Many people who have never own a parrot or have very little knowledge on parrots will misunderstand the concept of Wing Clipping. Some even mistook as deliberately clipping the wings with cloth pegs or any foreign object so that the parrot will not be able to fly!

This might sound funny, how could someone come out with such crazy senseless explanation? But it’s true, that crazy senseless explanation actually came from a friend of mine. He had great misunderstanding about the concept of wing clipping and rating it as an immoral act.

Misunderstandings happen because of ignorants or little knowledge in parrots. So overall, we can’t blame people for labelling wing clipping as an unmoral ethic.

Thus, starting this blog to share my parrot training experience, parrot tricks and stories of Kiki and Kermit are not only my sole objectives, but also as an informative channel to educate and share knowledge on parrots, correcting any misconceptions in the aviculture.

Back to our topic, so what’s actually wing clip?

The term “Wing Clipping” in aviculture doesn’t refer to clip the wings of the parrots with cloth pegs or whatever foreign objects. To be correct “Wing Clipping” is actually trimming the primary feathers also known as flight feathers trimming.

This led to another question, so what are flight feathers? What are the purpose of flight feathers?

I found a better answer to these questions on Wikipedia. Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (singular remex) while those on the tail are called rectrices (singular rectrix). The purpose of flight feathers provide aids to lift and thrust during flight.

So to conclude trimming flight feathers is just a painless procedure and it shouldn’t cause any injuries or harm to the parrot at all. Trimming of flight feathers is of no different from any other grooming routines. It’s just like people visiting the barber to get a hair trim. Flight feathers do grow back over time just like human hairs. Flight feathers return back to its original length after each molt.

Back to the general question which most parrot owners always pondered about: To wing clipped or not to wing clipped?

Personally I feel that it’s a personal preference, up to each individual to decide after considering and weighing on the possible pros and cons of wing clipping.

Below are some of the pros and cons of wing clipping that I’ve identified:

Pros of Wing Clipping

• Easier manage and tame during trainings (That’s why Parrot Tricks Books or Video CDs always tell owners to wing clip their parrots).
• Ensure safety and prevent any accidents or injuries caused by household hazards. (e.g. Crashing into mirrors or windows / Fall into toilet bowl, pools or boiling water)
• Prevent escape.

Cons of Wing Clipping

• Overly dependable on owners (Less independent compared to a fully flight parrot).
• May result on “One Person Bird” behavior also known as Overly bond issues.
• May result in screaming behavior.
• Trigger biting behavior and other aggression (A full flighted parrot usually fly away if he encounters any dangers but parrots with restricted flight abilities will use biting as a replacement action of flying away).

I hope with the list of pros and cons will assist parrot owners in coming out with a wise decision on whether to wing clip or not to wing clip.

For me, I trimmed Kermit’s and Kiki’s flight feathers. The purpose is not to take away their flying abilities completely but restricting their capabilities to an acceptable distance and elevation. Kermit and Kiki are housed indoor and I lived in a high rise apartment. By doing so, I can prevent my parrots from fatal accidents caused by household hazards and ensuring the safety of my birds.

So you’ve decided to wing clip but how to wing clip your parrot?

Wing Clipping is conducted by trimming the first five to eight flight feathers on each wing. I wouldn’t recommend wing clipping your own parrot if you didn’t have any prior knowledge on how to identify the flight feathers and trimming them. The results of improper wing clip are fatal (e.g. Parrots won’t be able to glide and land safely / Injuries of the leg joints or impact on the keel bones due to crash landings).

Thus it’s always advisable to get someone experienced or knowledgeable like your own avian vet to show you.