Clipping a parrot’s wings involves cutting away the primary feathers on the wings, meaning the parrot can’t fly. Some owners consider it essential, while others deem the practice cruel and unnecessary.
While wing clipping is a legal requirement in states like California and Hawaii, where some parrots are considered invasive species and a threat to the ecosystem, it’s mostly down to personal choice.
Owners clip a parrot’s wings primarily due to the risk of escape and enhanced safety.
If a parrot can’t fly, it won’t be able to escape the home through an open window or injure itself by flying into closed windows, ceiling fans, or open flames. Clipping a parrot’s wings will also make it more dependent on you, enhancing your bond.
Flight is an instinctual behavior for parrots, so some experts oppose wing clipping. A parrot denied the ability to exercise this way and may display problematic behaviors due to frustration.
Clipping a parrot’s wings won’t hurt if done correctly, and the process isn’t permanent, meaning the flight feathers will regrow in due course. You must conduct regular wing clipping to keep a parrot grounded.
Why Do Owners Clip Their Parrot’s Wings?
Preventing escape is usually the reason parrot owners clip wings.
If a parrot’s wings are clipped, it can’t take to the air and fly with freedom. This means a curious bird is less likely to exit a home through an open window.
Clipping the wings can also improve safety in the home. If a bird can’t fly, it’s less likely to injure itself through contact with ceiling fans or other elevated hazards. This act also removes the risk of a parrot flying into a window while exercising.
Perhaps more controversially, some owners are believed to clip a parrot’s wings as it makes the bird less independent and more reliant on human care. This will bolster the bond between a parrot and its owner, making it a more ‘traditional’ pet.
This decision has drawbacks because parrots are prone to imprinting on human owners, even with the ability to fly and become attracted to their owners.
What Are The Pros and Cons of Clipping a Parrot’s Wings?
The primary benefits of clipping a parrot’s wings revolve around safety and security. If a parrot can’t fly, it is less likely to escape the home during exercise.
A parrot that exits the home may panic and, rather than returning to the safety of its cage, fly further away in a state of confusion. If this happens, it becomes unlikely the parrot will be found.
As discussed, a parrot with clipped wings will rely on human care, which may strengthen a bond.
Clipping a parrot’s wings may also be advisable after serious illness or injury. If a parrot needs to rest, temporarily removing the ability to fly may encourage the bird to relax.
Flight feathers will regrow after the next molt once the parrot fully recovers.
Some of the risks inherent in wing-clipping include:
- Flight is instinctual for parrots. Denying this ability may cause frustration and depression in birds, leading to undesirable behaviors.
- A parrot with wings clipped early in life may not learn to fly once the feathers regrow.
- If a parrot can pick up the ability to fly later in life, it’ll be clumsy and face a greater risk of accidents.
- As flying is the main exercise for parrots, they may gain weight if they can’t take to the air.
- Errors in the clipping process can cause permanent damage to a parrot’s wings.
- Parrots prone to stress and anxiety will likely have these fears maximized if the wings are clipped, as an escape route from perceived threats will be removed.
- If a parrot still escapes a home by walking through an open door, it’ll be defenseless in the wild.
Discuss the options with a veterinarian if you’re considering clipping a parrot’s wings.
Is it Cruel to Clip a Parrot’s Wings?
One of the most pressing questions a novice bird owner faces is, “Is clipping a parrot’s wings bad?” Some experts consider wing clipping cruel and unnecessary, while others insist it could save a parrot’s life.
If done correctly, clipping a parrot’s wings won’t be painful. Cutting away a parrot’s feathers is akin to giving the bird a haircut, not declawing a cat or docking a canine tail.
Common Bird Behavior After Wing Clipping
While clipping a parrot’s wings won’t be painful for a bird, the action still has repercussions. If a parrot was previously capable of flight but suddenly and unexpectedly has this ability taken away, it may grow frustrated, anxious, or unhappy.
The parrot may not immediately understand what happened, but it’ll know you were responsible. To this end, you may find the bird declines to interact with you for a while and ceases talking.
