Does my bird fly?

My friend Bill is a YNA, and we have been together for 6 months. I've been on this site for the same amount of time too. I really enjoy reading all the info on these pages, and using the info to better my friendship with my Bill. I feel pretty lucky with the things that bill and I can do. Now that nicer weather is starting to come around I would like to take Bill outside and take him places. I love reading about the feathered friends on here that get to go on outings with their family. While Bill and I are getting along super great I to want to take him for a ride. My question is I don't know if he can fly? I've seen him flap like he wants too, but he just drops down to the floor or the couch. His feathers are not the nicest looking. His tail feathers are pretty uneven and not all there. His wings are full but once again his feathers don't look like they are in top condition. Only 5 times did he go to the floor. 4 times off his house, that's pretty high and once in my sons room. We were watching TV and Bill was on a cat stand in the middle level and he went down to the ground flapping. I don't know if he ever did fly? There is no way for me to ever find out either. Bill and I are on our own going forward without any past info. I will put Bill in a travel holder, but would like to just carry him on myself to the car to go to moms house. Is there anyway I can find out if he can fly, and any tips on what I can do to make his outings top notch? Thanks a head of time for any shared info on this subject. Bill I'm sure will be super happy and make all kinds of cool noises like he does when hes happy. Thanks.

My Bingo is kinda in the same place.
He makes a try at flying but it's rather pathetic to watch.
He flaps around and creates a wind storm but goes in one direction ... down.
I asked this same question. I think it was titled "is lift off possible". http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/61427-liftoff-possible.html?highlight=liftoff

Yes there is a chance he could really take off. Is it worth taking the chance of loosing him? Even a bird that has been clipped can fly with the right wind conditions and stimulus (scared).

I bought an Aviator harness and have a Pack-o-Bird that I take him out with.
I have only used the harness 2 times. putting it on is not so bad but taking it off is difficult. He gets impatient and I don't want to get bitten or strangle him trying to get it off him.

When Amy picked me to go home to,almost thirty years ago,me,not knowing birdies had to be TAUGHT how to fly by their mom or dad,I had his sleeves on his arms shortend,because he was going to be my co-driver in my Big Rig,I would have him clipped in spring and mid summer coz I took him outside and went to stores and all sorts of place so he'd get socialized and used to being out and about in different situations,so he NEVER fledged,hence,has NO CLUE on how to fly! And that's a no-no because his keelbone muscles are not in the shape they should be,so we've been doing what I call "flapflap" lessons. He will perch on his mobile perch I carry around with us,and I ask him if he wants to go "flapflap"? Honestly,I believe he knows what I'm saying! He will perch on his stick and look at me,I say "Ready??" "one...two..THREE!" and while holding his perch above my head,I lower it quickly so he has to spread his arms out and wave them madly! Like I said...he seems to love it and it is giving his keelbone muscles exercise. We have been doing this a few times a week,three or four times every time he is out,doing fifteen to twenty flapflaps a session for almost two years now! He STILL has no clue why we do this lol but he gets vocal and excited! There were a few times he'd loose his grip of the perch and wave madly and still land smack-dab on the floor!

Maybe you should try this with Bill and see how he reacts??


Jim

I have had my Sam for 36 years, since he was 11 weeks old. He never learned to fly either. I have seen him get lift probably 3 times, many years ago when he was a lot younger. Now, he flaps quite a bit, especially when he is sitting on my hand. However, if he goes off the cage he flaps right down to the floor. This being said, I would never take him outside without some sort of harness to prevent him from making it into a tree or the street. Just too risky. You never know what a scared Amazon could do, even if he had never done it before.

I wouldn't take the risk. I'm new to the large bird world so I'm learning as I go. However, I work at a shelter with dogs and cats. Its amazing how many people say my dog knows not to leave my side. A week later something got their attention, motivated them, and they were gone and lost.

He may not know how to fully work his wings yet but some day he might be motivated and find what he needs for take off! I would see if you can't get him harness trained. Then you have the assurance that he can't get away. I'm in the same boat right now. I'd LOVE to take our guy out once its warmer! We've had him for about 2 months now so we are still learning about one another. He however LOVES to fly so unless he accepts a harness...he won't be a free roaming when outside.

They always take wing when you do not expect it.


(I was loooking for the thread by ParrotGenie earlier, he has a macaw that cannot even spread her wings completely and managed to fly... I was wondering how she is doing these days... http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/79238-meet-randy-female-b-g-macaw.html )

Anyone on this forum who takes their birds outside and on road-trips, shopping-trips, etc. with them, myself included, does it with their birds on a Harness and Leash, the most popular being the Aviator-Harness with lead...No one here, and no responsible parront will take their parrots outside at all without them either being on a Harness and leash or inside of a carrier or cage. Period. And yes, all birds can still fly away for miles and miles with their wings clipped, they can glide forever in the wind, so even if your bird's wings are clipped you still just cannot take them outside without either a Harness and leash on him, or while he's inside of a carrier or cage. Period.

