Avian expert takes clinicians, students to kindergarten on bird handling at veterinary college symposium

Picture this: A stressed-out parrot that's been fighting handling for years suddenly cooperates with a stranger. No treats. No towels. No gloves. Just mutual respect and mutual trust.

This wasn't a magic trick, but an innovative approach to avian care, demonstrated during the Parrot Cognition and Behavior Symposium recently held at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

The event, organized by Virginia Tech's Zoo Exotic Wildlife Student Club and co-sponsored by Harrison's Bird Foods, brought internationally renowned avian veterinarian Jan Hooimeijer from the Netherlands to share his groundbreaking approach with veterinary students, faculty, and local bird owners.

With only 3 to 5 percent of veterinary practices specializing in exotic animals, events like this help supplement conventional veterinary education, where companion bird behavior receives limited coverage.

The science behind the 'Dutch Way'

About 30 years ago, Hooimeijer began developing a framework to understand bird behavior. He created clear definitions for normal, desired, undesired, and enforced behaviors. These definitions and the concept of "displacement behavior" established by ethology founder Niko Tinbergen give bird handlers practical tools to interpret what birds are communicating. 

This understanding led to his Dutch five-step protocol — a method designed to build mutual respect and trust, benefiting the parrot and caretaker.

Hooimeijer's approach became immediately apparent as he demonstrated his protocol, transforming a neurotic feather-picking scarlet macaw and an African grey parrot with a history of fearing men into willing partners within minutes.

His secret? "Be happy in their presence, as if they are not there," Hooimeijer explained, as a colorful scarlet macaw perched calmly on his leg. 

The approach is simple: Create and reward desired behavior, show trust, and acknowledge the bird's intelligence. Through this process, birds discover they can engage with toys and step onto a hand willingly, all built on a foundation of mutual respect and trust.

Parrots are smarter than we think

"Parrots have an intelligence level comparable to children aged 6-7 years," Hooimeijer explained, referencing groundbreaking research by cognitive psychologist Irene Pepperberg. "Not smart, cute and funny — really intelligent."

Pepperberg's studies reveal just how remarkable parrot cognition truly is. These birds demonstrate probabilistic reasoning and visual working memory that match or even exceed that of young children. In one striking experiment, African grey parrots perfectly tracked five objects simultaneously — a task that leaves most humans struggling after just four.

Between 2014 and 2024, Hooimeijer collaborated with Pepperberg, traveling worldwide to share these insights with veterinary students and colleagues.

This scientific understanding drives Hooimeijer's protocol, which completely reimagines bird handling. Gone is the traditional "Here's a treat, now do what we want" approach. Instead, the method builds relationships based on genuine respect for the bird's cognitive abilities and establishes mutual trust.

The result? Birds that willingly participate in medical procedures — not from fear or food motivation, but from mutual understanding.

What your child's kindergarten teacher could teach your veterinarian

For Hooimeijer, early childhood education offers valuable lessons for animal care. Kindergarten teachers excel at preventing and addressing behavioral issues through modeling proper behavior rather than correction. These principles directly apply to caring for parrots, as behavioral problems in captive birds often mirror challenges seen in child development.

This revelation hit home for Christa Clark, a Class of 2026 veterinary student who worked with children before veterinary school. "The similarities between kids and birds fascinated me," Clark said. “We think too fast, talk too fast, and don't listen enough."

By Sunday afternoon, students who'd arrived nervous around parrots were handling birds confidently. "I can pick up a bird in a fear-free way now," said Noah Goldfarb, a Class of 2026 veterinary student. "No gloves, no towels, no stressing the bird out."

An innovative approach to avian behavior

Hooimeijer has refined his approach through nearly four decades of avian practice. Central is understanding "displacement behavior" — actions birds, animals, and humans use in conflict situations when neither fight nor flight is appropriate.

"It's vital to recognize and use displacement behavior when we are in a conflict situation," Hooimeijer explained. "When properly understood, displacement behavior becomes a powerful tool to prevent and solve behavioral problems."

Watching it in action? Mind-blowing. Birds that typically require towels, gloves, and restraint for basic handling were suddenly willing participants.

Transforming minds: The impact on participants

"He taught me things that aren't in our curriculum," said McKenna Maloney, a Class of 2026 veterinary student with wildlife aspirations. "We're taught medicine because we're going to be doctors, but behavior? That's the missing piece for truly understanding our patients."

