Wing clipping
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Wing clipping is the process of trimming a bird's primary flight feathers ("primaries") so that it is no longer fully-flighted.
Technique
Wing clipping is usually performed by avian veterinarians, pet store employees, breeders, or the birds' owners themselves, and clipping is also endorsed by many avian veterinarians [citation needed]. The term "wing clipping" is a slight misnomer as only feathers are cut and not the wings themselves.
Techniques for clipping the wings vary primarily in the number of feathers cut and the amount of each feather left behind. In all cases, it is the primary flight feathers that are cut, and an equal number of feathers are trimmed on each wing to avoid causing the bird to become unbalanced in flight. The most common clip involves trimming the primary flight feathers below the level of the primary coverts (usually removing about 1/2 to 1/3 of the length of the flight feather. This clip is quick and simple to do, but leaves exposed cut ends that occasionally may cause a bird to chew on the cut feathers. Another method of clipping involves cutting the flight feather above the level of the coverts, so almost the entire feather is removed. This clip does not leave any exposed cut ends, but as more of each feather is removed, fewer feathers should be cut.
To keep a bird from being fully-flighted, clipping is properly performed after every moult, but only on feathers which have finished growing. The blood feathers which are still growing and still have an active blood supply are usually avoided. Blood feathers will have a white or purplish sheath visible around the base of the feather. Care should be taken that the groomer is experienced in wing clipping and understands that different species may require differing numbers of feathers clipped. Parrots have 10 primary flight feathers on each wing, and it is rarely necessary to trim them all to prevent extended flight.
Proper wing clipping allows a bird to glide down and to safely flutter to the ground if dropped from a short height. Experienced wing clippers usually only take one or two feathers from each side at a time and see how well the bird can fly before taking more feathers. If a wing is clipped too, much a parrot may be able to injure itself in a fall.
By restricting flight, wing clipping helps prevent indoor birds from risking injury by crashing into mirrors, walls, or windows. Social pet birds (such as parrots) are also clipped both to restrict independence and to make them tamer and easier to manage in order to encourage them to socialize with their owners. Some parrots that show aggression to certain people or other birds may be clipped to prevent attack.
Clipped birds should not be taken outdoors unrestrained, as even clipped birds have been known to fly away when spooked outdoors.
It is generally considered very beneficial for a young bird to be allowed to fledge (learn to fly) properly prior to any wing clipping. Breeders and owners usually find that a fledged bird, even after being clipped, will remain more confident and active than an unfledged bird. Learning to fly also helps a bird learn how to land safely, an important skill even in clipped birds.
Some people feel wing clipping is a cruel or unhealthy practice as it denies a bird of its most natural way of getting around and obtaining exercise. Although clipped birds can and should be encouraged to do wing flapping exercises, this does not provide the same exercise as flight. Others feel that for birds that can climb well, a proper wing clipping is a necessary safety practice for birds in many situations. Companion parrots do not have to escape from predators or fly to find food. The kakapo parrot, native to islands originally free of mammalian predators, became flightless in response to a predator-free habitat.
Controversy
Opponents to wing clipping make the following arguments against the practice:
- Pet birds that cannot climb well, including doves, finches, most softbills, and some handicapped parrots generally should not be clipped, as clipping reduces their mobility too much.
- Pet birds get less exercise than their wild counterparts, and those with clipped wings get even less. Because evolution has adapted birds to be active, the sedentariness imposed by wing clipping may lead to health problems.
- Clipped birds sometimes appear insecure and less confident in their flightless condition than their unclipped counterparts. The bird's sense of well-being may be negatively affected by its inability to escape from predators.
- While clipped birds are less likely to fly out open doors or windows or into surfaces, they are more prone to some other household dangers, such as being stepped on or being injured by other household pets.
- Most flighted parrots can easily learn to avoid windows and mirrors in the home. However, the for the first few times a parrot flies in a new place, windows should be covered or made more visible.
- Clipped birds may be more likely to break a bloodfeather on the wing, as new and growing bloodfeathers do not have full length feathers next to them to provide support. Broken bloodfeathers can cause significant blood loss.
- With some simple training, most tame flighted birds can be as easy to handle as clipped birds.
- It is easy for an inexperienced groomer to overclip a bird. Birds that have not been clipped properly and have had their wings trimmed too short may not be able to land safely. Over-clipped birds can be injured if they fall from a perch or attempt to fly.
- Wing clipping may create a false sense of security. Clipped birds, if spooked, are still capable of a short, powerful burst of flight.
Advocates note that a properly done clip only trims the feathers and not the wings themselves, and is painless and temporary, lasting only until the next molt. Many owners choose to clip a bird's wings initially while taming it, and then allow it flight with the nest molt. Some owners may also choose to just clip enough to slow their bird down, without preventing flight.
Whether or not one clips their birds' wings is an individual decision. Both choices may have risks; however both clipped and flighted birds are also capable of living long healthy lives as pets if measures are taken to provide safety and adequate exercise.