Some Outdoor Dangers for Birds
Many of us wish our birds could spend some or more time outdoors with the sun shining on their feathers and the wind blowing on their faces. In many ways, there's nothing more beautiful. After all, it is part of their birthright as birds. Often our companion birds are in an environment that is not entirely friendly to them as non-native species, and taking them out into that environment may pose more or less of a risk to their safety, depending on the approach we employ (whether they are harnessed, for example, or properly and effectively recall-trained) and local and individual factors (whether we live in a rural or urban area, for instance, or what sorts and numbers of predators are around). I have a great deal of respect for those professionals who do recall training under the proper controlled conditions, but many owners are not aware of how much actually goes into this or what the risks could be. Whether or not we choose to take our companion birds outside with or without a harness, or inside a carrier, with clipped wings or without, is a personal choice, and no amount of browbeating is likely to change our views on the topic. However, as a responsible and experienced bird community, we should make safety and danger information available, and since sometimes the people who take the most risks are the people who are relatively new to parrot ownership and have not had the benefit of the years of watching tragedies occur that others of us have had, I am posting this information, so that they will have all the data to make an informed decision.
Here are a few cautionary examples that come to mind for me, and might be useful for others. Of course, our members are welcome to ignore or take this information to heart, just as they feel it is relevant or not for their situations. My intent is not to target or preach to those who have done differently from myself, but merely to provide some informative examples (among the many that could be provided) FWIW:
Birds Flying Away from Owners:
While I've seen and heard of dozens of examples of this, one of the most heartbreaking examples, for me, was the example of African Grey Tui, who flew away from a well-known, dedicated owner who was attempting to recall train her outdoors, because of some irresponsible so-called "expert" free-flight training information he had been studying and emulating. Tui's owner was a shining example of a loving and wonderful bird owner, who posted delightful, informative videos about his life with his parrot, and many of us shed tears with him when we realized that Tui was gone forever. He bravely keeps this video online for others to see so that they may learn from his mistake:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKlxjZQUueQ
Hawk Attacks:
Hawks are beautiful, effective predators, and as someone who has lived in a midwestern farming community for much of my life, I have an excellent sense of just how effective they can be if they should identify a bird or other pet or livestock animal as a prey item (something that they might not immediately do if it is a non-native species with which they are not familiar). Hawks hunt from above and strike by burying their talons in the vulnerable backs or sides of the prey species. This means that there is usually no time or opportunity for the targeted species to defend themselves with their beaks. Large hawks routinely take larger prey birds in nature, like pheasants or young turkeys. They can even take sizeable mammals like young deer:
*Warning: Graphic Video Content*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p59sPy9dpFE
Prey too large to be carried off is ripped apart on site or carried off in smaller pieces. I have personally witnessed a hawk attacking a full-grown rooster with spurs on an Ohio farm, but they will attack a variety of species of birds, reptiles, and mammals.
Please note that the presence of a human guardian may not dissuade the hawk from attacking the parrot if the hawk does indeed see the parrot as a suitable target. Here is footage from a popular animal network that features a hawk attacking a Moluccan Cockatoo. Luckily, the trainer takes the brunt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikDpYwDKQ_A
This is not a freak example. A couple of years ago, an analysis of the droppings of peregrine falcons in London, UK, found that an African Grey had recently been on the menu (Chris Packham: Born to be wild - Nature - Environment - The Independent).
My goal in providing this information is merely to make our members aware that such things can and do occur, not to promote fearmongering or to cast aspersions on individuals. If the information is not available, how are we to make informed decisions? And, if, after seeing this information, members decide it is not applicable to their situations, that is up to them. This is merely about providing information about which some of our members may not be aware.
Many of us wish our birds could spend some or more time outdoors with the sun shining on their feathers and the wind blowing on their faces. In many ways, there's nothing more beautiful. After all, it is part of their birthright as birds. Often our companion birds are in an environment that is not entirely friendly to them as non-native species, and taking them out into that environment may pose more or less of a risk to their safety, depending on the approach we employ (whether they are harnessed, for example, or properly and effectively recall-trained) and local and individual factors (whether we live in a rural or urban area, for instance, or what sorts and numbers of predators are around). I have a great deal of respect for those professionals who do recall training under the proper controlled conditions, but many owners are not aware of how much actually goes into this or what the risks could be. Whether or not we choose to take our companion birds outside with or without a harness, or inside a carrier, with clipped wings or without, is a personal choice, and no amount of browbeating is likely to change our views on the topic. However, as a responsible and experienced bird community, we should make safety and danger information available, and since sometimes the people who take the most risks are the people who are relatively new to parrot ownership and have not had the benefit of the years of watching tragedies occur that others of us have had, I am posting this information, so that they will have all the data to make an informed decision.
Here are a few cautionary examples that come to mind for me, and might be useful for others. Of course, our members are welcome to ignore or take this information to heart, just as they feel it is relevant or not for their situations. My intent is not to target or preach to those who have done differently from myself, but merely to provide some informative examples (among the many that could be provided) FWIW:
Birds Flying Away from Owners:
While I've seen and heard of dozens of examples of this, one of the most heartbreaking examples, for me, was the example of African Grey Tui, who flew away from a well-known, dedicated owner who was attempting to recall train her outdoors, because of some irresponsible so-called "expert" free-flight training information he had been studying and emulating. Tui's owner was a shining example of a loving and wonderful bird owner, who posted delightful, informative videos about his life with his parrot, and many of us shed tears with him when we realized that Tui was gone forever. He bravely keeps this video online for others to see so that they may learn from his mistake:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKlxjZQUueQ
Hawk Attacks:
Hawks are beautiful, effective predators, and as someone who has lived in a midwestern farming community for much of my life, I have an excellent sense of just how effective they can be if they should identify a bird or other pet or livestock animal as a prey item (something that they might not immediately do if it is a non-native species with which they are not familiar). Hawks hunt from above and strike by burying their talons in the vulnerable backs or sides of the prey species. This means that there is usually no time or opportunity for the targeted species to defend themselves with their beaks. Large hawks routinely take larger prey birds in nature, like pheasants or young turkeys. They can even take sizeable mammals like young deer:
*Warning: Graphic Video Content*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p59sPy9dpFE
Prey too large to be carried off is ripped apart on site or carried off in smaller pieces. I have personally witnessed a hawk attacking a full-grown rooster with spurs on an Ohio farm, but they will attack a variety of species of birds, reptiles, and mammals.
Please note that the presence of a human guardian may not dissuade the hawk from attacking the parrot if the hawk does indeed see the parrot as a suitable target. Here is footage from a popular animal network that features a hawk attacking a Moluccan Cockatoo. Luckily, the trainer takes the brunt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikDpYwDKQ_A
This is not a freak example. A couple of years ago, an analysis of the droppings of peregrine falcons in London, UK, found that an African Grey had recently been on the menu (Chris Packham: Born to be wild - Nature - Environment - The Independent).
My goal in providing this information is merely to make our members aware that such things can and do occur, not to promote fearmongering or to cast aspersions on individuals. If the information is not available, how are we to make informed decisions? And, if, after seeing this information, members decide it is not applicable to their situations, that is up to them. This is merely about providing information about which some of our members may not be aware.