How to free flight parrots?

kenzie · Mar 26, 2013

I have been looking into buying a caique and when I finally do I plan to free flight him/her. I haven't been able to find useful reasourves on the Internet so I was wondering if you could tell me about the free flight training process or direct me to a good website. Thanks!

MarciaLove · Mar 26, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzXp65T7LCA]Parrot Training Tips: Recall with Smokey - YouTube[/ame] this is one video of many that are on this youtubers channel on recall training which I am assuming you will do before free flight

Birdlover11 · Mar 26, 2013

Free flightning is a risky process, though it does have its rewards . Here are some links,

Parrot Free Flight Outside | Feather Me
Avian Training and Flight Instruction | Articles | LibertyWings.com

Featheredsamurai · Mar 26, 2013

Just so you know macaws are usually the best candidates for free flight, they are loud, large, powerful fliers, and usually colorful. A loud and colorful bird is much easier to find than a small moderately loud bird. Caiques are small birds that all but the tiniest raptor(American kestral) will target as prey.

Give free flight a lot of thought, it is dangerous and at anytime you could loose your friend forever. A friend if mine flew his African raven nearly every day for 3 years when his bird was chased off by a huge flock of wild ravens. Then he just recently lost his Lanner falcon, his Lanner flies very quickly above the ground and was hit by a car when flying a half mile away.

Do a lot of training indoors, and for your first out door flight make sure to go somewhere deserted and with little hawks. The Moab desert is a very popular free flight area and people drive thousands of miles just for that.

I believe recalling is a very useful thing to teach your bird, and flying in a secure environment in wind to experiance it is also good. Better to experiance wind securely than the first time they get lost.

MonicaMc · Mar 26, 2013

An eclectus was killed by a passing vehicle when he was coming in for a landing towards his owner... It wouldn't have happened if he had flown down close enough the first time, but he was too high, so he circled and flew lower... at the exact moment a vehicle on a rarely used road out in the country was passing by.

How do you teach free-flight? Recall, recall and recall. Once you've got that down, then some more recall! It must first be taught indoors before ever going outside. Once you go outside, you start in a very quiet area that's open and doesn't have a lot going on. It may even help to use a harness to get the bird familiar with the area before allowing free flight.

Here's a list of websites that may be of help and how to do so. (some links may be dead)

Should you clip your bird?
The Flighted Birds wiki
Living with Flighted parrots
Carly Lu's Flight Blog: Parrot Training, Flight & Recall
Free Flight Training
Flyers - Home
Recalling Phoebe
February, 2005 - shanlung
Tinkerbell, a free flying CAG
Good Bird Inc. Companion Parrot Training Through Positive Reinforcement
Wings At Liberty - Avian Training & Flight Instruction
Bird-Click : Bird-Click
Parrotrecalltraining : Recall/Freeflight Training for Parrots
Freeflight : Freeflight
The Bird Man of Las Vegas

Free flight gone wrong.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKlxjZQUueQ]YouTube - Tui parrot missing free flying - don't try this[/ame]

Free-flight is amazing and great, but it is *NOT* for everyone.

parrot14 · Apr 1, 2013

What have been referred here are more than enough.
Monica even showed the consequence you could learn prior to decide. You shouldn't take freeflight lightly, it is a huge process need your fullest determination, discipline and patient..but when you reached the end of the road, the reward is awesome!

crosue · Apr 12, 2013

hi guys, how will you know if a parrot is ready to fly outside? for example, you already tamed your parrot and he already knew some tricks, what are the other preparations for this kind of activity to bird?

Featheredsamurai · Apr 20, 2013

crosue said:
hi guys, how will you know if a parrot is ready to fly outside? for example, you already tamed your parrot and he already knew some tricks, what are the other preparations for this kind of activity to bird?

You want to have them recalling perfectly, from anywhere, and do this for a long time. Your bird needs to be a skilled flier as well as a strong one. You also need to come to terms with possibly loosing your bird at any time.

It's best to find a professional trainer to teach you... I cannot recommend anyone to free fly.

noblemacaw · Apr 20, 2013

My breeder and one of her clients do free fly RFM. I have always wanted to free fly Valentino my RFM but in the end I am too chicken to do this. Since I got Valentino in December I have taught him recall and he has learned the skill of flying down to me from high above. I thought flying down was a skill they would naturally have but they do not. A parrot not only has to learn how to fly but they need to learn how to fly down to you from high above.

Even with all my indoor training if I wanted to train Valentino for free flight I feel strongly that I would need to find someone experienced with free flight to mentor me. This is probably not going to happen because our bird community has shrank quite a bit and I am not really a part of my local bird community anymore.

I do have a aviator harness for Valentino which I will be using to exercise him outside. No he will nto be flying free but he will be flying back and forth between Lupe and with in his harness which will be attached to a long lead.

Now if Spring would only get here so I can get my cabin fever parrot outside.

Jtbirds · Apr 20, 2013

I mean I feel as though this is way to risky and irresponsible as a owner, but that is me. What is the harm in teaching them a harness and giving them a long lead instead of letting them fly free? I don't allow some of my birds to have the ability to fly as others I do allow this to happen, if I was to take my flighted guys outside I am defiantly using a harness I couldn't live with myself knowing I let one of my birds fly off.

