Flight On Day 5: Wing Tips: Safe at Home

Greetings, Bird Lovers

I've been around bird most of my life. When I was a toddler, my parents named our budgie Bert, since I couldn't yet pronounce "bird." My dad's parents had doves and lovebirds. My mom's had homing pigeons, raised budgies and even ended up with a stray attack rooster, who was practically bigger than me and didn't like me much.

In 4th grade, my grandparents let me pick my very own budgie, and I've been blessed to care for five of my own. In high school I volunteered at what is now the World Bird Sanctuary, once finding myself surrounded by baby emus. And I've more than a few times stopped traffic to rescue injured birds.

With a lifetime of bird experience, and often receiving questions on birds and bird care, I created this page to more easily share a few "wing tips" and helpful resources.

Feel free to comment with any questions, and take good care of those feathered friends! (:}>

Naturally, birds love to fly. God gave them wings so they could do just that. And flight is important for exercise in birds. But, depending on a variety of circumstances, allowing domestic birds to fly free could also be a potential threat to their safety.

Smaller birds, like budgies, may be allowed to roam the house freely, but risk the danger of running into windows, mirrors and other items, potentially breaking bones or being killed upon impact.

Larger birds, such as many parrots, may need their wings clipped. Some medium sized parrots, like quakers, are great escape artists and can fly through open doors very quickly. Very large parrots, like macaws, have wingspans too large to fly well in smaller living spaces.

Some people feel that clipping a bird's wings is cruel, and it can be if used improperly. However, it may be in their best interest, and the interest of the owners, to do so depending on the circumstances. Losing a pet is very difficult, and since these are domestic birds, the chances of an escapee surviving in the wild are slim. It may be helpful to limit their flight than to risk injury, escape or death.

Be sure that birds with clipped wings still have ways to get some exercise without getting hurt, and always be sure there is enough room inside their cage to spread and flap their wings while fully extended.

Personally...
I've preferred to clip my more active bird's wings at particular times of year when it's warm and doors are most likely to be open. I tended to clip just a few primary flight feathers, so he still had some gliding ability. Our vet has pointed out that indoors this is one thing, but outdoors with a little wind one will be surprised how far a clipped bird can go, so this is something to keep in mind. When he was older, we ceased all clipping and encouraged flight, as exercise became even more crucial to keep his weight down.

Our birds lived in the basement, which minimized several issues, and we were always very cautious about doors when upstairs for any reason.