typically at four to six eggs. Even without a nest or a male, lovebirds sometimes produce eggs."

Source: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovebird