The three parts
What do normal bird droppings look like?
Size and diet change what normal looks like, so your own bird’s normal is the one to learn.
Feces
The solid part. Normal is green or brown and formed, often in a coil. Diet changes the color. Finches, canaries and parakeets tend to make a small blob instead.
Urates
The white part, sometimes called whitewash. It is the part of the urine you cannot see through. Normal is white or beige.
Urine
The watery part. Normal is clear. The amount varies, and moist food makes more of it.
Source: Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, General Husbandry of Caged Birds · Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness in Companion Birds
The chart
Bird droppings chart: which changes need a vet?
A change from your own bird’s normal, sorted by how fast to act.
Go to an avian vet now
| What you see | What it may mean |
|---|---|
| Blood in the droppings | Causes include egg binding and growths called papillomas. |
| Red urine | Can mean lead poisoning. |
| Black droppings | We found no qualifying source on what this means in birds. Our own advice, the same as the app’s, is to go now. |
| Yellow urates in a bird that seems unwell | This can be a sign of very serious illness. |
| Far fewer droppings, with any other sign | A bird that stops eating soon makes fewer droppings. |
Here is what to do on the way.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual, Reproductive Disorders; Viral Diseases · Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness; Protecting Your Pet Birds from Household Dangers · Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine
See an avian vet within a day
| What you see | What it may mean |
|---|---|
| Green or yellow urates | May mean liver disease or psittacosis. |
| Real diarrhea | The solid part has lost its form. |
| Dark green feces | Can happen with lead poisoning. |
| Puffy “popcorn” droppings | Large and full of air, seen mainly in cockatiels. |
| Whole seeds or pellets | May point to bornavirus disease or a yeast infection of the stomach. |
| Much more urine, without moist food | May mean disease, such as diabetes or kidney disease. |
| A strong smell | Other than the first dropping of the morning. |
| Far fewer droppings, even with no other sign | The AAV lists this among signs that need a vet at once, so within a day is the latest. |
Source: Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness; Avian Chlamydiosis and Psittacosis · Merck Veterinary Manual, Management of Pet Birds; Parasitic Diseases; Viral Diseases; Digestive Disorders · Vetere et al., Front Vet Sci 2025
The signs come from veterinary sources. No source sets a limit in hours, so how fast to act is our own advice, the same as the app’s. The causes are what your vet may look for, not a diagnosis.
Look-alikes
Why are my bird’s droppings watery or a different color?
Watery droppings are usually not diarrhea. A normal solid part with a lot of urine around it is a watery dropping, and that more often comes from eating a lot of fleshy fruit and vegetables, or from drinking more. Drinking a lot more than usual is itself a reason to see your avian vet.
- Berries or food coloring can change the color for a while.
- Stress can make droppings loose for a while. It should clear once the stress is gone.
- The first dropping of the morning is often larger and less formed.
- Birds laying eggs, and babies on hand-feeding formula, normally have looser droppings. Straining is different: see egg binding.
Look at several droppings before you worry. A real problem stays. And a look-alike never explains blood, black droppings, red urine, or green or yellow urates.
Source: Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, General Husbandry of Caged Birds · Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness in Companion Birds
At home
How do I check droppings?
- Line the cage floor with plain paper and change it daily, so you can see the number, size, color and texture. Loose bedding hides droppings.
- Droppings piled in one spot can mean a sick bird has stopped moving around.
- No scale at home? Watch how much your bird passes, and call your avian vet if it falls.
- Going to the vet? Bring recent papers from the cage floor, and do not clean the cage first.
- Do not pick up droppings with bare hands. Wet surfaces before cleaning, and avoid dry sweeping or vacuuming, which puts dust in the air.
Source: Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness · Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine · Merck Veterinary Manual, Management of Pet Birds · CDC, Birds, Healthy Pets, Healthy People; Preventing Psittacosis
In ParrotSense
A droppings log for your own bird
- Look at feces, urates and urine in turn, and tap anything unusual
- Mark what could explain it: berries, moist food, stress, the first dropping of the morning, laying or hand feeding
- One verdict: nothing flagged, watch and check again, avian vet within a day, or avian vet now
- A look-alike that stays on 2 or more days goes to the vet, and a normal check still reminds you that birds hide illness
- The last 30 days are listed, and flagged entries go into the vet report
Launching first on iPhone and iPad, with Android and Amazon soon after.
Questions
Frequently asked
What does normal bird poop look like?
Why is my bird’s poop green?
Why is my bird’s poop watery?
Why is my bird’s poop black?
Should I take droppings to the vet?
Can bird droppings make me sick?
ParrotSense keeps the droppings log for your own bird, gives one verdict on each check, and puts the flagged entries in a report for your avian vet.
See the droppings log