Why does my budgie bob head, twitch, and raise feathers? Is it normal?

Many birds, including budgies, will sleep with their heads nestled down over their backs and between their wings, especially at night. This is perfectly normal behavior. However, a bird that isn't feeling well will spend more time with its heads nestled down into its feathers and less time engaging in preening, eating, playing, and other normal activities. A sick bird may also stop vocalizing, sit puffed or fluffed up, sneeze or have discharge from their nares, have loose stools, have stools caked around the vent, and/or pick at its food or not eat at all. So, if your bird seems listless or is exhibiting any of the above symptoms, seek veterinary attention right away.

He may be regurgitating for you. It is characterized by an up and down pumping motion of the head as you described. This is normal. Mino is trying to get food/seed up to share with you. Consider it a high compliment from your feathered friend! As long as he is behaving normally otherwise (no lethargy, loss of appetite or loose droppings), there is likely no cause for concern.

It sounds like yes, this is normal behavior for Lokkhu since she is otherwise acting fine. If you notice her having an inability to fly, perch or balance normally then I would be concerned. You can trim the tail feathers if you feel that it would make her more comfortable. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Birds can sometimes rub their beaks on stuff to relax/play with things, to wipe after eating, or just if they are interested or excited. By itself it doesn't really mean much. If Luna is showing signs of illness in addition to this, such as listless behavior, sleeping a lot, not wanting to eat or drink, or she seems disoriented, unable to perch, etc, then seeking a vet visit in person is always best.

It's possible that she is hearing or seeing something that startles her, so she freezes to try and figure out what it is. If she's otherwise acting healthy and normal, this isn't worrisome, and is just a normal response to something startling her. Moving her cage to a quieter location may help if she is startling often. If you're seeing any signs of illness in addition to the behavior such as not eating or drinking, changes to her stool, listless behavior all the time, etc, then this can signal an underlying issue that should be checked out by a vet.

Tail bobbing isn't really a symptom in itself, unless you are seeing other signs such as difficulty breathing, sleeping all the time, not eating/drinking. It could be you are just startling your birds, so they are hunching down when you are near, or they are just active and moving about if they otherwise seem healthy. Offering a treat when you come by to visit can help them bond with you. If you do start seeing any signs of illness, or respiratory distress (heavy breathing, panting, etc) then scheduling a vet visit to rule out any more serious issue is best.

It's hard to see anything wrong from just photos however if you do have a video you can add in a YouTube link to your question for us to see. If Joy is holding the wing out funny, doesn't want to use it, or seems painful when doing so, it could indicate something such as an injury which should be checked out. Sometimes stress or activity can also increase breathing which may look like the wings shaking as birds expand and contract their entire chest-cavity to breathe. If she is otherwise normal and healthy and the wing is being used/isn't bothersome to her, I wouldn't be worried, but if she seems to have any problems breathing, the wing seems injured or painful, she seems listless, doesn't want to eat or drink, or shows any other signs of illness, having it looked at in person is always best.