I have a three-year-old double yellow-headed Amazon, Romey. I adopted him as a baby. Romey is fully flighted and enjoys zooming around the house, but has never been outside unless he was in his travel cage. My husband has an African grey, Iggy. Recently we had a horrible experience - Iggy escaped and we were devastated. We did rescue her, the very next day with the help of a tree service's "cherry picker" bucket. I can't bear to go through that again! However, I feel so guilty about getting both parrots' wings clipped. Is there a chance that Romey will not forgive me? He has always been able to fly where he wants in the house, with supervision. (Iggy's flight outside was her first, she never flew in the house except straight to the floor very clumsily, so I don't think she will care that much to have hers clipped.)

Romey is stick trained and I have also trained him to fly to me and land on a stick or on my hand or arm. I think he would be devastated if he could not fly. Is there a way to train him to always come back to me even if he were to accidentally get outside?

-- Paula Sargent, Little Rock, Ark.

I AM SORRY to hear about your harrowing experience with Iggy. It's great that all turned out well and you got Iggy back the day after she flew away. Most people are not that lucky.

You seem to be asking if there's a way you can pre-train your bird to "come when called" should he escape outdoors. Teaching a parrot to obey commands while flying free outside is one of the most difficult challenges anyone could pursue. Free flight is almost an art form, and as with any art, some people are better at it than others.

The first thing I would recommend is to acquire a good working knowledge of operant conditioning training techniques. A great resource for this information is a book called Don't Shoot The Dog by Karen Pryor. I would also suggest you practice teaching other behaviors to your bird and even other species of animals, such as dogs and cats. If you can teach a cat to pick up a slipper and go put it on the bedroom dresser while you sit on the couch, you have begun to acquire the skills necessary to train a parrot to fly free outside.

Another thing to consider is the student. As you hinted at, Iggy would not be the best candidate for flight training. Her flight outdoors was her first big flight, even though she is not clipped, so it sounds to me like Iggy was clipped for most of her life and never developed the confidence to fly. She has the equipment, but she lacks the experience. Like most other birds, parrots learn how to fly well in the first few months of life. Like a child learning to ride a bicycle, a young parrot will make many mistakes as it develops the skill and coordination required to become a master of the sky. A parrot whose wings are clipped before it learns to fly will miss out on this important period of its life and may never develop good flight skills. When she escaped outdoors, Iggy flew the best she knew how - but may have felt like an adult who has never ridden a bicycle being launched downhill with no brakes.

Your bird Romey seems to have a good command of his flight skills. But that does not necessarily mean he will not fly away if he gets outside. Even the most competent flyer can get lost if frightened. The instinct to survive is strong, and if a parrot senses something it cannot immediately understand, it may leave the area. Of course, in the wild this saves many parrots from attacks by predators. However, when our pets escape outdoors, fear-inspired flight usually only makes matters worse. A full-flight parrot may fly quite a ways before it gathers its wits and settles into a tree. By this time, the bird may be several blocks or even miles away. A wild parrot would be familiar with its surroundings and could easily find its way back. But companion parrots may only have to go a few yards to become disoriented in new surroundings. Add to the equation fear that prompts the bird to fly again at the slightest provocation, and you can see that free-flying a parrot outside, even one you have attempted to train, is a very risky business indeed.

You asked if Romey would forgive you for clipping his wings. He probably will not hold it against you, especially if you have a veterinarian clip his wings for you. But should you clip him? I believe bird owners should make this decision themselves. However, I will offer the following thoughts. Many parrots seem to enjoy flying. They maneuver around corners, change direction in mid-air, and make controlled landings. These flight-confident birds may be less likely to get hurt than clipped birds, many of whom are stepped on by their human caregivers each year. Also, clipping a bird does not guarantee it won't fly away. Many clipped parrots can fly short distances, sometimes far enough to reach the street, pond or neighbor's yard. Of course, flying ability is not a panacea. In addition to the obvious risk of losing a flighted bird out an open door or off your shoulder when you forget it's there, even the best flyers have drowned in toilets, crashed into exposed windows or landed on hot stoves.

In sum, be careful about taking clipped birds outside, and parrots with full wings should never go outdoors. The risks are just too great. I hope this helps.

-- Steve Martin, Natural Encounters, Inc.

ParrotChronicles.com

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