Little Beaks

01/06/2026

‘Do you bring all the birds inside during storms?’

It’s one of the questions we get asked most often whenever Perth gets severe weather, like the past couple of days.

Usually, the answer is no. For one, there's hundreds of birds here. That would be totally chaotic and unnecessarily stressful for them (and likely us 😅).

This surprises a lot of people though, because bringing birds indoors sounds like the safer option.

But for many aviary birds, suddenly being caught, handled, moved into an unfamiliar environment, and removed from their flock and surroundings would often be far more stressful than remaining where they feel secure.

Wild parrots, finches, and doves don’t disappear indoors when storms arrive.

They seek shelter, stay close to their flock, and wait for the weather to pass.

Our aviaries are designed with that in mind.

Before severe weather arrives, we check shelters, secure anything that could move in strong winds, protect food and water, and pay extra attention to birds that are elderly, unwell, disabled, or otherwise vulnerable.

Once the weather arrives, the birds make their own choices. Some retreat into sheltered areas and barely emerge. Others seem completely unbothered and carry on as normal, even chilling under the rain.

One of the things we’ve learned over the years is that birds are often far more weather-hardy than people expect. Given appropriate shelter, good nutrition, and the ability to choose where they feel safest, most cope remarkably well with conditions that look much worse to us than they do to them.

The important thing isn’t keeping birds away from every raindrop or gust of wind.

It’s making sure they have the ability to respond naturally to the weather, alongside the flock and in an environment designed to keep them safe.

Storm days are usually more stressful for the humans than the birds.

While they’re sheltering together, we’re outside checking aviaries, watching the radar, and making sure everyone is okay.

video description: panning across a hanging branch with weiros and budgies perching closely together. The two budgies in the group are head bobbing and beak tapping a bit. The weiros are just looking relaxed.

31/05/2026

It’s been a chaotic day making sure all the birds are safe and comfortable in this weather, but we couldn’t let World Parrot Day pass without acknowledging its importance.

Parrots are some of the most intelligent, social, and behaviourally complex animals we share our lives with. Yet many of their needs are still widely misunderstood or underestimated.

Every year, World Parrot Day is an opportunity to look beyond their striking colours and recognise parrots for who they really are: animals with rich social lives, individual personalities, complex needs, and an incredible capacity to learn, explore, and connect with the world around them.

The more we understand parrots, the better we can support their wellbeing.

Happy World Parrot Day from all of us at Little Beaks.

video description: a compilation of snippets of footage of various birds foraging on the ground, getting cheeky with the camera, and enjoying aviary life.

31/05/2026

Oo boy 😅

Batten down the hatches, folks. 🌧️🌬️

The next 3-4 hours are likely to bring the strongest winds of this event. Satellite imagery is now showing the low pressure system beginning to reveal its true strength, with the western flank rotating around and aligning with the WA coastline.

As this wraps in, a broad area of severe winds is set to push onshore, with the potential for damaging to locally destructive wind gusts across parts of the Lower West and Southwest.

If you’ve still got loose items outside, now’s the time to secure them. Conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly through the afternoon. 👀🌪️🌊

30/05/2026

Looks like we're in for some fun overnight and tomorrow 🫠
We're in Perth. The aviaries are secure and sheltered, but we'll be keeping a close eye on things.
Hopefully some good stormy weather and minimal damage.

🚨 PWL WEATHER UPDATE🚨

Latest ACCESS-PH modelling has the cold front approaching the South West and Lower West, including the Perth metro area, from around 2am to 3am Sunday morning.

Most people will be focused on the front itself, and fair enough, because it's packing a punch. We're looking at wind gusts pushing 90 to 110km/h across parts of the South West and coastal sections of the metro as it moves through overnight.

BUT... here's the kicker.

Usually after a front passes, the winds gradually ease and conditions improve.

Not this time.

This front is effectively opening the door for a deep low pressure system that's following close behind. Once the front moves through, the atmosphere remains highly unstable and extremely windy throughout Sunday.

There are likely to be repeated pockets of very damaging winds developing in showers and thunderstorms throughout the day, particularly along coastal areas between Lancelin and Augusta. Some locations could see multiple periods of severe winds rather than just one short burst associated with the front itself.

🌬️ Coastal areas from:

Lancelin
Perth Metro
Mandurah
Bunbury
Busselton
Margaret River
Augusta

should all be prepared for a prolonged period of dangerous weather through Sunday.

What concerns us most is that the strongest winds may not necessarily occur with the initial front. Some of the worst gusts could develop later on Sunday as the low pressure system approaches and pressure gradients tighten further.

Adding to the concern, barometers across several locations have already dropped below 1000hPa, and the deep low responsible for the worst of the weather hasn't even reached us yet.

