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 most 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. 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. Care should be taken that the groomer is experienced in wing clipping and understands that different species may require differing numbers of feathers clipped.
Proper wing clipping allows a bird to glide without gaining or losing altitude 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.
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 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 startled outdoors.
Controversy
Opponents to wing clipping make the following arguments against the practice:
- 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 can 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pet birds than cannot climb well, including doves, finches, most softbills, and some handicapped parrots generally should not be clipped as clipping reduces their mobilty too much.
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. Some 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.