Wings play a important part in turning

[Featheredsamurai]

When Rosie was getting her first two finger feathers after being over clipped she was a terrible turner. She would fly straight into things and it seemed she had no control at all. Once most of her feathers were she was instantly a good turner and very agile.

I feel some people may be attempting to let their bids fly, but back out when their partially clipped bird flies erratically with little control. Here's a few photos that show why this happens/

This is Rosie in a sharp turn. Her wings are at very odd angles, not something you would expect to see in a flying bird. We are always told that a bird steers with it's tail. While this is true in many situations a bird cannot be agile without also using it's wings to help direct it.
Her tail is flared out to slow her down and is at a angle to help her turn, her wings seem to be pointed towards one another. She is pushing the air to thrust her body into a new direction.

Here is another maneuver a clipped bird is unable to do.

In this photo Rosie is doing a 180 turn on a dime. Unlike the sharp turn above in this photo she is spinning in one spot during a second long hover. Her tail is small to reduce drag as she spins around in place.

A bird who does not have all it's feathers yet will be unable to perform these maneuvers. In our homes they must turn often to avoid objects, walls, and windows. If your trying to allow your bird to fly indoors don't loose confidence because of their incomplete wings.

Rosie with only two finger feathers. She had to constantly flap and had trouble turning. Her turns would be very wide and delayed. In this state she was unable to avoid objects. I would cover any sharp corners with thick blankets just in case

 

[Blancaej]

Cool photos! Thanks for the info!

 

[HalfInsane]

That first photo is really interesting; I wouldn't have ever guessed birds would turn their wings that dramatically to maneuver.

I do know exactly what you're talking about though. When pixel started growing in new flight feathers after having been clipped when I got her, she initially couldn't even fly in a straight line because she had two more feathers on the one wing. With every subsequent set of flight feathers she'd grow in there would be an immediate improvement in her ability to make sharp turns and land where she was aiming to land. Now that she's got all her flights grown in she has become a little acrobat and will zoom around the room for fun!

It only makes sense tampering with a bird's wings would inhibit their ability to maneuver; their entire body is perfectly refined for flight down to the last feather (literally) and to attempt to modify a design that nature has perfected over hundreds of thousands of years is just asking for trouble.

 

[Jtbirds]

Great thread thanks for sharing!

geez when you say rosie had a horrible clip you really meant it.. ive seen some bad ones and that is up there i suppose.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Great thread thanks for sharing!

geez when you say rosie had a horrible clip you really meant it.. ive seen some bad ones and that is up there i suppose.

She had 13 feathers off each wing I've seen worse(galahs in Australia with every feather clipped) but it still was a lot for her. She would crash I to the floor pretty hard.

 

[Blancaej]

Wow! That is a lot of clipping. I wish people would educate themselves before doing things to there animals!

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Wow! That is a lot of clipping. I wish people would educate themselves before doing things to there animals!

In her old home, about a month before I brought her home, she flew out into the backyard and landed on the fence, then flew straight back in to her cage. Terrified my friend so much that she clipped her wings with a little too much enthusiasm. She was very old though, and I don't hold it against her. Unfortunately she recently passed away

 

[Jtbirds]

Great thread thanks for sharing!

geez when you say rosie had a horrible clip you really meant it.. ive seen some bad ones and that is up there i suppose.

She had 13 feathers off each wing I've seen worse(galahs in Australia with every feather clipped) but it still was a lot for her. She would crash I to the floor pretty hard.

I've seen full wing clips and worse even that they clipped even secondaries and coverts... I just don't get what people think and why they can't educate themselves on something so simple.

 

[MonicaMc]

What I find sad is the fact that people keep parrots clipped because the bird "flies into things" - not realizing that flight itself is instinctual, but knowing how to fly is a learned thing... so they never give their birds enough *time* to learn how to fly. And then, the birds, being clipped, have a lack of control and 'fly into things' - not realizing that it's the clip that is preventing the birds from avoiding so many things...


I've recently been introduced to the videos of a user on Youtube, and I love their flight videos!!!
flychomperfly's channel - YouTube


This is also a good video!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzyZGdMp9kM]Parrot Training - Indoor Free Flying - DUCK!! Crazy Idea or Good Flight Training? - YouTube[/ame]



Love your photos of Rosie!!! Always amazing!

 

[SandyBee]

Thanks Copper,

It makes sense when you think about it.
Bosley is showing me all of his flying skills lately, he only has a few more cut feathers to molt out.

 

[SolarCat]

Thank you for the lovely pictures! Those are some great in flight shots that really show how birds use their feathers.

About how long does it take for a clipped bird to molt and regrow all her clipped feathers?
Or does that vary depending upon the bird?

I would like for Sunshine to be a flighted bird, once she has learned the basics to a point where I feel comfortable regarding her trust in me and my ability to keep her safe. She currently has her wings clipped - from what I can gather it's a "proper" wing clip of just the primaries. It doesn't see to slow her down at the moment, aside from a brief pause for her to think through her flight plan before she takes off.

