Why I Don't Wing-clip My Pet Birds

When I began keeping birds almost fifteen years ago, wisdom from the experts had it that pet birds must have their wings clipped for safety and to remain tame, friendly pets. I believed them, and religiously trimmed my pets' wings every molt. I also owned breeding birds, whose wings I didn't clip. I found myself noticing how much happier and more confident these birds seemed when they could fly. In complete contrast to the myth that a parrot must have his wings trimmed to become tame, one of my fully flighted and completely wild lovebird hens tamed herself. With the confidence her wings gave her, she approached me, ready to fly away at a moment's notice -- when I posed no threat, she came ever closer. In time, she became as tame as any parrot I've had, and enjoy snuggling into my hand and preening my hair.

Eventually, having seen the joy my breeding birds got from flight, I decided to let my pets fly, too. I've never regretted it. They are happier birds when flighted, there's just no other way to say it. My clumsy greys learned balance and grace; my shy, nervous rescued cockatoo gained confidence she never had before. None of the dire warnings about unclipped birds becoming less tame or more difficult to handle came to pass. Other parrot owners report similar improvements in their birds' behavior and confidence when they allowed their pets to fly. Steve Hartman at The Parrot University says, "Flighted parrots are healthier, more active, more coordinated, and have much better vision. Flying promotes higher intelligence, self-confidence, self-esteem and ultimately makes a more social long-term companion. "

Chris Biro, who has been free-flying trained parrots outdoors for years, has this to say: "Scientific research has shown that a bird's respiratory system is so specifically designed for flying that it does not function at capacity until engaged in flight. If their bodies are so attuned to flying, is it not possible that their minds are equally attuned? We know that a high level of physical and mental fitness is important to the wild parrot's survival. I suspect being physically fit would also keep a pet parrot mentally fit."

There's just no other way around it: birds are built for flying, and are emotionally and physically healthier when they're able to perform this basic activity. That's not to say they can't be healthy without flying, just that it comes easier and more naturally when they can. I imagine it's something like walking is for us. For parrots, walking is a relatively difficult and awkward motion. Under natural circumstances they get around primarily by flying, just as we get around primarily by walking. If we're unable to walk, it's not the end of the world, we can remain healthy, but it does change things for the worse.

But what about their safety? All too many birds are lost when they escape into the great outdoors, many never to be found. What this doesn't tell you, though, is that most of these birds are wing-clipped! Wing-clipping does very little to keep birds from flying away -- with a gust of wind, even the most severely clipped bird can be off and over the horizon in moments. And wing-clipping often lulls keepers into a false sense of security. They believe that because they go to the trouble of clipping their pet's wings, they're immune to the dangers of him flying out a window or door, or taking off during a stroll outside.

Because of this, it's all too common to hear the sad story. "My bird's wings were clipped, but he flew away." What you almost never hear are stories about fully-flighted, well-trained parrots flying away. Why not? Because their keepers are aware their birds are capable of flight, and they're much more vigilant about keeping them safely indoors. Perhaps more importantly, because flighted birds, well, know how to fly, should they escape outdoors there's a good chance they'll simply use their flying skills and fly back to their keeper. Wing-clipped parrots in the air are often so frightened they'll just keep flying as far as their hobbled wings will take them, not knowing how to slow down and land. Or they end up in a tall tree, completely unaware of how to fly down. Flighted birds, just by being more capable of flight, are actually less likely to be permanently lost outdoors. Well-known parrot behavior consultant Pamela Clark says, "a flighted parrot who has good skills and stamina, who knows how to fly downward, who has perhaps spent time outdoors in an aviary, who comes to the recall cue, is in most cases, quite easy to recover. I personally believe this to be the best prevention against loss, far superior to the removal of flight."

Aside from extensively outdoor-trained parrots, such as Chris Biro's, flighted birds should never, ever be taken outside unless they're securely restrained in a harness or cage. But this is just as true of wing-clipped birds. All parrots, wing-clipped or not, tame or not, will take off if they're startled, and all parrots are potentially capable of flying away. And other outdoors dangers, especially birds of prey and neighborhood cats and dogs, are as dangerous to a wing-clipped bird as to a flighted one.

I also believe flighted parrots are as safe as clipped birds among indoor dangers. Flying into a window or mirror is a danger to any bird, wing-clipped or not, but flighted birds who are introduced to windows with care quickly learn the danger they present. With their greater flying skills, they're much better able to turn away from them before colliding. Clipped birds are likely to end up in toilets or pots of water because they aren't able to control the direction of their falls; flighted birds are more likely to avoid these hazards, and other common household dangers.

The truth is, accidents can happen to any bird, clipped or not. Many accidents that happen to flighted birds can be blamed on their flying; but so can many accidents that happen to wing-clipped birds be blamed on their clip. It's a sad fact that our birds are small, fragile animals who have next to no innate understanding of the dangers of our homes. It's up to us to teach them and supervise them so they remain safe.