So my only suggestion is against free flight and to harness training and lead flight.

Featheredsamurai · Apr 20, 2013

Jtbirds said:
I mean I feel as though this is way to risky and irresponsible as a owner, but that is me. What is the harm in teaching them a harness and giving them a long lead instead of letting them fly free? I don't allow some of my birds to have the ability to fly as others I do allow this to happen, if I was to take my flighted guys outside I am defiantly using a harness I couldn't live with myself knowing I let one of my birds fly off.

So my only suggestion is against free flight and to harness training and lead flight.

I agree, I fly Rosie in her harness and it's great. she may be more restricted, and harnesses do have their own dangers you need to be aware of, but it's better than free flying. Risking your birds life for free flying isn't worth it and that's why I don't ever plan to do so with Rosie.

ruffledfeathers · Apr 20, 2013

I allowed "free flight" IN the house for my budgie Percy. He would actually recall perfectly, in the house, without distractions. I think i would be overwhelmed with guilt and grief if i let something happen to my baby too, and that's why i have started the harness training with Gilbert. With Georgie, i only took her out in a cage or carrier, so for me, allowing harness freedom with Gilbert is a huge step. But i am also someone who has my dogs restrained in the car in case of an accident and I have Gilbert always in a carrier with a seat belt also in case of an accident. As much of a worrier as it makes me seem like, i do know someone who just lost her conure a few weeks after i lost Georgie, just from breaking her own rule one day, and saying her baby could come out of the carrier in the car.....and someone hit her that day!!

And yeah, true, that i have a little conure and not a large macaw. My Gilbert would be a target for much more danger in general.

MonicaMc · Apr 20, 2013

Birds of prey often hunt small animals... including mice.... many pet birds that are taken outside are quite often larger than a mouse...

And some birds, when hungry enough, have been known to take pet birds off of someones shoulder, or try attacking a pet bird that's near you in a cage or a tree....

AngelicaandBandit · Apr 25, 2013

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend free flight without a restraint to anyone unless you are a professional parrot trainer. Look obviously the final decision would be yours but once your bird is outside without a restraint, its immediately prone to many dangers. Please, just get a harness, its exactly the same but more safe.However if what I'm saying is not making a dent in your decision... a large parrot would be ideal for free flight, like a macaw, any smaller would be in danger of hawks, serious danger (depending where you live) they would just be bait, a colourful song bird.

Indoor free flight is a good way to go! Safe and healthy for your bird. Outdoor free flight should always involve a harness

Jtbirds · Apr 25, 2013

A macaw can be hawk bait to even though many say not i have heard of macaws being attacked and killed by hawks... And honestly i cant say even if you are a "expert" parrot tamer that you should allow free flight as any expert would say it is quite risky.... As stated indoor flying is ok, but if you are headed outside a harness is only $20 your bird will break your heart.

Mare Miller · Jun 12, 2013

I do free fly my umbrella cockatoo, Amigo is his name. I would not recommend flying any bird smaller than that because of predators. I don't feel I'm an irresponsible owner, at all, but my bird's welfare is important to me and that includes him doing (somewhat) what he was born to do.
How do you free flight parrots? That's your question. Your bird better be bonded with you, your bird needs to know that you are his everything and he needs to know his territory. I started Amigo out with clipped wings and he knew I was the one to come home to when he was uncertain. I do wish you luck and I'm thinking about bringing another U2 into the free fly mix. I wouldn't do this unless I could be certain my new bird knew the same things that Amigo knows.

U2gal · Jun 12, 2013

Once you've mastered indoor free flying in an abandoned building. Begin acclimating your parrot outside. Dont free fly him outside until be is fully acclimated. Its best to then, in a harness, do recalls outside.

Eventually you work yourself up and off the harness.

khaiqha · Jun 12, 2013

I know it's a small detail, but the terminology of free flight means to fly a bird, outside, without a harness. Everything else is just flight. I point this out because people can confuse the two, think about the extra dangers involved with free flight, and then just decide to clip their birds.

U2gal · Jun 12, 2013

Jtbirds said:
I mean I feel as though this is way to risky and irresponsible as a owner, but that is me. What is the harm in teaching them a harness and giving them a long lead instead of letting them fly free? I don't allow some of my birds to have the ability to fly as others I do allow this to happen, if I was to take my flighted guys outside I am defiantly using a harness I couldn't live with myself knowing I let one of my birds fly off.

So my only suggestion is against free flight and to harness training and lead flight.

Most companion parrots don't live long lives. Besides dying from poor health, they die from household accidents.

Free flight isn't any more riskier/irresponsible than deciding to keep a pet parrot, IMO.

With that said, I do not think most people should free fly.

Mare Miller · Jun 24, 2013

Do you free fly your birds or bird, U2gal? Just curious.

. I watch my bird flying outside, without constraint, and it is a wonderful feeling, for me, to see him enjoying life. Amigo has been taken down by a red-tail hawk, not a good memory, for either of us, with no damage to himself, (accept maybe mentally)

. He learns more and more, every time he is allowed to fly free, three years now.
I don't recommend this to any person who worries or stresses over everything but I am that person. Even though it is high-risk for my bird to fly like this and his life could end in a heartbeat, I believe he has an amazing life for a companion bird.

How to free flight parrots?

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