I have been thinking about the fact that Silver enjoys me scritching his head with my nose, but not with my finger. Yet, he will readily perch on my finger.

My theory is that my nose, in his mind, is like a beak. My hand, on he other hand, is analogous to his wing. Birds scritch each other with their beaks, but not with their wings.

What do you think?

I don't know if birds see it that way or not. They don't conceptualize things nearly as much as we do and may not make the comparison. But they DO know that the hand can move fast and is capable of doing a lot of things they don't like while the nose just sits on your face not doing anything to them most of the time.

A good way to introduce finger scritching: while you're rubbing with your nose and the bird has its head down enjoying it, slowly sneak your finger up alongside your cheek and then to the tip of your nose. Pull your nose back a tiny bit and scritch with the finger instead. Eventually the bird will notice the substitution and will be mad about it, but after this happens a few times the bird won't care any more and will enjoy the finger scritches.

I've been following your suggestion Carolyn, and it's working! I can sneak my finger in and scritch him all over his head and his cheek patches. It feels so sweet! I still have to start with my nose, though I think that will change soon.

Meanwhile, Emma has started bowing her head for Silver, and he tries to preen her. However, as soon as he does, she beaks him. I don't know whether he doesn't do it right or she is just ambivalent about him. She does accept scritches (and everything else) from Piper.

I used to be able to give Jaid scritchies. Now all he wants to do is wrestle. I could handle him all over like a little conure when he was a little baby, but now it's only kisses and play fighting.

Sometimes birds will allow preening, but when they realize that the partner has to touch them, sometimes they back out. Every now and then I try to scratch Beaker since I've never been able to do it, and he chickens out when he realizes I actually have to touch him in order to do it.

Keith was like that. Chin rubs would send him to a state of ecstasy but hand scritches were a definite no no.
After a while of that he surrendered to the hand because he loves too much his head petted.
You will get there very soon, they love it too much
I wish I had the same success with all of them, but the girls especially refuse to trust me that much, sigh.