Question about one of my lilac-crowned Amazon's behaviors.?

Question

For one thing, our eight-month-old L.C.A. is a brat; he'll scream for food then growl at you if you come near him xD

He does let you pet him if you use one finger on his head or temples, though. x3

Anyway, I've noticed that when he gets upset sometimes after throwing one of his little tantrums (like if you put your finger in front of him to try to pet him) he'll pin his eyes, give his head a sudden shake and make a small trilling noise, but he doesn't try to bite you. What does this mean? Is it a bird's way of flipping you off like my friend think it is, or is it warning? Because if you pick him up, even when he's mad, he'll immediately calm down, and I'm starting to think this head-shaking behavior is playful.

Answer 1

Parrot babies growl when they feel threatened in the nest.  Your bird is still a little scared of that big human approaching his cage.  Have you done much work with him outside the cage?...frequent hand-feeding, playtime, learning to speak, etc.

The eye-pinning, head shake and trilling noise are threat gestures.  He's getting ready to "flip you off", but you appear to be cutting him off before it gets to the biting stage.  This is a good thing.  You're seeing it as a warning sign.  It's important for you to recognize those moments when the bird is saying, "I've had enough.  I wanna' go back to my cage.".

Having the owner (or whoever he's bonded to) pick him up is a comforting thing for the bird.  So, picking him up when he's upset appears to be calming him down and removing him from the environment that makes him a bit freaked out.

Birds get scared or uncomfortable for weird reasons.  I had a Congo African Grey parrot that was terrified of plaid!  I could not wear a flannel "lumberjack" style shirt near him or he'd freak out and bite me.