upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

I have a 11 year old hyacinth that i purchased last year and I am teaching to fly (if possible). She has had her flight feathers clipped from a very early age and they have finally grown back in recently. She goes through all the motions of flapping but either has no confidence in her flying ability or does not have the musculature to attain flight. I realize when fledgings first learn to fly they weigh considerably less than a full grown bird, Her mate has tried to give her a few pointers and I have run around with her on my arm to induce her to flap her wings and build her muscles but she would rather walk than fly. I wonder if I am fighting a losing cause. I would appreciate if anyone has any solutions. Thanks

lsabutis wrote:I realize when fledgings first learn to fly they weigh considerably less than a full grown bird

Sorry for the late post, was just catching up on the forum and noticed your question.

Actually pre-fledglings are very heavy birds! During the process they loose and get down to a more comfortable "flying weight." Your baby Hy should have been about 6-7 lbs at fledging and has now (as an adult) reduced dramatically! What is she about 4-5 lbs now?

I just taught a 5 yo Greenwing (Phoenix- an adopted adult male I just took in before Christmas) to re-fly again! It was hard but well worth the effort. Monica was right that the first step was to consult with your trusted DVM to see if there is any physical conditions preventing her from flying, like I did with mine. This included a complete exam with x-rays. Then the fun begins!

Large Macaws are actually gliders at first, this means when they start off flying they usually swoop a few feet before the flap of a wing occurs. In the wild they roost in high trees and off cliffs to make this first few feet effortless. But when they begin the action of their wings it's like nothing you have ever seen. With just a few flicks they can cover great spans of air. They are not like any of their smaller cousins for sure

I found the largest space in my house and placed their roosting tree on one end and put him on the highest limb. After much coxing I managed to get him to jump into my back from the limb. And slowly moved further away to give him a few flaps of his wings. He became more confident as each trial went on. The further I got away from him the more effort he had to make because he still wants to swoop a few feet before he begins his wing flap.

Now Phoenix flies everywhere! I can see he has regained his confidence and I believe he is a much happier bird. I've noticed he does happen to poop when he lands, so control over this may be his next step, as the DVM instructed me that usually they eliminate before flight to make themselves weigh less. But it don't matter to me because I am totally happy to clean up a few spots when I can see his delight in returning to the aerial world of a B 1 R D....

Good luck with your Hy, I know deep down in my heart all your work will pay off! Then you can share what I did.

Dutch

Teach a bird to "fly"? I'm sorry guys, but I can't help but chuckle at this one. How DO you teach a bird to fly? Do you first flap your wings aka arms wildly about while running about the room like a mad man? Do you sign them up for flight lessons at the local airport with a certified flight instructor? Seriously guys most birds, inlcuding psittacines, are natural born fliers. After all birds are the ones with the feathers, right? If you really want your bird to "learn" how to fly then stop trimming its flight feathers and allow them to regrow. Your parrot will of course be naturally timid if it has never flown before, but if you show a little patience it will soon realize that it can now move in the third dimension. It will flaps its wings and its wings will naturally start to generate lift. In fact, your bird will stop itself at first from flying until it gets more more confidence. You will see him test his flight ability until one day -bam- it starts to fly. Now, it may start flying uncontrollably around the room or flight cage and maybe even crash. It could also just take baby steps. Still, in a very short while it will have become naturally a talented flyer. Now, the real question is whether you are prepared to take on the additional risk of LOSING your bird if it flies out the window or through an open door? If you have a dedicated aviary then you could reduce your risks. I have had numerous flighted parrots that amazingly learned to fly all on their own without my intervention only to fly away as I described before. Some I was able to retrieve others I did not. Now, I just keep my birds's wings trimmed, and do not worry.

rleroy wrote:Teach a bird to "fly"? I'm sorry guys, but I can't help but chuckle at this one. How DO you teach a bird to fly? Do you first flap your wings aka arms wildly about while running about the room like a mad man? Do you sign them up for flight lessons at the local airport with a certified flight instructor.

Noted examples are from Rodney Dangerfield , Don Rickles , and Henny Youngman, part of the shtick of standup comics, as in resorts in the Borscht Belt of the Catskills in the 1950's/1960's.

"Good evening ladies and germs. I just flew in from Los Angeles. Boy are my arms tired (drummer gives rimshot on snare drum, audience laughs/groans). "Take my wife---Please!" "My doctor said I was in terrible shape. I told him, 'I want a second opinion.' He said, 'All right, you're ugly too!'" "I told my doctor, 'This morning when I got up and saw myself in the mirror, I looked awful! What's wrong with me?' He replied, 'I don't know, but your eyesight is perfect!'" "My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met." "My wife drowned in the pool because she was wearing so much jewelry." "My wife ain't too bright. One day our car got stolen. I said to her, 'Did you get a look at the guy?' She said, 'No, but I got the license number.' "

Now we got that out of the way, this forum is not about Shtick, let's stay on topic here, this is about a MACAW, and yes there is a difference.

1)This is a LARGE bird with a wingspan of four to seven feet across (tip to tip)
2)The topic was about a Macaw who may/may not have flown before, but is an adult and the question was, can you teach it how to fly AGAIN?

This is serious topic and one I come across allot with adopted birds, not necessarily my own or those that I have raised. I always fully fledge and ask the new owners if they would like their birds clipped or not. It all depends on their situation. While you may be a "star" in your own mind Leroy, let's not debate the pro's and Con's of flighted birds or clipped birds, as your own reference shows some very poor choices. In over 50 years raising birds I have not lost one single bird to a fly away, nor had to force training on any of them.

Yes, it is natural to fly in a bird, that is common sense, but what we have at hand is a bird who has for one reason or another chosen not to fly and over the years prefers to walk around. And so for this we should not ridicule the owner or provide shtick or side show, this is a valuable topic of concern to our avian community.

A similar predicament existed with P.O.W.'s who where kept in small boxes for years and when released could not walk or stand up. This is the quandary we are discussing.