The first fifty words of this story reveal something surprising. A new study shows that monk parakeets, small green parrots known for their intelligence, follow a clear step-by-step process when forming new relationships. They start with safe, no-contact approaches, then slowly work toward touch. This pattern helps the birds avoid conflict while building trust.
Fast Facts
Study: Newly published research reveals how monk parakeets form relationships by starting with low-risk interactions.
Key Insight: Birds “test the waters” with safe, no-contact proximity before escalating to physical touch.
Why It Matters: This pattern shows how social animals reduce conflict and build trust.
Researchers: University of Cincinnati and partners.
Published In: Biology Letters, 2025.
The researchers found that monk parakeets meeting for the first time did not rush into social grooming or feeding. Instead, they eased into the interaction. They often began by quietly standing near each other without touching. Only after repeating this low-risk behavior did some pairs move on to gentle contact like shoulder touching or grooming. The team says this staged approach is different from what familiar birds do, showing a unique strategy for strangers.
To uncover this sequence, scientists combined four previously unacquainted groups into one 22-bird flock inside a large outdoor flight pen. Over 22 days, observers documented every approach, perch-sharing moment, grooming session, and feeding interaction. They used a structured method that tracked each behavior in five-minute intervals. This allowed the team to map the exact order of steps each bird pair took, including approaches, touches, or higher-risk actions like food sharing.
The study matters because it reveals how animals navigate the risks of meeting new partners. Getting too close too fast can lead to aggression. But staying too distant prevents bonds from forming. The “test the waters” pattern offers a safe middle ground. By moving from low-risk to higher-risk behaviors, the birds avoid danger while still opening the door to cooperation, grooming, and long-term bonds. Understanding this helps scientists think about how trust evolves in many species, not only parrots.
Lead author Claire O’Connell says the pattern gives strangers a way to reduce social uncertainty. She notes that familiar birds did not follow this slow, step-by-step sequence. Instead, they moved directly into moderate or even high-risk behaviors, suggesting that established bonds carry over even in new environments. Co-author Gerald Carter adds that this is the second species, after vampire bats, to show clear evidence of this relationship-building strategy.
This finding has wider meaning for fields like ecology, cognition, and even human social science. Social animals must balance curiosity with caution. That balance affects group stability, aggression levels, disease risk, and even how communities form. The careful approach used by monk parakeets may reflect a general rule across intelligent, social species. It also connects to broader questions about trust, cooperation, and how groups integrate newcomers.
The research team notes that the next step is testing wild populations. Feral monk parakeets live in large, shifting groups where they often meet unfamiliar birds. Scientists want to know if wild birds follow the same pattern or if environmental pressures change the sequence. They also hope to see how this strategy interacts with aggression, dominance, and breeding behavior, which are major forces in parrot societies.
The core lesson from this work is simple. Even among parrots, new relationships depend on safety, patience, and small steps. The study suggests that trust grows from cautious beginnings and expands only when first steps feel safe. This pattern may shape how many social species, including humans, decide who to approach, who to trust, and how quickly to let someone in.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Cincinnati, Princeton University, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity. Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Claire L. O’Connell, Gerald G. Carter, Annemarie van der Marel, Elizabeth A. Hobson. Monk parakeets ‘test the waters’ when forming new relationships. Biology Letters, 2025. 21(20250399). DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2025.0399