Best type of parrot for free flight? (if any) (and why)

[LaManuka]

Good points - tbh I rarely see birds of prey where I am (which I know doesn't mean they're not there) but I have seen willy wag tails go out of their way to attack cats. I've also been chased halfway across a football field by a magpie. Didn't occur to me before because I'd never seen butcherbirds and magpies harass wild parrots but then again said parrots rarely hang out alone either.

That's the thing with birds of prey. They are there, but by their nature they are very good at hiding in wait so a lot of the time we don't see them, but they most definitely see us and any stray parrot that might be on the loose without the protection of their flock. It's just not worth the risk in my personal opinion - you must make your own choice of course but I simply could not live with myself if the worst was to happen.

 

[Xeladore]

That's the thing with birds of prey. They are there, but by their nature they are very good at hiding in wait so a lot of the time we don't see them, but they most definitely see us and any stray parrot that might be on the loose without the protection of their flock. It's just not worth the risk in my personal opinion, I simply could not live with myself if the worst was to happen.

Fair enough - free flight isn't going to be an option for me the more I think about it, at least not without driving out into the middle of nowhere with an expert bird trainer team which is something that I couldn't practically do often enough for it to be a good form of exercise.

What do you think about flight harnesses? How great is the risk of the bird getting tangled up etc. in an open field? Does the presence of it or at least the shorter distance between you and your parrot at all deter birds of prey or is the risk still the same?

 

[LaManuka]

I haven't ever used a harness. To me they just seem to be something I'd use if I had a bird who I regularly took outdoors on my shoulder for example, kept on a very short leash just as a bit of an extra insurance policy to prevent them flying off if they happened to get spooked. It seems to me that a parrot on a very long lead might also attract the unwanted attention of a crow or something more predatory so I would be reluctant to go there myself, but others may be much better placed to be able to advise you on this.

 

[StormyPica]

I wonder if you could use a flight harness to build a bird's mental map of a neighbourhood - although it seems like this wouldn't work well in suburbia with obstacles everywhere - a country town maybe.
Are deaths usually caused by the line getting tangled around an obstacle like a tree or the bird getting entangled in mid air flight somehow? Also can birds harm themselves from reaching the end of the line at high speed?

It wouldn't work at all, your eye level is not the same level that your parrot will be at. Yes, deaths are caused by entanglement, or getting a non-elastic leash (which doesn't absorb shock).

 

[Laurasea]

I feel bad to add this story...ugh
But we had a member that took their parrot out on their shoulder . A hawk dived them, the parrot in fear fluttered off and tge hawk took ....

Its hard to believe thst a hawk would come right st the human.
I had a hawk that would land in the tree above me when I took my tiny puppy out to potty.
So tgrn I Googled ... saw a Lot of videos of a hawk come in and take a small dog just feet from a person.

 

[Laurasea]

but if I had harnessed trainined mine I would take tgem out on my shoulder with caution. But not to fly at the end of a lead.

I keep mine flighted inside.

I wish I could take to tge desert like I've seen in videos to fly, with GPS tracker , spotters, lol all the safety things possible

 

[Xeladore]

I feel bad to add this story...ugh
But we had a member that took their parrot out on their shoulder . A hawk dived them, the parrot in fear fluttered off and tge hawk took ....

Its hard to believe thst a hawk would come right st the human.
I had a hawk that would land in the tree above me when I took my tiny puppy out to potty.
So tgrn I Googled ... saw a Lot of videos of a hawk come in and take a small dog just feet from a person.

God that would be heartbreaking. I have a friend in the US who doesn't let his cat out unless he's walking him on a lead because of the hawks - always thought he was just being paranoid but I guess not

 

[Sera]

Free flying any parrot has risks, and not minor ones either. We had a very experienced member who flew his Macaw several times a week for years. THe parrot was spooked by something unexpected, got disoriented and flew away, never to be seen again. The best place to free fly is an open space like scrub land, open for miles around. Free flying in spaces like a park or field are just asking for a problem. Not many folks live near enough to ideal free flight areas. Some people are lucky enough to have access to an ENCLOSED area , like a riding ring, large gym or warehouse, all places for free flight that are relatively safe; however parrots trained in that are then at risk to fly away if they get loose outdoors.

SHould you want to proceed, I would try to find a local parrot club or society and see if they have members who free fly and ask for lessons and training tips.

GOod luck!

For the bigger birds it’s even better because they can put a gps tracker on them, it’s something that’s not possible for the much smaller ones, plus the ones for macaws and such are more accurate and easier to use unlike the smaller ones for conure size birds. So if anyone does want to free flight a big bird I suggest investing in a tracker first which makes it even safer in the case of unforeseen circumstances