How to get a parrot on and off of your shoulder in Minecraft

Parrots are unique pets in Minecraft, and they’ll happily perch on you once you’ve tamed them. But, if you no longer want a parrot on your person, this tutorial covers how to get the parrot on and off your shoulder in a pinch.

How to get a parrot on your shoulder in Minecraft

Simply walk into a parrot you’ve tamed, and it’ll perch itself on your shoulder. This is infinitely repeatable. Thus, if you knock the parrot off unintentionally, simply walk into it again.

Players can have up to two parrots on their shoulders at once. To perch a second feathered friend, walk into them while the first is on your shoulder. Fun fact: parrots on your shoulder always look in the same direction as the player when viewed in third-person, and they also appear on your shoulder on your inventory page.

How to get a parrot off your shoulder in Minecraft

The best and fastest way to get a parrot off your shoulder is to jump or fall. Here’s a complete list of ways to get a parrot to leave you, from easiest to hardest.

• Sleeping in a bed — Go to any bed and lie down. The bird should fly off of you.
• Jumping — Jumping is the fastest way to accomplish it. However, you need to jump from one block to a block one down in elevation. A standard jump isn’t enough to dislodge a parrot.
• Go into the water — Going for a swim will cause the parrot to leave. The act of drowning also works.
• Taking damage — We’re talking about taking damage from mobs, fire, or any source other than falling.
• Falling — Any steep drop will do the trick. Falling downhill, flying downward with elytra, or any big fall will dislodge the bird. Even fireworks work.
• Being submerged in lava — This will get the parrot off of you, but it also sets the parrot on fire. We don’t recommend this method.
• Player death — Dying will cause the bird to fly away 100% of the time.

A minor point of clarification: taking damage dislodges a parrot, but falling damage doesn’t count. If you’re falling far enough to take damage, the parrot will leave your shoulder long before you take damage.

How to keep a parrot on your shoulder in Minecraft

The real challenge is keeping your bird on your shoulder. You’d be surprised how often you take a drop steep enough to dislodge the bird. Unfortunately, there is no real solution to this, but there are some tricks you can use to keep the parrot from dismounting.

• Avoid the triggers — The first method we suggest is simply avoiding everything in the prior section. Don’t go into lava, don’t fall down several blocks at once, don’t take damage, don’t submerge yourself in lava, and don’t die.
• Riding a horse — Riding a horse negates many of the above triggers. You can jump and fall on a horse, and the parrot stays put. The only way to dislodge the parrot on a horse is for the player to die or dismount the horse.

Parrots are often finicky, and the parrot unintentionally leaving is a common frustration among players.