A pro flight article

[pchela]

I believe that having flighted parrots is a very gray area but I do lean towards flight as the healthier option and my birds are flighted. I think the best way to spread the word is to educate, rather than berate or belittle somebody for their views so... here is an article I found on the merits of keeping your parrots flighted that I thought made some very good points. (it is my sincere hope that this thread does not cause any arguments although thoughtful discussion is encouraged!)

http://theparrotuniversity.com/flight.php

[sidech]

Thanks for the article. I don't see how anyone could argue against the fact that indeed, any bird is better off flying than not, regardless of whether they clip their pet wings or not.

Something made me sad in this article. The part about parrots being clipped so young that they will never develop flight the way a " normal " bird would. My Brown Head was severely clipped when I got him, and he was only 3 months. He probably never had the chance to truly fly before they did this to him. They cut 10 flight feathers (don't know how to call them), instead of 2, maybe 3. So I'm wondering if he'll ever be able to fly...

At first I didn't want him to fly, because my house is not safe enough (he is in the kitchen area, in the middle of the front door and the back door), but I'm thinking more and more I'll let him.

Anyways, I'm wandering here. Thanks for the great article. Very interesting.

[pchela]

At 3 months he would have fledged already so hopefully they only clipped him when he was ready to go home and allowed him to learn to fly beforehand. If not, you can let his wings grow out and allow him to learn to fly later. It won't be as easy for him and he'll probably have a few mishaps and be clumsy, but he'll figure it out. 10 flights is an extreme amount to clip... you probably know this but be very careful about him trying to fly... if he lands on the floor too hard he can break his keel bone.

[lzver]

Very good article pchela! Very informative.

When I didn't know better, I kept Lucy and Jessie's wings clipped. However, their wings haven't been clipped in 3 years. With having the jungle gym now, I see the benefits right away. A couple days ago, Lucy spent more than 3 hours out on the jungle gym and it amazed me to watch her fly back to her cage to get food and water. When she was finished, she came back out and flew back over to the play stand. If I had her wings clipped, there was no possible way I could have known what she wanted/needed. Lucy is far more independent than Jessie and she loves to come and go as she pleases.

The following paragraph explained a lot in regards to Jessie:

"Most parrots that are rendered flightless as a juvenile end up regrowing enough feathers to gain lift. These uneducated birds repeatedly fly into windows and consistently crash land because clipped birds are unable to develop flight motor coordination during the sensitive period of the cerebellum development. These disabled parrots are generally unable to 'think on the wing', and perpetuate the myth that parrots are too stupid to learn to fly in a home. This lack of coordination causes a kneejerk reaction by many humans to clip even more of the wing and worsen the problem."

When I got Jessie at 3 months old he had a very severe wing clip and never learned how to fly as a baby. For years he would only fly when spooked and he always flew into windows and doors. I've been very lucky that he never really hurt himself. Over the last 6 months his flying skills have grealty improved and he is much better at flying. He will take the occasional flight around the main floor and be able to land safely somewhere instead of crash landing.

Again, great article!

[skeetersunconure]

Awsome! flight is such a beautiful thing... ya know when skeeter was clipped and now he can fly i can tell that he loves it! I love to show people about what he can do and i think that it does make an impression.

[TheNzJessie]

i was going yes yes yes though this whole article but one thing i really agree and have witnessed my self is this

Flightless parrots are constantly exposed to situations where they feel afraid and out of control. With no control over their life parrots often develop paranoid schizophrenic behaviours. These individuals lack the ability to trust others. This syndrome is a significant factor in the development of the 'one person bird'.


completely true

[miajag]

I lean toward pro-flight but that part sounded like a load of crap to me, actually.

[bmsweb]

Flightless parrots are constantly exposed to situations where they feel afraid and out of control. With no control over their life parrots often develop paranoid schizophrenic behaviours. These individuals lack the ability to trust others. This syndrome is a significant factor in the development of the 'one person bird'.

Wow our budgie and cockatiel both started out clipped and I never experienced any of the above. Having said that all our birds are now flighted and all our babies were also kept flighted by their respective owners

[Red Moppet]

Thanks for this article and all of your discussion! When I brought my bird home he had just been clipped but managed to get around really well (could fly up to the back of the couch to his window perch and could fly to his playgym) so I knew it wasn't an aggressive clip.

When I took him for his first vet visit she was surprised at how much he could fly and recommended another clip soon but I told her that I was going to let him be as his feathers grew in. He has several long feathers coming in now and last night he actually made it to the top of the cupboards in the kitchen! Since bringing Sputnik home I've been careful about taking safety precautions, but now I realize that I will have to take a few more now that I know he can get up so high.

It's a fantastic feeling when a parrot chooses to fly to you to be with you!
(and since I just discovered the "view more smiles" too: )

[Michael]

I've read that article before and while I am pro-flight, I think that article is pretty ridiculous. On one hand it's a propaganda piece to sell harnesses. On the other, it talks about "compensating networks," "VERY scared," etc. This seems to be based on a lot of unfounded assumptions (and you know what, for casual forum posts that may be ok but for such a hardline article?) and anthropomorphizes. He has a good cause, some of those are good points, and he makes a great product. However, I don't feel like that article is the best argument for why parrots should be kept flighted.

As for people talking about their always clipped birds or refledged birds, here's what I think. BMSweb, your parrots learned to fly again really well and quickly because they were properly fledged and were able to fly before. Kili was at a store so I doubt they ever let her fly at all. Not only was it hard to get her to even try flying in the first place but also she has never developed into as good of a flier. Truman who has never been clipped is much better at flying (and not only cause he's not missing feathers). He can make instantaneous decisions on the fly while Kili can't. Kili has to look where she wants to fly and then proceed. She really can't change her mind in flight. Truman on the other hand can come flying toward me, I start putting my arm out but it's too late, flies past me, does a quick 180 turn, and lands back on my arm going the other way. This is something Kili could not possibly think to do. She would just fly straight past me and land somewhere beyond.