The people who "Free-Fly" their parrots, meaning they take them outside to purposely fly them around off-leash, have been training their birds for years in order to do it. It's a very long process that involves a ton of Recall-Training of the bird first, before they ever go outside off-leash, and then it's a long training process of teaching them whistle commands, teaching them how to handled predator birds, teachiing them when and how to come back/land, etc. So it's not like they just take their birds outside and say "Go fly"...And even after years of training them and flying them outside, they still very often lose them do to a million reasons, from predator-birds chasing them off to them being starteled by something or someone or a sound, to them just simply flying away and not coming back. For this reason most people who have been training their birds to free-fly for years and years STILL purchased a GPS unit that attaches to the Aviator Harness, and they ALWAYS have the GPS unit on them when they are outside and off-leash, so they can track them on their phones, tablets, laptops, etc. if and when they take-off...

****Your Amazon most-likely isn't flying inside of your home because of a number or reasons, but "because he can't fly" isn't one of them. A lot of birds Amazon size and large don't often fly indoors because they don't feel like they have the space to do so, and they are actually afraid to spread their wings out the entire way. It's also possible that the prior-owner of your bird kept his wings clipped all the time, so he's used to having them clipped and not being able to fly INDOORS...And now you've had him for 6 months, his wings have grown back-in, and he's now starting to try using them again...If you take him outside I guarantee he will be able to fly, even if his wings aren't fully grown back in, and you'll end-up losing him, and we don't want to see that happen to you or anyone else, as it happens all the time because people mistakenly think that because they clip their bird's wings they can take them outside and they won't be able to fly...And then the first time they take them outside they lose them forever.

So, the bottom-line is PLEASE DO NOT EVER TAKE YOUR BIRD OUTSIDE UNLESS YOU HAVE HIM ON AN AVIATOR HARNESS AND LEASH, OR HE'S INSIDE OF A CARRIER OR CAGE AND YOU DON'T LET HIM OUT OF IT WHILE HE'S OUTSIDE...YOU WILL LOSE HIM!!! I've seen parrots with a very severe wing-clip, even into their Secondaries, take-off from their owner's shoulders and be gone, only to be found a week later 20 miles away...It's just not safe for Bill at all, and if you lose him you're going to feel horrible, and we don't want to see that happen...

***My suggestion to you is that if you want Bill to be a bird who goes places with you out of your house, but you don't want to keep him inside of a carrier or a Pak-O-Bird backpack, that you figure out the proper size of Aviator Harness for him and you order one online (Amazon or eBay are the cheapest places, and they both sell all sizes in all the colors available)...Witth the Aviator Harness you also get a leash that attaches to it, and most-importantly is a DVD with the training instructions...You cannot just put the Aviator Harness on most birds when you first get it and have them accept it, it's typically a process that takes a few months, but it's well worth the wait because it really is the ONLY safe way to take your bird outside without him being in a carrier or PAk-O-Bird. Some birds take to it more quickly than others, but typically you have to get them to accept having it put on them step-by-step, and then you also have to get them to accept wearing it without constantly picking at it and chewing on it once it's fully on them. So it will take time to get Bill to fully accept it so you'll be able to take him outside with you, but I'm warning you now as everyone else is, you DO NOT want to take Bill outside without being in a carrier of some kind or without an Aviator Harness on him, because YOU WILL LOSE HIM!!!

Hi Mike, as someone who has lost a beloved parrot many years ago, having him fly away because I thought he was not able to, I can attest to all that our members are saying above. It is like loosing a child; I would not wish this on my worst enemy. Get a harness, train Bill in wearing it and you will be amazed at how much they love being outside.

Thanks a lot for the info. I'm very glad that you guys took the time out to help me out. I don't think I would of taken Bill outside without a house or leash. I'm looking forward to taking him for rides in the car and van. When I brought Bill home I put his cage in my van with him still in it. I very carefully put his house sideways on an angle in a way that Bill could still perch on his big stick. I slowly opened up the windows letting in more air and Bill loved it. Still to this day I have never seen him more happy! I didn't even know anything about him and I could tell he was happy. It was a short ride to my place for Bill, but I knew that I had to take him for another ride someday. I do believe that I could get a harness on him after a couple try's. I don't think that I can wait that long so I'm going to get a carrier for him. I'm going to hit the vet too real soon so I need a carrier. Thanks again for helping me out, stay tuned for a trip report with him coming home for sure. Thanks to you guys I know now that he just might fly and I'll never take the chance either way.

Even birds with clipped wings can fly in the right circumstances. Bird's outside of a cage or house need to be on a harness---just because he hasn't flown inside, doesn't mean he might with the right wind/space/fear (all common outdoors).