Free Flying an Eclectus?

[JSyle]

Before I ever got my birds, I knew I would like to train them in free flight, so I've been looking around for people that train free flight in my area. I've found someone within a couple hours of me and she says she will be able to train my gcc as she's trained a handful before, however she is unwilling the train my eclectus. She says to fly an eclectus you absolutely need a second eclectus as an anchor or else they will just wonder and not come back. Is this an actual thing or does it just sound like a bird who is not properly trained that won't come back?

And by her "training" them, I just mean her basically mentoring me to train them myself.

 

[tka]

The fact that she's willing to train a GCC rings alarm bells for me. Free flying the little ones tends to be discouraged because they can be killed by a hawk or falcon so easily. Has she talked to you about this?

 

[Ali]

The fact that she's willing to train a GCC rings alarm bells for me. Free flying the little ones tends to be discouraged because they can be killed by a hawk or falcon so easily. Has she talked to you about this?

That would be a big concern for me too. Are you located in a busy area with lots of predatory birds? I would re-think free flying a conure, and also even your eclectus if you are in a dangerous area.

 

[Miss Annamarie]

The fact that she's willing to train a GCC rings alarm bells for me. Free flying the little ones tends to be discouraged because they can be killed by a hawk or falcon so easily. Has she talked to you about this?

Agreed with this, never seen any reputable trainer ENCOURAGE freeflying a little

 

[JSyle]

She did talk about predatory birds with me, she said they are usually only a problem in fall and early spring when it's harder them to find food and of course said she didn't fly during those times. She also recommended long term flying small birds with other birds which is why I brought up my eclectus.

 

[Ali]

She also recommended long term flying small birds with other birds which is why I brought up my eclectus.

I can see the sense in that, but a decent bird of prey could take a macaw out the sky with ease. I don't want you to feel we are being mean, as we are not. We just want to make sure whatever you choose, you don't risk the life of any of your birds.

 

[JSyle]

I can see the sense in that, but a decent bird of prey could take a macaw out the sky with ease. I don't want you to feel we are being mean, as we are not. We just want to make sure whatever you choose, you don't risk the life of any of your birds.

Oh no, I completely get that, I understand the concern and I would never want to risk my birds as they are my little babies. But my main question at hand, am I unable to fly a single eclectus?

 

[Ali]

Oh no, I completely get that, I understand the concern and I would never want to risk my birds as they are my little babies. But my main question at hand, am I unable to fly a single eclectus?

I really couldn't tell you that, I'm sorry. I know absolutely nothing about free flight. Hopefully someone does

 

[Hankmacaw]

I've only found a couple of things about free flying Eclectus in the internet. Followign are a couple of excerpts.

' Is your bird an eclectus male who will be driven beyond any interest in you, a human, to find a bird mate when it nears/reaches sexual maturity?"

Free Flight Variables - Parrot Volancy

A few considerations before pursuing free flight… Some people, when interested in free flight, ask questions like “Do I really need a mentor?” or “What else do I have to do besides recall training?” I have written out as many free-flight-related variables and considerations I could think of, but...

parrotvolancy.com

I have seen an eclectus female disappear in the middle of a wide open prairie, only to be found by chance in a prairie dog burrow.

So you want to train your pet parrot for freeflight…. | Learning Parrots

Chris Biro states that he has never flown an eclectus, but he knows of a couple of people who have done so successfully. Eclectus do not seem to be one of the favored birds to free fly.

 

[tka]

I wouldn't even fly my ~250g Pionus. A city pigeon is about 300g and they get taken out by pretty much any bird of prey. A little female sparrowhawk managed to take down a pigeon bigger than her on my friend's patio. A GCC, weighing about 60-80g, is basically a snack. Predatory birds are a problem year round, especially for a small, brightly coloured bird that isn't flying in an actual flock.

Flying different species of birds is also a problem. They probably won't recognise each other as their flock which they want to stay with.

 

[Sparkles99]

I'm not sure, but if you're unsure about this, maybe trying it somewhere huge but enclosed at first is a good idea, like a horse arena.

Does anyone do this with smaller birds?

 

[Zara]

I'm not sure, but if you're unsure about this, maybe trying it somewhere huge but enclosed at first is a good idea, like a horse arena.

Does anyone do this with smaller birds?

I read once of a group of larger bird owners getting together and renting sports halls for exercize

 

[JSyle]

I'm not sure, but if you're unsure about this, maybe trying it somewhere huge but enclosed at first is a good idea, like a horse arena.

Does anyone do this with smaller birds?

Well the mentor I was speaking too specializes in smaller birds, she has trained gcc, suns, cockatiels ect.
Also my eclectus is a female if that makes a difference which is seems to do.
I think an enclosed area outside would be a good idea before I tried anything else (of course when they are ready to go outside).

 

[Shezbug]

Can I ask what country you’re in?

 

[Hankmacaw]

Yes, there are quite a few people who free fly the smaller birds.

 

[Shezbug]

There is a group here that fly a mix of birds. The smaller ones don’t tend to fly as far out as the large birds but they also never seem to fly the smaller birds without the large ones.

 

[JSyle]

Can I ask what country you’re in?

United States, I live in New Jersey

 

[Christy Cat]

If you search free flying eclectus on you tube you'll find a lot of videos of people flying theirs without the issues your trainer mentioned. The biggest problem I've heard with flying eclectus has to do with the males being green, which makes them harder to track at a distance. There are also many people that free fly smaller birds as well however you have to consider the danger, some feel it's worth it for their parrots to get a chance to fly as they are meant to. If you do decide to free fly I highly suggest finding a local club to join. The larger the flock the safer your parrots will be, plus the added number of eyes on the ground looking for trouble helps as well. You can and should invest in a tracker as accidents happen, your bird takes a scare or gets hit with a strong wind and gets lost. A tracking device could save their lives. A couple companies make them now here's one.

Turbo GPS System for Parrots – Marshall Radio Worldwide

marshallradio.com

But most importantly don't even consider it untill your parrots are extremely well trained without issues and in perfect health. When in doubt some free flyer clubs have access to large local buildings or aviarys where parrots can fly in safety.

 

[Ali]

There are also many people that free fly smaller birds as well however you have to consider the danger, some feel it's worth it for their parrots to get a chance to fly as they are meant to

That seems quite contradictory! If you think they should be able to fly like they would in the wild them why did they get a pet bird!?

 

[Zara]

@Ali I think it would mean, people trying to offer flight as enrichment to try to mimic wild life, as captive birds cannot be released.