A rapid contraction of the
iris, so named because of the
pupil's reduction to an opening only allowing in a pin's tip's quantity of light. This only generally occurs in humans when subjected to a sudden burst of overwhelmingly bright light, but in
parrots (
lovebirds,
cockatoos,
parakeets,
eclectuses,
conures,
macaws etc) it indicates
interest,
engagement or sinister
plotting going on in the little
birdbrain.
When pinpointing is going on, it may be the best time to get their attention with play, a new task, speech therapy or step-up practice - otherwise the wheels turning in its head may lead it instead to contemplation of how tasty your left earlobe looks. The eye-adjustment may also be a sign of "sexual overload," however, and in a bird known to be dangerously aggressive pin-pointing should be interpreted as an opportunity to take five.
This behavior is also sometimes known as "flashing," but this term leaves less room for confusion 8)