Swimming parrots?!

[Kiwibird]

While searching for a cartoon or illustration of a parrot in a life preserver to draw an image off of, I came across this website (blog?) where these people are apparently teaching their parrots to swim in a pool. Let me be 100% clear- I am NOT even remotely considering this with Kiwi, but I suppose it makes sense that their wings work like flotation devices. I'm sure the chances of survival in nature would be low but what if they fell in a small pool or river in the jungle? I suppose they'd have to try to get out somehow. Just thought it was an interesting concept I never even thought about before since they seem rather prone to drowning in a domestic home setting. Anyone ever heard of swimming parrots before?:

CHEWYandtheGANG.... PARROT POOL PARTIIES... PARROT SHOWS - TRAINING

***I AM NOT CONDONING OR SUGGESTING ANYONE TRY THIS WITH THEIR BIRDS, SIMPLY SHARING SOMETHING I FOUND INTERESTING, BUT PERSONALLY FEEL WOULD/COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS***

 

[reeb]

I also recently saw a video of a budgie swimming in a fishtank. A really dirty small fish tank without a lid. Just a general hazard for all creatures involved. Here is the video, not sure if the link will work.
Budgie swimming in fishtank

 

[Cardinal]

Well Parrots have spread to really remote parts of the world like the Henderson island lorikeet and many other pacific island parrots.

So that does indicate strong wings. But they probably took rest in between their long ocean journeys by resting on some floatsam- large chunks of wood that float in the ocean.

cheers

Avin

 

[Kiwibird]

I also recently saw a video of a budgie swimming in a fishtank. A really dirty small fish tank without a lid. Just a general hazard for all creatures involved. Here is the video, not sure if the link will work.
Budgie swimming in fishtank

That is indeed a very overstocked tank! Cute little budgie though. Wish they'd find it something cleaner to swim in. I just had no idea parrots could swim at all. I figured they'd sink like rocks. We've put Kiwi in about 1-2" of water in the tub before (closely supervised) and for as much as he likes showers and dish baths, he was NOT at all amused by being put in a wading pool

 

[SailBoat]

I have seen Eagles pull themselves from lakes and rivers as a result of a botched attempt to grab fish, or the fish was larger than they could lift. But they have an oil gland and as a result their feathers tend to shred water, much like a duck.

With New World Parrots, they are all powder based and the feathers are prone to becoming wet quickly).

Clearly, they are teaching the Parrots to avoid getting the top of the wings wet and moving their wings to cup /trap air under them.

A true "Do Not Try This At Home" reality.

Learn something new every day around here!


ADDED:

New World Parrots Swimming has driven me a bit nuts, since I saw this this Thread. Reality screams that they should not be floating! So, I went back to the carefully edited photos and found a several clues.
- In all cases, the parrots are in a horizontal flight position with their heads-up.
- Also and very important, their tail feathers are spread widely to create more surface area.
- And, as noted above, the wings are not fully extended, but in more of a take-off position, allowing for the ability to lift the area nearest the body to cup (trap) air.

 

[MonicaMc]

While searching for a cartoon or illustration of a parrot in a life preserver to draw an image off of, I came across this website (blog?) where these people are apparently teaching their parrots to swim in a pool. Let me be 100% clear- I am NOT even remotely considering this with Kiwi, but I suppose it makes sense that their wings work like flotation devices. I'm sure the chances of survival in nature would be low but what if they fell in a small pool or river in the jungle? I suppose they'd have to try to get out somehow. Just thought it was an interesting concept I never even thought about before since they seem rather prone to drowning in a domestic home setting. Anyone ever heard of swimming parrots before?:

CHEWYandtheGANG.... PARROT POOL PARTIIES... PARROT SHOWS - TRAINING

***I AM NOT CONDONING OR SUGGESTING ANYONE TRY THIS WITH THEIR BIRDS, SIMPLY SHARING SOMETHING I FOUND INTERESTING, BUT PERSONALLY FEEL WOULD/COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS***

That's weird... they stole a GIF image that I personally made from a website many years ago... I have brown hair, so obviously I had to have a character with brown hair.... chose a butterfly shirt because that was the only shirt I liked out of the options... my pants are often raggedy and with holes in them, so that kind of fit my image... and I don't really do high heals or other fancy shoes so I chose sneakers.... plus, my first conure was a cherry head, so how could I *NOT* choose getting the bird?!?!?!?!

Is it wrong that I don't like the fact that a GIF that *I* created can be found on that site?!?!?!


*SEARCHES GOOGLE FOR IMAGE* Seems they aren't the only ones who took the image to use on their site... that's nice.

 

[MonicaMc]

Random fact....

I discovered a blond colored female character with the conure back in 2008. It wasn't until 2010 that I discovered the origin of where that image came from - MEEZ.com

I then proceeded to make my own MEEZ character to use as an avatar or signature. You could basically create a character and customize the looks, clothes and accessories. The brown haired character with conure is mine. (there were only one or two other options for birds - which I didn't have so didn't get)



I only recall all this because I still have those images on my computer several years later and vaguely recall what I did. I still have the original MEEZ GIf with meez.com stamped on the GIF - which I removed.

It appears as if MEEZ has shut down in 2017?