Mark Freeman, a clinical associate professor in the teaching hospital, gained new insights. "What I thought I understood about working with birds... I won't say it's wrong," Freeman said. “I'll say there's a much better way, and this is it."

Bird owner Dustin Lytle experienced what he called "a complete mindset shift" and admitted, "The most humbling part? Realizing how little we know."

Transforming minds: The impact on participants

"He taught me things that aren't in our curriculum," said McKenna Maloney, a Class of 2026 veterinary student with wildlife aspirations. "We're taught medicine because we're going to be doctors, but behavior? That's the missing piece for truly understanding our patients."

Mark Freeman, a clinical associate professor in the teaching hospital, gained new insights. "What I thought I understood about working with birds... I won't say it's wrong," Freeman said. “I'll say there's a much better way, and this is it."

Bird owner Dustin Lytle experienced what he called "a complete mindset shift" and admitted, "The most humbling part? Realizing how little we know."

From niche Idea to global movement

When Hooimeijer started talking about respect-based bird handling decades ago, conventional wisdom considered him an outlier. Today he has delivered his message 125 times worldwide — throughout the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Hong Kong, and Europe — with China and Malaysia next on the calendar.

Science is catching up to what Hooimeijer has known all along. His journey began as a young birdwatcher fascinated by behavior after reading the work of Tinbergen at age 15.

Hooimeijer's approach is also informed by primatology research. Jane Goodall's groundbreaking studies with chimpanzees revealed important insights about natural learning, documenting how mother chimpanzees rarely correct their young directly, instead serving as role models rather than disciplinarians.

"When I began my work in the 1970s, parrots were considered mindless mimics," Hooimeijer explained. "Now we know they're sophisticated thinkers with self-awareness and emotional lives."

His approach emphasizes that problematic behaviors in captive parrots often stem from human interactions. Parrot behavior frequently reflects human behavior. As prey animals, parrots perceive humans with their forward-facing eyes as potential predators, creating insecurity that leads to problem behaviors. 

The wisdom of a Dutch grandfather

Hooimeijer's revolutionary approach wasn't born in a laboratory or veterinary school but in his childhood in Rotterdam, where he watched his grandfather Noordzij handle farm animals with natural ease.

"As a small child, I observed my grandpa handling his cows, sheep, and chickens," Hooimeijer said. "He was my first real role model."

What struck young Jan most wasn't what his grandfather said — it was what he didn't say. His grandfather rarely explained anything and never told the boy what he should or shouldn't do. Instead, Hooimeijer learned by observing and experiencing, similar to how young animals learn from their parents in nature.

These diverse influences formed the foundation of Hooimeijer's holistic approach — a method that treats parrots not as pets to be dominated but as intelligent beings deserving of respect.

Creating lasting change

The symposium represented a bridge between traditional veterinary medicine and a growing movement toward a more holistic understanding of animal behavior and welfare, based on ethology.

As students filed out of the Sunday session, many were already discussing how they would apply these techniques emphasizing respect and trust in upcoming clinical rotations. 

The Dutch 5-step protocol in action 

Step 1: Be the calm in their storm 

Hooimeijer doesn't look at a new bird directly. Doesn't reach for it. Just exists comfortably, being happy, in the same space, like a kindergarten teacher who's calm despite classroom chaos. "Show the parrot you have no negative intentions by acknowledging they're prey animals," he explains. Make them observe you as a role model.

Step 2: Reward what already happens naturally 

Reward the desired behavior you have created at step 1.  "Tell them they're beautiful in a non-intimidating way," Hooimeijer says. Desired behavior is not bribed. No treats. No commands. 

Step 3: Show respect for their brainpower 

Describe objects, colors, and shapes. "They understand those concepts within seconds, no explanation needed," he explains. Pepperberg's research has shown that parrots request labels for novel items they encounter. 

Step 4: Share experiences, don't demand them 

Play with a toy yourself first. Bite an apple. Then casually offer: "You may touch it too." Hooimeijer demonstrates with a parrot that immediately touches a towel it previously feared. 

Step 5: Partnership, not dominance 

Birds cooperate even when doing uncomfortable things (blood draws, nail trims) because "your mindset is: I'm not intimidating you, it's in your best interest. They understand that concept of mutual trust within two minutes."