Keeping a flighted bird does require a bit more vigilance and care, and flighted birds must be trained. It's most important they're trained to a recall, the "come here," and that this training is worked into a daily routine so it's always fresh in the bird's mind. Keeping a flighted parrot in the home also means more training and supervision while they're out of their cages, because with flight comes more access to trouble. Chris Biro summed it up: "People who get into flying parrots will always wind up learning about better training methods. They just have to or the birds will destroy their homes and become a complete nuisance." My flighted grey is perfectly capable of flying off and finding her own entertainment if she gets bored, and that can be destructive to my furniture and dangerous to her. She requires more supervision than a clipped bird, but the joy her wings give her make it more than worthwhile.

Still, as strongly as I believe all birds are happier and healthier when fully flighted, there are certainly some birds, under some circumstances, who are better off clipped. Some busy households present too many additional dangers to flighted birds -- kids leaving doors open that just invite an inquisitive flyer to explore outside, or slamming doors that potentially have a flighted bird perched on top. Ceiling fans are one danger that is more likely to harm a flighted bird than a clipped bird. I might argue that these households should consider putting off getting a pet bird until circumstances are more bird-friendly. But I would never argue that busy homes who already own parrots should give them up because they can't keep them safely flighted. Wing-clipping is a much better alternative to rehoming, and better a bird be wing-clipped than dead.

And a few individual birds, it's true, can become less tame and more aggressive when flighted. The additional freedom they get from flight gives them the feeling they simply don't have to deal with humans except by their rules. I believe this is most often a symptom rather than the underlying problem. Parrots who don't feel completely comfortable and close with people may give the impression they do when forced to rely on them for transportation, but the truth comes out when they can get around under their own power. Still, it's far more difficult to work with some of these birds when they're flighted. Clipping may be necessary at least until bird and human form a closer, more trusting relationship.

Both clipping a flighted bird, or allowing a clipped bird to fly, can change the bird-human relationship. Birds who rely on humans to get around are necessarily more dependent on them, for better or for worse. It's worth keeping in mind that this kind of dependence isn't natural for a parrot. Yet it can be useful, given the unnatural circumstances birds find themselves in while in our homes.

Regardless of whether they will be clipped or flighted later on, I can't stress enough the importance of letting baby birds fledge and learn to fly before being clipped. The skills learned during fledging are not just about getting from one spot to another, but are basic to a bird's mental and physical development. Wilhelm Keisselbach at the Grey Play Round Table says, "Birds must learn to fly. Their sense of self-confidence and emotional well being depends on it." Flying is also also essential to the development of balance, coordination, sight, and muscle development in young birds. Just like a human baby whose brain is primed and ready to learn to walk, so are the bodies and brains of young birds built to learn to fly. These basic skills are nearly impossible for a bird to fully develop later in life. My military macaw, who has be unclipped for the past several years, is still unable to fly and may never be able to. He never developed the confidence that his wings could take him anywhere, and he's perhaps permanently frightened of falling. Even those birds who do learn to fly later in life rarely develop the skill and precision of a bird who properly fledged. Pamela Clark puts it bluntly: "A bird that has been allowed to fully develop its flight capacity is forever a different bird from one who has not."

Nearly all the parrot experts agree with me on this, even those who don't recommend keeping flighted adult parrots. Mattie Sue Athan, author of several popular parrot training books and an advocate of wing-clipping for tame parrots, said, "There is no argument that a little flying at the beginning of life helps a young parrot to gain coordination and confidence."

Allowing young parrots to fledge and fly ought to be the responsibility of the breeder. Breeders who clip early usually do it because it's convenient. A clutchful of parrots learning to fly require a safe space to fly in, and near-constant supervision, or there's a good chance they'll hurt themselves. Proper fledging may also take longer than weaning, so that the best breeders hold on their babies long after other breeders would have sold them off. Simply looking for a breeder who spends the time and effort to allow their babies to fledge will go a long way towards finding a truly quality breeder, one who cares more about the health and happiness of their birds than in making a quick buck.

But what to do when the breeder fails? Birds who have been clipped too early can still learn to fly later on -- the sooner, the better, but even adult birds who've never made a flight can most often successfully learn the basic skills necessary. They may never regain all of what they lost when they weren't allowed to fledge, but they can still improve their balance and self-confidence. Even if they must be clipped later on, I recommend all birds be allowed to learn to fly at some point in their lifetimes. One of the very nice things about wing-clipping is it isn't a permanent procedure!

In the end, to clip or not to clip is a personal question, with a personal answer. It depends on the bird, the human, and the household. The answer may change over time. But I think we, as a parrot-keeping community, need to do away with the mindset that clipping is always better, always safer, or always right. Maybe I'm pushing the boundary of anthropomorphism, but I have no doubt that that if my parrots could be made completely aware of all the possible dangers and asked to make their own decision, they would choose flight every time. Who wouldn't?

Sources:
Feathers, Flight and Parrot Keeping, by Pamela Clark
Thinking on the Wing, by Steve Hartman
Should You Freefly Your Bird? by Chris Biro
Best in Flock's Interview with Chris Biro
Wings at Liberty
An Innovative Approach to Rearing African Greys, by Pamela Clark
Abundant Weaning & Fledging, by Wilhelm Keisselbach