None of our seven parrots have their wings clipped, and of the seven, only one (Roxanne the Greenwing macaw) is flightless. Please see her blog entry below for a discussion of the reasons why. Our parrots generally live outside their cages (or houses as we call them) during the day when we are home. Fortunately, our lifestyle allows for someone to be home most of the time during the day. Of course, if we're both out, the birds are generally, with some exceptions, moved into their houses for the duration.
When out, the birds are allowed to fly or scamper around as they wish. Some of the birds, such as the 'too and 'tiel are more inclined to fly than the others. The macaws, with the exception of Tara the Hyacinth macaw, generally prefer to walk or run to where they want to go. Before having birds, I could never have imagined how fast macaws can run when they are motivated! And then there's Tara. She's just as liable to fly as walk to her destination, and watch out if she decides to do a 180! It's like having a miniature B52 in your house!
Of course having flighted birds presents special challenges in keeping your birds, yourselves, and your house safe. Finding reliable information is difficult. Fortunately, a website has been established by the current president of the Northwest Exotic Bird Society, Mona Delgado, an experienced parrot person and long time flyer of parrots herself. The website includes links to other resources providing information about flying birds both indoors and outdoors.
No comments:
Post a Comment