Animal Cognition confirms that birds can hold grudges. So, work to regain the parrot’s trust, showing kindness and patience until the relationship is repaired and restored.
You must watch the parrot’s behavior following wing clipping to ensure safety. The parrot may still attempt to fly. While clipped wings offer some elevation, this can lead to accidents.
Ensure that the stress of wing clipping isn’t inspiring compulsive or destructive habits.
Can Parrots Still Fly with Clipped Wings?
The purpose of clipping wings is to prevent a parrot from gaining elevation when it attempts to fly.
However, a parrot with clipped wings can still glide and won’t be confined to the floor. Coordination will likely be muddled and clipped parrots are often initially clumsy.
If a parrot jumps from a height, it should be able to safely negotiate its way to the ground. This is important, as a parrot with clipped wings will likely still enjoy climbing.
You may find that it takes a parrot a while to learn that elevated and prolonged flight is no longer possible, so be vigilant about watching it for a few days after wing clipping.
How Far Can a Bird Fly with Clipped Wings?
A parrot with clipped wings will glide rather than fly, which means that travel will depend on how high it was when the descent began. Clipping wings means a parrot is jumping with an organic parachute.
A parrot with a large wingspan may be able to glide from the top of a flight of stairs to the bottom, but this isn’t guaranteed. An indoor parrot won’t have the benefit of wind at its back to promote gliding.
Do Clipped Wings Grow Back?
Unlike pioning, which involves surgically removing a joint from a parrot’s wing and preventing the growth of new primary feathers, wing clipping isn’t a permanent act. A parrot’s feathers will regrow if you conduct the wing clipping process safely and efficiently.
How long this process takes depends on how many feathers you trimmed from the wings.
If you remove all primary and secondary feathers, the parrot is unlikely to regain the ability to fly until its next molt. This will occur at least once a year, often more often. If a parrot is scheduled to molt shortly after wing clipping, its feathers may regrow within weeks or months.
When a parrot’s wing feathers grow back, it’ll likely attempt flight again. If a parrot never learned this art as a fledgling or has gained weight since its wings were clipped, this may be a clumsy practice with a steep learning curve.
Take steps to reduce the risk of injury. Line the bird’s cage to offer a soft landing if the parrot fails to fly from one tall perch to another, and supervise out-of-cage playtime.
Should I Clip My Parrot’s Wings Myself?
If you have weighed up all possible answers to the question, “Is it good to clip a parrot’s wings?” and decided yes, you may wish to conduct the procedure yourself.
While no legal restrictions are in force to prevent wing clipping, ensure you can perform the task correctly. To clip a parrot’s wings, follow these steps:
- Calm the parrot and ensure it is in a serene mood.
- Wrap the parrot in a towel to restrain it. Ensure the feet are secured to avoid scratching. Also, consider asking somebody else to hold the parrot’s beak to prevent pecking or biting.
- Remove one wing from the towel and locate the primary feathers.
- Using a sharp pair of scissors, start trimming. You can cut up to 10 feathers, but the 5 outermost feathers are usually sufficient to prevent flight.
- Secure this clipped wing and repeat the process on the other wing, ensuring the clipping is identical. Imbalanced wings may still allow the bird to fly, but it’ll be unable to move in a straight line.
Trimming secondary feathers is unnecessary and may cause irritation and itching. Approaching secondary feathers also enhances the risk of cutting pin feathers, which causes profuse bleeding.
Where Can I Get My Parrot’s Wings Clipped?
Unless you have experience clipping birds’ wings or are confident you can conduct the process safely, seek assistance from a suitably qualified and experienced professional.
Experts that may provide a wing clipping service for a fee include:
- Experienced breeders or senior pet store employees who’ve clipped a parrot’s wings before.
- Reputable avian groomers, for whom wing clipping will be part of their repertoire of services.
- Avian veterinarians. This may seem the most obvious choice, but some vets refuse to clip a parrot’s wings unless they consider it a medical necessity.
Seek assistance the first time, taking on responsibility for future wing-clipping when more confident.
If a parrot is prone to curiosity and hazardous behaviors, clipping its wings can be beneficial. However, learn about the potential physical and psychological impact on parrots.