This is not your typical winter front where you wake up Sunday morning and it's all over. The front arrives overnight, but the severe weather threat continues right through Sunday and into Sunday night before the low finally starts moving east.

If you've got loose outdoor items, boats, caravans, camping gear, trampolines, or anything else that enjoys spontaneous flights across suburbs, tonight is the time to secure it. Nature has apparently decided the long weekend needed additional excitement.

📷 IMAGE: ACCESS-PH Wind Gust Forecast - 3am Sunday showing the approaching cold front and strengthening winds across the South West and Lower West.

30/05/2026

We generally don't share stuff like this but Homer and his mum are friends of ours. His story is in the link, if you want/are able to help ❤️

My cockatiel, Homer, is currently unwell and needs urgent veterinary care that … Monique Jacques needs your support for Save Homer's Life with Urgent Vet Care

29/05/2026

Ever seen a finch sitting on a dove? Any idea why the dove tolerates it? 😝

This little red-faced parrot finch spent several minutes happily perched on top of the Barbary dove.

And the dove didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

While we often think of birds only interacting with their own species, peaceful mixed-species groups can develop surprisingly tolerant relationships.

Birds pay close attention to the animals around them. Calm, predictable individuals can become reassuring to be near, and over time some birds become remarkably comfortable sharing space.

One of the interesting things about aviaries is that they sometimes reveal social behaviours we rarely notice in the wild.

Not necessarily because they’re unnatural, but because wild birds have more space, more predators, and more reasons to keep moving.

In a safe environment, birds often have more opportunity to experiment socially.

Sometimes that means forming unusual associations.

And sometimes it means deciding on another bird is the perfect place to sit.

video description: A red-faced parrot finch rests on the back of a Barbary dove, who is resting on a branch. The finch remains on top of the dove for several seconds, occasionally shifting position and looking around. The dove stays relaxed and continues perching normally without moving away. The camera remains focused on the pair as they sit together, with the finch continuing to use the dove as a resting place. At the bottom of the screen just in front of the camera, two zebra finches preen each other, with one angling their neck in various ways to give the other optimum access.

28/05/2026

This.
This info is directly from the best source: professional, certified avian vets.
Whatever others might say... these people know their stuff.
Thanks for highlighting this Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV)

26/05/2026

Some things are too precious for words 🥰

Most nights when checking the aviaries, there'll be at least one zebra finch cuddled up to a Barbary dove.

People often assume birds only bond closely with their own species, but aviaries can become surprisingly social little worlds.

If another bird feels safe, calm, and predictable to be around, sometimes that’s enough.

For prey animals, resting pressed against another bird is actually a pretty big sign of trust. Sleep is when birds are most vulnerable, so these quiet little moments say a lot.

Not every flock friendship looks the way people expect.

Image Description: sitting on a branch at night, a zebra finch sits snuggled up next to a Barbary dove, who looks to be sleeping. They are both facing the camera. The finch has one claw visible beneath their belly feathers and is looking slightly at the camera.

26/05/2026

You provide the vegies, the birds decide what to do with them.

In this case, a mix of bathing, some acrobatics, some chewing, graceful falling...

And this is why vegetables aren’t just food to parrots. They become climbing frames, obstacle courses, swings, and social events.

For some, bathing in moistened green leaves like this is the only way they will. And that's fine.

It's one of the places their individual personalities shine through:
some observe for a while before joining in;
some hang upside down for reasons known only to them;
others use it as a prime play and flirting opportunity.

Exploration like this is a huge part of how parrots interact with their environment.

This is why we don't always place food neatly in containers. Or why we don't always chop things up into smaller bits.

Variety is essential to keep these active, curious brains healthy and happy.

video description: initially a few budgies are using a hanging branch to grasp while they reach for various bits of a bunch of celery hanging over the branch. A few moments in, another budgie bathes in the leaves, gripping the stalk while they move their body around and fluff their body feathers, shuffling their wing feathers a bit, to distribute moisture. This movement gradually causes them to move toward the bottom of the celery, where they appear just about to fall off before camera moves away. Next are a few budgies playing on another part of the branch, one more interested in the celery while the other tries to get their attention. They fly away, and the camera moves back to show birds generally enjoying the celery.

25/05/2026

When you enter the aviary with a small handful of nuts

Look around to spot one specific face amongst all the budgies and weiros.

You see her, she's watching.

You open your hand so she can see the nuts.

And like a kid at Christmas, she makes her way over without hesitation.

Takes a nut from your outstretched palm,

And flies off to enjoy it in her own space.

video description: on a hanging swinging branch, Pudge the plumhead sits balanced on one leg, the other claw gripping a half-chewed almond up to her beak, which is covered in specks of nut. The branch jolts a couple of times as other birds land on it off-screen, but she takes no notice.