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Flying just because

How much does your bird fly?

  • (Always fully flighted) Often flies for no obvious reason

    Votes: 9 31.0%
  • (Always fully flighted) Sometimes flies for no obvious reason

    Votes: 6 20.7%
  • (Always fully flighted) Never flies for no obvious reason

    Votes: 3 10.3%
  • (Previously clipped) Often flies for no obvious reason

    Votes: 6 20.7%
  • (Previously clipped) Sometimes flies for no obvious reason

    Votes: 7 24.1%
  • (Previously clipped) Never flies for no obvious reason

    Votes: 7 24.1%

  • Total voters
    29

InTheAir

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Claire
Some comments on another thread got me thinking about this...

My birds are just over 1 and 2 years old who have always been fully flighted, they really seem to revel in their flightedness. Teaching Sapphire to fly to my hand was as easy to her as stepping up, possibly easier as she already had stepped up a couple times and offered flying to my hand before I even tried to teach her to.
When they are just doing their parrotty thing around the house, they fly a lot. Nila also dislikes difficult climbs and will regularly fly a bigger distance to avoid climbing a short one.
They also fly just because... in the morning they do a few laps of the house. If they are caged for most of the day, they zoom around like fighter jets when released, sometimes at the same time sometimes the second bird will zoom when the first is done. They chase each other like they are playing tag on a daily basis, they zoom around and brush us, circle us etc. They are always up for flight game with us. They also have a good zoom around in the late afternoon.


These are just examples of what I count as recreational flight, they fly from A to B all the time of course.

What is your bird's recreational flight motivation like, and have they ever been clipped? Did the zooming around slow down much with age?
 

Begone

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Eloy loves to fly and that is his way to exercise. He is a very good flyer too. :)
 

VictoriaVague

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Magpie arrived fully flighted and loves zooming about. Titus came to me clipped as a baby, but has been flighted since his first moult. He doesn't fly unless startled or following me.
 

Skyler

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I tried at first not to clip my birds. My sun Rika after an initial clip was not a great flyer and when mad or startled hit walls ( Once she hit a wall and lost all the feathers on one side of her neck) . My tiel Maxie I have never clipped chiefly because she has so much underwing damage from giardia(and is in perpetual quarantine ).
My late adored budgie Skyler came from a chain store and had been clipped. When his wings grew out he flew like a jet pilot. Fast, furious , turned on a dime and could land right on his favorite perch (in a big cage) in one smooth move. But for all his prowess Skyler didn't care to come out of his home that much. What challenged him to go out and fly was when he thought it was time to intimidate and harass the other birds (Dusty, other tiel and Rika , sun). And scare them he did.

Currently, 3 of my birds are clipped. Unfortunately my quaker is too cage aggressive , and when out my sun (who hates him) flies to his cage, and would eventually lose a foot. Plus my one tiel isn't the brightest bird in the nest and when flighted can't seem to find his way back home . So he also has a light clip.

I wish I could have them all flying safely.
 

Verivus

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My GCC was fledged, but clipped pretty severely lthe day before I bought him. Poor guy would try to fly and then hit the floor like a rock. I let his flights grow in, and now he is an excellent flyer. He's never ran into anything or injured himself. I wish I could make a large aviary outside so he could truly get some flying freedom, but it won't be in the cards for a long time.

My Eclectus has been fully flighted for years (probably), but she spent at least 5 years stuck in a small cage until I took her in ~3 weeks ago, so I think her flight muscles are pretty weak. To her credit, she does try to fly, though it's more like a glide, lol. She has recently managed to make it from her cage to the couch seat though, which is all of 4 feet. :roflmao: Definitely an improvement from when she first came home; she'd try flying to the couch from the tippy top of her cage and end up on the ground right in front instead. She has now taken to maneuvering her glide into the kitchen or my bedroom, so she's getting there!
 

Abigail

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Digby has chewed his wings and cannot fly. :(
 

SnapV

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T-Rex's wings have never been clipped and at 6 months old, he's getting better and better at controlling his flight and seems to be flying more and more "just for fun" :) Landing, however, is still often a challenge but he's also getting better as days pass. We have no intention of ever clipping him it's just so awesome seeing him dart into the room where we are if he's not with us already, plus, that bird eats like crazy! He needs the exercise if he's not to become a big feathered potato! :p
 

Princessbella

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Bella came to me with a severe clip that took 6 months to grow out. When she was flighted, she was banging into walls and mirrors so I have her clipped again. I am planning on keeping her clipped at least until November. I throw a Halloween party and even though she will be in her cage away from everyone, I feel better if she were clipped.
 

lupe

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Elvis was previously clipped. I always new in my heart he wanted to fly. I let his wings grow out though it took nearly two years! He LOVES to fly!!...the minute I take him out of his cage in the evenings, the first thing he does is flap, flap, flap..and then he does a few laps around the living room, to kitchen, to couch...etc....
  • :)
 

InTheAir

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@SnapV both my birdies had their challenges learning to land well too. Sapphire could not land on flat, slippery surfaces well for a long time, she'd come in a bit fast and skid along before using her beak as a brake lol

@Abigail I'm sorry to hear that.

@lupe gosh that's a long time to wait! My boyfriend and I feel so lucky Nila was sold to us with a recommendation not to clip him until he muscled up more. After a few days of watching him flying we decided we could never clip.
 

Sadieladie1994

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Greater Vasa was clipped when I got her. She flies as you describe. Even clipped she was not one much for walk about. She is an excellent flyer, turning sharp corners easily and hovers over an area.
 

Aequa

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Yoshi was always flighted and flies anytime! Smokie was clipped for a year and never fledged, we actually had to 'teach' him to fly - he rarely, if ever, flies for no reason. Lolly and Pepper are both currently clipped, not by my choice, and neither ever fly for no reason. At the moment, I'd only ever possibly re-clip Smokie and Pepper. Smokie because sometimes he forgets he has so much power in his wings and really hurts himself, Pepper because she is a bit spooky and good at crashing!
 

Monica

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Casey has been clipped in the past, and she does enjoy occasionally flying just to fly! As if she has a lot of pent up energy to get rid of! She hasn't done this lately though.

I think the bourke parakeet used to fly as well, but she's become pretty sedentary with age. Typically, the only place she wants to fly to now is to the cockatiels cage to live with them (considering them to be her flock without liking any of them!), so she doesn't fly just to fly anymore. As far as I'm aware, she's never been clipped.

I don't know if Pistachio was ever clipped (probably was in the past?), but I've never seen him fly to just fly. He usually has some intent of where he wants to go and then flies there.

I don't know if Tomi Girl was ever clipped or not (I assume she may have been in the past?) but I did get a video of her flying just to fly! When I got her she was very weak and underweight, so I think this flight was a flight of happiness and strength. Happy to be alive and well again. She hasn't really done this much since!



Charlie has been clipped in the past. He only ever flies from point A to point B, never flying just to fly or to get rid of pent up energy.

I don't know if Faye was clipped in the past or not, but she really hasn't done flying just to fly.

Jayde is like Charlie! Previously clipped and only flies from one spot to the next!



Sylphie, being a wild caught, it appears as if her wings were clipped and the only place she likes flying is straight into the window...... :sad1:




Personally, I find it amazing to watch birds fly for the sheer joy of flying! And wish my birds were more interested in doing that!
 
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