Do your parrots flap in place?

Parrot Youtube Channel · by **Michael** » Tue May 14, 2013 9:49 am

Do your parrots hang onto a perch and flap in place? I've seen birds doing that before but only babies I think. I wonder if it's something clipped parrots do but flighted ones don't bother? Does your bird flap in place and is it clipped or baby? Does anyone have an adult flighted parrot that flaps in place?

by **marie83** » Tue May 14, 2013 10:02 am

Harlie (cockatiel)does it at least once per day, she is roughly 7 years old now we think, she always had her wings but only in the past year or so started to get the confidence to use them reguarly but she still does the flapping in place either clung to the cage bars (most usual place) or her perch (more unusual) she never does it outside her cage.
Ollie (GCC) does it on occassion but I've noticed it alot less frequently than Harlie, again he only does it inside his cage. He has always flown since he was fledged, he is now about 3 1/2.

by **KimberlyAnn** » Tue May 14, 2013 10:21 am

My GCC was clipped before she came to us, but she does not flap in place unless she's lost her balance on a toy or something, but that's natural and it's not really a flap I guess.

I do remember one of my ringneck doves used to do it a lot. He was fully flighted. We never understood why, but it was almost like he was just streching/moving between preening. His feathers seemed to be all in place. It was just something he did, normally during grooming and sometimes when just sitting there. He was not much of a flyer. Did not fly for the fun of it really...he was a dove after all. His life consisted of looking for food, pecking at shiny things, staying by his mate, and making that scary laughing noise at the grandfather clock.

I did read somewhere that flapping can be a sign of a cage that's too small. Even clipped birds will use their wings going from perch to perch if in a large enough cage. I know Emmi does. It's true what they say, GCCs can fly pretty good with clipped wings. I think it will make it easy to teach her flight when her feathers grow back.

by **KimberlyAnn** » Tue May 14, 2013 10:26 am

Oh yes! I remember my mom's tiel doing it in excitement sometimes too! He was fully flighted. I wish I could have a tiel again, I'm just too allergic. They are such characters!

by **cml** » Tue May 14, 2013 10:32 am

Leroy does, and he's two years old

. Its often when he's angry over something. He either hangs like a bat and starts flapping his wings, or stand on a perch. Usually its hanging though ^^.

by **janetafloat** » Tue May 14, 2013 4:54 pm

Nope, never.

by **pennyandrocky** » Tue May 14, 2013 7:41 pm

mya

and penny

both did when their flights were coming in, somehow they knew to start building muscle to take off when they were able.

by **truste** » Tue May 14, 2013 7:50 pm

My GCC used to do it very rarely. I haven't seen her doing it anymore, but that could just be because it's so rare that I just haven't seen it yet. She had been clipped, but after her molt a few months ago her flights grew back in and I decided not to clip them again. Up until a week ago she was so used to having clipped wings that she wouldn't ever fly unless she was startled or scared--I dont think she even knew she could, because she would always try to fly to us, straining and opening her wings, doing everything but actually taking off, and to my knowledge it was when she COULD fly but didn't know it that she'd occasionally flap in place. Then again it's only been about a week since she realized she could fly again, so it doesn't necessarily mean that she's stopped the behavior.

My other GCC, who came to me with a half clip and still has it--but thinks he can fly and actually is pretty good at it despite his clip--hasn't flapped in place to my knowledge.

ETA: neither of them are babies, but they are still pretty young. She's 11 months and he's 6 months.

by **janetafloat** » Wed May 15, 2013 1:04 am

That's so great that you've let her be flighted. Once she gets some practise you'll love seeing her aeronautics and it'll be so much better for her!

by **Eric&Rebecca** » Mon May 20, 2013 6:30 am

George our little tiel does this! He can fly really well but he seems to love doing it. My AV said young cockatiels do it to strengthen the wing muscles, its residual behaviour from learning to fly.

It would make sense a clipped bird would do it as they think they still can't fly and are inthe process of learning?- maybe.. LOL

Edmund does it too but a little differently. He flies madly around the room then sits on top of the cage, kind of snuffles and hisses from left to right while flapping then takes off again around the room. H'es not angry or scared he just does it as a display. He also hangs upside down and opens his wings.

Both have been fully flighted since birth.