Affectionate pecking?

[soaring-yonder]

My two female zebras seem to keep pecking each other but it's not hard pecking or aggressive looking, is this just affectionate pecking? Sorry if this is a silly question - I'm just a little worried.

[Icearstorm]

soaring-yonder
Where/when are they pecking each other? If one pecks the beak of the other right after it has eaten, it might just be getting some food crumbs off of the other's beak to eat. Or one bird is gently pulling at the other bird's head feathers while the other bird doesn't try to move away, they could be preening each other (a sign of affection). If one pecks the other whenever it gets near a specific object, it could be territorial. In this case, taking away the object or putting another one in could resolve the issue, though infrequent pecking shouldn't be a huge cause for concern.

[soaring-yonder]

soaring-yonder
Where/when are they pecking each other? If one pecks the beak of the other right after it has eaten, it might just be getting some food crumbs off of the other's beak to eat. Or one bird is gently pulling at the other bird's head feathers while the other bird doesn't try to move away, they could be preening each other (a sign of affection). If one pecks the other whenever it gets near a specific object, it could be territorial. In this case, taking away the object or putting another one in could resolve the issue, though infrequent pecking shouldn't be a huge cause for concern.

its kinda like the chest area but it is quite gentle

[Shannylee]

My male zebras preen each other. If it looks affectionate, then it probably is preening. Does the one being "pecked" close her eyes while the other is going at her?