Bird flying and sometimes misses cage

[Mantis64]

So as I was going to my bird room I heard my bird flying most likely cause I was walking to fast and scared him. Well he fly back and forward from what i heard than i heard a bang/thud most likely him falling onto the ground. This has happened before I opened the door after I knew he finished flying and found him trying to get back to his cage. I got the step up stick and he stepped up and I put him on his cage.

He seems fine eating, drinking and standing on both feet. Seconds after he started to preen himself. Do birds fly and mess up sometimes and not get hurt he is moulting and also clipped so this was probably the reason. I dont want to clip him the birdshop I got him from did this.

What should I be on the lookout for and in case it happens again in the future.

Thanks, I know he will most likely be fine but if it was to happen again I need to be aware of what to be on the lookout for so I dont have to post this again.

 

[Ali]

I should imagine it's just because they are clipped. When the flying feathers grow back, he should be able to fly.

 

[tka]

Your bird has a couple of things going against him: first of all, he's been clipped and may have been so at a young age, so he essentially needs to relearn how to use his wings. Secondly, if he's in the process of moulting out the clipped feathers and growing in his new feathers, he may not have all the flight surfaces he needs for controlled flight. Think about an aeroplane's complex array of flaps used to control lift and speed; a bird can change flight feather angle in the same way to, for example, slow down for a landing while maintaining lift.

An unclipped bird moults flight feathers in a very specific sequence so they are only missing two feathers from each wing at any one time. This helps them maintain flight control. A clipped bird will have a mixture of unclipped and clipped feathers until the moulting process is complete. This means that they may be missing sufficient feathers for controlled flight, particularly if it's early on in the moulting process.

Think of a bird learning (or relearning) how to use their wings as a toddler learning to walk. You wouldn't insist that a toddler is confined to a pushchair or carried all the time just because she trips and falls occasionally. The trips and falls are all part of the learning process, and in no time at all she will be running and jumping about.

There will inevitably be a few crash landings as he learns. Just make sure the room is as safe as it can be (curtains, blinds or streamers on windows and mirrors, no open windows or doors etc) and provide places that are suitable for him to land on so he has somewhere to go.

 

[Zara]

@tka went through everything perfectly. Just to add, I would put some ladders or boings from the floor to the cage door just in case Cosmo falls and can´t manage to fly up. It will reduce stress.

 

[Mantis64]

@tka went through everything perfectly. Just to add, I would put some ladders or boings from the floor to the cage door just in case Cosmo falls and can´t manage to fly up. It will reduce stress.

Yep will do because he tried getting up today but couldn't and needed my help.

 

[Mizzely]

Ripley NEVER lands where he wants to.