ScaryBird
Meeting neighbors
- Joined
- 9/13/20
- Messages
- 36
- Real Name
- Josh
I’ve recently been diving deep into the world of birds and their incredible superpower—flight! I got my first bird, a sun conure, last year, and now I suddenly have 6 birds.
Of course I did my research extensively on every species I decided to get, and I work full time to support my flock. I now have a sun conure named Maggie, two cockatiels named Butters and Hedwig, a peach faced lovebird name Benji, canary winged parakeet named Clint, and an alexandrine parakeet named Lancelot. Three were rehomed/adopted/rescued, and three were from breeders.
Anyway, I have been studying different birds’ flight abilities, and just think it’s so interesting.
Most parrots have what are called elliptical wings, which are ideal for fast lift, agile flight, and easy maneuvering through trees because they’re short. Examples of parrots who have this type of wing are conures, budgies, and alexandrine parakeets. Non-parrot examples would be the blue jay, cardinal, and finches.
The cockatiel is very unique in a lot of ways. It, like the swift parrot, has what are called high speed wings. They’re built very aerodynamically for minimum drag while in the air, and require less overall wing movement due to their efficiency while flying. Oh yeah, and they’re fast. They’re present in pigeons, swallows, and falcons, which are some of the fastest birds in the world.
The cockatoos are also unique, as they use passive soaring wings. Their wings are long, wide, and heavily slotted on the primaries. The long, rounded primaries allow them to utilize updrafts, so they can stay airborne with quite a lot of ease. Eagles, hawks, and crows also have this type of wing.
There are also birds that have a hybrid of multiple types of wing. Macaws have a combination of passive soaring and elliptical wings. They have those large primaries, that cause slower overall wingbeats, but attribute an easier time staying in the air once they’re higher. They are not quite as efficient at soaring as the cockatoos are, though.
I think more parrot owners should get into this information, and relish in the fact that they have these superhero-like animals! That was it. That was my rant. Hopefully this post isn’t as scatterbrained as I feel it might be. Enjoy this picture and feel free to compare it to your own bird’s wings!
Of course I did my research extensively on every species I decided to get, and I work full time to support my flock. I now have a sun conure named Maggie, two cockatiels named Butters and Hedwig, a peach faced lovebird name Benji, canary winged parakeet named Clint, and an alexandrine parakeet named Lancelot. Three were rehomed/adopted/rescued, and three were from breeders.Anyway, I have been studying different birds’ flight abilities, and just think it’s so interesting.
Most parrots have what are called elliptical wings, which are ideal for fast lift, agile flight, and easy maneuvering through trees because they’re short. Examples of parrots who have this type of wing are conures, budgies, and alexandrine parakeets. Non-parrot examples would be the blue jay, cardinal, and finches.
The cockatiel is very unique in a lot of ways. It, like the swift parrot, has what are called high speed wings. They’re built very aerodynamically for minimum drag while in the air, and require less overall wing movement due to their efficiency while flying. Oh yeah, and they’re fast. They’re present in pigeons, swallows, and falcons, which are some of the fastest birds in the world.
The cockatoos are also unique, as they use passive soaring wings. Their wings are long, wide, and heavily slotted on the primaries. The long, rounded primaries allow them to utilize updrafts, so they can stay airborne with quite a lot of ease. Eagles, hawks, and crows also have this type of wing.
There are also birds that have a hybrid of multiple types of wing. Macaws have a combination of passive soaring and elliptical wings. They have those large primaries, that cause slower overall wingbeats, but attribute an easier time staying in the air once they’re higher. They are not quite as efficient at soaring as the cockatoos are, though.
I think more parrot owners should get into this information, and relish in the fact that they have these superhero-like animals! That was it. That was my rant. Hopefully this post isn’t as scatterbrained as I feel it might be. Enjoy this picture and feel free to compare it to your own bird’s wings!