EDIT: And by "doesn't slow her down" I mean she's good at gliding and steering as long as she takes off from a height higher than where she wants to land. I suppose I should have specified that! She's my Sunshine, though, and I suppose in my mind she's the best flier of them all, even though she can't actually "fly". *Grins*

 

[SolarCat]

I didn't realize how important wings were to steering, but it makes sense. After all, an airplane rudder is good for fine-tuning a turn but it's the elevators on the wings that are used for the tight turns.

Sorry for the double post, my phone is not being agreeable today.

 

[MonicaMc]

It doesn't see to slow her down at the moment, aside from a brief pause for her to think through her flight plan before she takes off.

Flighted Parrots - Thinking on the Wing by Steve Hartman    The Parrot University

One major difference between birds that have always been flighted and those who haven't had the proper chance to learn - flighted birds can think "on the wing" but birds who are learning must think before they take off.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Thank you for the lovely pictures! Those are some great in flight shots that really show how birds use their feathers.

About how long does it take for a clipped bird to molt and regrow all her clipped feathers?
Or does that vary depending upon the bird?

I would like for Sunshine to be a flighted bird, once she has learned the basics to a point where I feel comfortable regarding her trust in me and my ability to keep her safe. She currently has her wings clipped - from what I can gather it's a "proper" wing clip of just the primaries. It doesn't see to slow her down at the moment, aside from a brief pause for her to think through her flight plan before she takes off.

Thankyou! I always have fun photographing her in flight, it happens so fast I never know how the photos are going to look.

The amount of time it takes for flight feathers to be replaced depends on the bird, generally the larger the bird the longer it takes for the feathers to be replaced. Some birds can take over a year to have all their flight feathers replaced. In comparison my friends cockatiel replaces all it's flight feathers at least twice a year.

Who clipped sunshine? I've seen a lot of parrots with clipped feathers that are too long. Also depending on the bird muscle and skill you may need to take off more feathers.

This is a photo of a ringneck dove's wing(from google). If this was a parrot I would have clipped the feathers along the covert after checking for blood feathers, this person left a lot of feather which can still give a bird lift. Sad that someone clipped a dove.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

What I find sad is the fact that people keep parrots clipped because the bird "flies into things" - not realizing that flight itself is instinctual, but knowing how to fly is a learned thing... so they never give their birds enough *time* to learn how to fly. And then, the birds, being clipped, have a lack of control and 'fly into things' - not realizing that it's the clip that is preventing the birds from avoiding so many things...


I've recently been introduced to the videos of a user on Youtube, and I love their flight videos!!!
flychomperfly's channel - YouTube


This is also a good video!

Parrot Training - Indoor Free Flying - DUCK!! Crazy Idea or Good Flight Training? - YouTube



Love your photos of Rosie!!! Always amazing!

I also find that sad, I can understand why someone who doesn't know better might think that way though. It took a long time for Rosie to be how she is now, I took it slow though. She still rarely flies on her own, she only flies if she really needs to or is startled rather than to get from point A-B.

wow, that's a great video! I'll have to check out their page to see what else they have. Thanks for the link

 

[MonicaMc]

I thought you would have known of them!!! Love their videos! They have some great videos on training parrots to fly from various angles! Not to mention, locations!

 

[SolarCat]

Thankyou! I always have fun photographing her in flight, it happens so fast I never know how the photos are going to look.

The amount of time it takes for flight feathers to be replaced depends on the bird, generally the larger the bird the longer it takes for the feathers to be replaced. Some birds can take over a year to have all their flight feathers replaced. In comparison my friends cockatiel replaces all it's flight feathers at least twice a year.

Who clipped sunshine? I've seen a lot of parrots with clipped feathers that are too long. Also depending on the bird muscle and skill you may need to take off more feathers.

This is a photo of a ringneck dove's wing(from google). If this was a parrot I would have clipped the feathers along the covert after checking for blood feathers, this person left a lot of feather which can still give a bird lift. Sad that someone clipped a dove.

Thanks!
I'm not really sure who clipped Sunshine's wings, although I'm guessing the breeder or else PetCo's vet. (Their birds go to an exotic specialist, he also works for the local zoo which is a rather good zoo!) Either way, I'm sure they did a correct job with it, since her wing feathers do look shorter than the picture, but not short enough to look ridiculous! She can't really fly long distances, though. She can only fly about three times the length of the height she started from before landing on the ground, and she can't take off from the ground. So I guess she can't "fly" in the literal sense, but she's got enough of the mechanics down that her gliding to a landing can fool you until she tries to take off again.

I absolutely do want her to be a flighted bird, though. Currently planning on letting her feathers grow out after I find a house to buy and everyone is safely moved in. So from your answer, and judging by my lack of success finding a house I absolutely love, there's a good chance I'll have to get her wings clipped once in the interim depending on whether or not my luck changes.
I want her to be a flighted bird, but more importantly I want her to be safe, and I'd feel better if she's a flighted bird with her own little flying sanctuary, preferably in a sunroom-type room in the house I haven't found yet all set up and Sunshine-proofed.

Thank you!