What does a bird yawn look like?
Usually, it looks surprisingly familiar.
The bird opens its bill widely for a moment, often while slightly extending the neck. The movement can be slow enough to look like a human yawn, especially when the bird is perched and relaxed.
But an open bill is not always a yawn. Birds also open their mouths to sing, beg, swallow, pant, threaten, adjust food, or breathe when something is wrong.
Context matters.
Why do birds yawn?
There is no single answer that has been proven for every bird species.
Yawning in animals has been connected with changes in arousal, stress, social behaviour, and body or brain temperature. Bird studies support some of those ideas, but not all species behave the same way.
That makes yawning a good example of a simple-looking behaviour that is not actually simple.
Can yawning help a bird cool down?
At least one experiment suggests it can be connected to temperature regulation.
Researchers exposed budgerigars to different room temperatures and found that yawning increased as temperatures rose through a moderate range. Yawning then dropped when the temperature became very high.
The pattern was consistent with a thermoregulation hypothesis. That does not mean every bird yawn is a cooling move, but temperature may be part of the picture in some situations.
Birds have several other ways to deal with heat too. See why do birds pant? and do birds sweat?.
Is yawning contagious in birds?
Sometimes.
Budgerigars have given researchers some of the strongest evidence. In experiments, birds were more likely to yawn after seeing another budgerigar yawn. The researchers described this as the first experimental evidence of contagious yawning in a non-mammal.
That is fascinating. It is also not universal.
A later observational study of juvenile Common Ravens did not find evidence that yawning spread from bird to bird in the same way. The authors also noted that yawns were fairly uncommon during their observations, so more testing was needed.
One bird species can surprise us. Another can refuse to cooperate with the neat explanation.
Does contagious yawning mean birds have empathy?
Not automatically.
Contagious yawning in humans is often discussed alongside empathy, but scientists are careful about jumping from one behaviour to a complex mental state.
In birds, the response could relate to social attention, group synchronization, arousal, or other mechanisms. Budgerigars are highly social birds, which makes them interesting animals for this kind of research.
It is evidence of social influence. Calling it proof of empathy would go too far.
Do birds yawn when they wake up?
They can yawn around periods of rest and changing activity, and yawning is often associated with shifts in arousal in vertebrates generally.
Still, seeing a bird yawn does not let us say, “That bird is tired.” It may be waking up. It may be settling down. It may have just stretched. Temperature or social context may also be involved.
If you are interested in the sleeping side of the question, start with where do birds sleep at night? and do birds dream?.
Is a bird yawning or adjusting its throat?
Sometimes a movement that looks like a yawn may be something else.
Birds move food through the mouth and throat, manipulate material with the tongue, and make a range of brief bill-opening movements. A single observation from across the yard can be hard to label.
If the bird opens wide once, then goes back to normal behaviour, a yawn is certainly possible.
What if a bird keeps opening its mouth?
Repeated open-mouth breathing is different from an occasional yawn.
On a hot day, a bird may be panting to lose heat. A bird may also gape during begging, calling, or threat displays. Persistent breathing difficulty, weakness, discharge, or obvious distress is another matter.
For a wild bird, watch from a respectful distance and avoid unnecessary handling. If it appears seriously ill or unable to function normally, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator can advise you on what to do next.
Frequently asked questions
Do crows yawn?
Corvids can yawn. Researchers have studied yawning in juvenile ravens, although that particular study did not find contagious yawning within the groups they observed.
Do parrots yawn?
Yes. Budgerigars, which are small parrots, have been used in several scientific studies of yawning.
Can birds make each other yawn?
At least some can. Experimental work found contagious yawning in budgerigars, but the effect should not be assumed for every bird species.
Is yawning the same as panting?
No. A yawn is a brief wide opening of the bill. Panting involves repeated rapid breathing and is commonly used to shed heat.
Keep following the question
Bird yawning connects neatly to sleep, temperature, and movement. Continue with why do birds stretch?, why do birds pant?, or head back to Bird Facts.