Parrot¶

Parrots in Better Ecology have enhanced behaviors including mimicking hostile mob sounds, dancing to music, detecting music sources, and advanced perching.

Overview¶

Behaviors¶

Mimicking System¶

Implementation: MimicBehavior, ParrotMimicGoal

Parrots mimic hostile mob sounds as a warning system for players.

Base Accuracy: 55-95% (varies by individual parrot)

Mimic Types:

Warning System: - Triggered when hostile mob is within 32 blocks - 80% chance to perform a warning mimic - Accuracy increases by 15% for warnings - Shorter cooldown (100 ticks vs 200 ticks)

Configuration:

{
  "mimic": {
    "base_accuracy": 0.75,
    "accuracy_variation": 0.2,
    "mimic_chance": 0.05,
    "warning_range": 32.0,
    "warning_chance": 0.8
  }
}

Dancing Behavior¶

Implementation: DanceBehavior, ParrotMusicGoal

Parrots dance to music with different styles based on the music disc playing.

Dance Styles by Music Disc:

Dance Mechanics:

Party Effect: - Other parrots within 16 blocks have 30% chance to join - Dancing parrots emit note particles - All parrots dance in sync

Configuration:

{
  "dance": {
    "show_particles": true,
    "enable_party_effect": true,
    "party_radius": 16.0,
    "party_join_chance": 0.3
  }
}

Music Detection¶

Implementation: MusicDetectionBehavior

Parrots detect and respond to music sources.

Detection Range: 64 blocks (configurable)

Music Sources: - Jukeboxes (detects any playing disc) - Note blocks (remembers plays for 5 seconds)

Behavior Sequence: 1. Parrot detects music within range 2. Determines dance style from the disc 3. Flies toward music source at 1.2x speed 4. Perches nearby (within 6 blocks) 5. Starts dancing with appropriate style

Configuration:

{
  "music": {
    "detection_radius": 64,
    "flight_speed": 1.2,
    "prefer_high_perches": true
  }
}

Flight and Perching¶

Implementation: PerchBehavior, ParrotPerchGoal

Parrots seek high perches and can ride on player shoulders.

Perch Preferences: - High perches: 5+ blocks above minimum build height - Isolation: Avoid perches near threats (cats, foxes, wolves, ocelots) - Tree coverage: Bonus score for leaf blocks - Block preferences: Fences and logs get bonus points

Perch Scoring Formula:

Score = (height * height_bonus)
        - (distance * distance_penalty)
        + (leaf_bonus if leaves)
        + (preferred_block_bonus if preferred block)
        - (threat_penalty / threat_distance)

Shoulder Perching: - Only tamed parrots can perch on shoulders - 3-block detection range - Uses vanilla shoulder riding system - Can be spooked off by nearby threats

Flight Patterns:

Perch Duration: - Maximum: 1200 ticks (60 seconds) - Random adjustment movements every 40 ticks - Leave immediately if threatened

Configuration:

{
  "perch": {
    "search_radius": 32,
    "prefer_high_perches": true,
    "min_perch_height": 5,
    "spook_radius": 8.0,
    "max_perch_ticks": 1200
  }
}

Behavior Priorities¶

The ParrotBehaviorGoal orchestrates behaviors in priority order:

Integration¶

Note Block Integration¶

• Mixin intercepts note block plays
• Notifies all parrots within 64 blocks
• Parrots remember note block location and time
• Allows dancing to player-created music

Performance¶

Optimization Strategies¶

• Reduced scanning: Music detection only every 60 ticks
• Early exits: Skip processing if condition not met
• Cached lookups: Component data cached per tick
• Spatial indexing: Uses existing SpatialIndex for neighbor queries

Memory Usage¶

• Component tags store minimal state
• No persistent entity references
• Efficient NBT storage for mimics and perches

Scientific Basis¶

Mimicry¶

Based on real-world parrot ability to mimic sounds. African Grey Parrots can learn 100+ words, and alarm calls warn flock members of predators.

Dancing¶

Based on research into birds responding to music. Cockatoos bob to beats (documented in Snowball the cockatoo), and parrots have an innate sense of rhythm.

Perching¶

Based on wild parrot behavior, including preference for high perches for predator detection and sleeping in roosting flocks for safety.

Troubleshooting¶

Parrots Not Dancing¶

• Check if jukebox has a disc inserted
• Verify parrot is within 64 blocks
• Ensure parrot is not on player's shoulder
• Check that music behavior is enabled

Parrots Not Mimicking¶

• Verify hostile mobs are nearby for warning mimics
• Check mimic cooldown (200 ticks between random mimics)
• Individual parrots have varying accuracy (55-95%)

Parrots Not Perching¶

• Check if parrot is tamed for shoulder perching
• Verify suitable perches exist within 32 blocks
• Parrots may be spooked by nearby threats

See Also¶

• Flocking Research
• Behavior System
• Configuration