Last Updated on December 8, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Richard C. 

I have noticed that parakeets and cockatiels who have had their wings clipped at a very young age flew wildly and into windows when their flight feathers grow back in.

Those who have not had their wings clipped navigated much more carefully and did not have the same problems. 

I have seen this many times.  Pet shops that get their baby birds clipped or clipped them upon arrival have this problem.  People who get birds should realize that birds fly.

Hi Richard,

We’ve brought an older Quaker and Senegal into our home (at different times). We learned that neither ever fledged and both had been clipped as juveniles.

From my experience and observation over the years of having and watching flighted birds, the problem is that the chest and shoulder muscles fail to develop properly. This leads to “sloppy” flight and the inability to adjust direction as quickly as the bird hoped and as nature intended

That said birds who grow their wings back for the first time need to be trained on LANDING.

Watch a Senegal fly to me for the first time ~ Video

Birds are hard-wired to fly.

Once their feet leave a surface unless they know where to go, they just “fly.”

Birds that fly into walls usually light-colored walls confuse the color with the “sky.”

The don’t understand windows/glass and mirrors are “just another part of the room”

A Better Bird Ep 13 How Bird Proof Is Your Home ~ Video

It’s important to spend time teaching the bird “where and how to land.

Best

MitchR