Clapping

All of my birds love clapping, or snapping, or knocking, or even tongue clicking, for that matter. However, Yo-yo and Frank are definitely the clapping fools in this family! I love seeing not just how they react to the clapping, but also how they imitate it.

Yo-yo imitates all clapping-type noises, and like most birds, loves knocking since it means he has an excuse to shout "Hey Yo-yo!" Clapping is by far his favorite, though. I always train my tiels to show off, or spread eagle, on cue by clapping and praising them whenever they do it naturally. Pretty soon, just starting to clap will get them to spread those wings! Yo-yo loves the clapping almost (almost) as much as the praise, and claps along with me by snapping his beak. If he wants me to ask him to show off, he will often start his clapping ahead of time, along with his "Look at me! Aren't I just soooo sleek and handsome?" suave dance.

(If you look closely his beak is partly open, mid-clap)

Frank is the Original Mr. Snappy. He loves any kind of snapping/clapping noise, and while the sounds he makes for each different type of clap (snap knock click) is different, unless you know what each one is, it would be hard to say which was which. What is particularly cute about Frank, though, is the silly motions he has for each sound!

Frank's directions for best noise emphasis:
Clapping- open and close your beak with great repetition while hopping from one foot to the other, turning part way around, and then later around again, occasionally putting one foot to your beak and tapping it, all the while continuing the opening and closing of your beak.
Snapping- rock your head up and down violently in time to your snapping, adding a spin or both-feet hop now and again, just to show how accomplished you are.
Knocking- while keeping your beak open, bang it on any object nearby, be it a bed post, sofa cushion, or perhaps someone's hand (mine) or head (Lola's) or even your own foot if all else fails, as the nails can make a nice clicking sound if you hit them hard enough.
Tongue Clicking- stretch your neck and raise your head way into the air, hold it, and start snapping your beak! Tail swishing highly recommended.

(Again hard to tell, but before he stopped to pose for the camera he was clicking with me)