01
Separate The Three Parts
A normal dropping usually includes the fecal portion, white urates, and clear urine. Judge the whole dropping rather than focusing on one color alone.
Parrot Droppings Guide
Your parrot’s droppings are a key health clue. First separate feces, urates, and urine, then judge whether the change is brief or persistent.
This tool provides general information only and is NOT a substitute for professional veterinary advice. Always consult a qualified avian veterinarian for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Read In The Right Order
Read The Whole Dropping Before Labeling It Abnormal
Fecal color, urates, and fluid volume can change how the whole dropping looks. Separate the three parts first, then decide whether the shift is brief or persistent.
02
Rule Out Food Effects
Berries, leafy greens, pellets, and high-water foods can temporarily alter color or fluid volume. Persistent changes usually matter more than a single odd dropping.
03
Know The Urgent Changes
True black or tarry droppings, visible blood, persistently yellow-green urates, or changes paired with lethargy, poor appetite, or breathing effort all need prompt avian-veterinary attention.
Fecal Colors
Normal Brown/Green
Normal droppings have three parts: a green-to-brown fecal portion, white urates, and clear urine. The fecal color varies with diet.
Possible causes: Normal droppings, Diet-related color variation
Bright / Lime Green
If not explained by leafy foods or dyes, bright/lime-green droppings are concerning. Green droppings can appear when very little food is moving through the gut, and lime-green droppings or urates are also described with liver disease or chlamydiosis.
Possible causes: Low food intake / bile staining, Liver disease, Chlamydiosis, Severe systemic illness
Dark Green
Dark green feces may be normal after pellets or dark leafy greens. If appetite is poor or the color changes without a diet change, it can reflect bile-stained droppings from reduced intake or illness.
Possible causes: Pellet or leafy-green diet, Reduced food intake, Liver or systemic illness if persistent
Black / Tarry
True black or tarry droppings are urgent and can reflect digested blood. Dark foods, charcoal, or some supplements may mimic the color, so persistent black droppings need avian-veterinary assessment.
Possible causes: Digested blood, Dark foods or berries, Charcoal or iron-containing products
Yellow / Mustard
Persistent yellow or mustard discoloration is abnormal if it is not from food pigment. It may involve the fecal portion, the urates, or both, and can be seen with liver disease, infection, or digestive disease.
Possible causes: Liver disease, Systemic or gastrointestinal infection, Digestive upset or maldigestion, Diet pigment (temporary)
Red / Blood
Visible red blood or red-streaked droppings are an emergency. Red foods can stain droppings, but true blood needs urgent veterinary assessment.
Possible causes: Lower GI or cloacal bleeding, Cloacal or reproductive-tract injury, Internal trauma, Red food pigment
White / Chalky
A dropping that is mostly white urates with little or no dark fecal portion often means the bird is eating very little. Persistently excessive or chalky urates also warrant evaluation for kidney or metabolic disease.
Possible causes: Low food intake / not eating, Kidney disease, Metabolic illness
Fecal Consistency
Normal / Formed
Well-formed, tubular fecal component with white urate cap. Distinct three parts visible.
Possible causes: Healthy droppings
Watery / Polyuria
There is excessive liquid around the dropping, but the fecal portion may still be formed. This is polyuria, not diarrhea. It can happen transiently after fruit, stress, or extra drinking, but persistent polyuria needs evaluation.
Possible causes: Fruit or high-water foods, Stress or excitement, High water intake, Kidney disease, Systemic illness
Diarrhea / Loose
The fecal portion itself is soft or unformed and loses its usual shape. Diarrhea is different from polyuria, where the stool stays formed but the urine volume increases.
Possible causes: Gastrointestinal infection, Parasites, Diet change, Toxins, Severe intestinal irritation
Foamy / Bubbly
Bubbles or foam are abnormal and can accompany gastrointestinal irritation, fermentation, or infection.
Possible causes: Gastrointestinal infection, Yeast overgrowth or fermentation, Intestinal irritation
Mucoid / Slimy
A mucus coating, stringy material, or a slimy surface suggests intestinal irritation or inflammation.
Possible causes: Intestinal irritation or inflammation, Parasites, Bacterial infection
Undigested Food
Visible whole seeds or obvious food particles mean the bird is not processing food normally and should be evaluated by an avian veterinarian.
Possible causes: Digestive motility disease, Pancreatic or digestive dysfunction, Avian bornavirus / PDD, Severe gastrointestinal disease
Urate Colors
White / Opaque
Normal. Healthy urates are white to slightly off-white.
Yellow / Green
Yellow to green urates are abnormal if they persist and can be associated with liver disease, especially biliverdinuria. In parrots, lime-green urates are also described with chlamydiosis.
Brown / Red
Brown, pink, or red discoloration of the urates or surrounding urine is urgent because blood contamination can occur with urinary, cloacal, reproductive, or severe internal disease.
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