The Controversial Practice Of Clipping A Cockatiels Wings
Wing clipping is quite a controversial topic in the pet bird world.
The answer to whether or not you should clip your cockatiel’s wings will vary, even among experts and avian vets.
There are more logical arguments that go against wing clipping, but there are some flawed arguments that support clipping which I’ll be discussing in this article.
Note: This article aims to show arguments for both sides of the debate. However, my personal opinion is that birds should never be clipped for any reason, I believe they are built for flight and should remain flighted at all costs and that opinion may be apparent throughout the article.
Quick Navigation:
- Why People Are Clipping Their Cockatiels Wings
- Can Cockatiels Still Fly With Clipped Wings
- Will Clipped Cockatiel Wings Grow Back
- Why You Should Not Clip Your Cockatiels Wings
- Physical Problems With Clipped Cockatiels
- 5 Quick Facts About Wing Clipping
- Short Summary
- Sources
Why People Are Clipping Their Cockatiels Wings
Owners may decide to clip their cockatiels wings for a number of reasons.
One of the most common reasons is that cockatiels are easier to tame without the ability to fly away.
In fact, when I adopted my cockatiel (Arthur), the pet shop owner suggested a wing clip for this exact reason, he said it would be impossible to tame a fully flighted bird.
That’s bulls**t!
Of course they would be easier to tame with clipped wings, but the ends do not justify the means.
Just because it’s easier for you, doesn’t make it right for your bird.
I was already highly informed on cockatiel taming and was already prepared to deal with an untamed and flighted cockatiel before adoption, so there was no way I’d clip his wings.
Anybody looking to adopt a bird should be ready to tame them properly, which means keeping them flighted.
If I wanted a flightless pet, I would have adopted a dog.
Besides making them easier to tame, owners will do a wing clip when they feel their cockatiels are flying into walls or they can’t coordinate their flight properly around the house.
There are better ways to deal with this but people just clip their wings because it’s easier.
A better way to prevent your cockatiel from crashing is to train them to fly more accurately and rearrange the house so they can fly around easier without hitting anything.
If you find that your cockatiel is seriously having coordination issues, you should get them seen by a vet.
Can Cockatiels Still Fly With Clipped Wings
Many people clip their cockatiels wings believing they’ll be able to take them outside with no restraints.
They are often shocked to discover that cockatiels can indeed fly, even with clipped wings.
It’s a shame that some people find this out the hard way when their birds fly away when taken outside with clipped wings.
Only some of their feathers are clipped, most of their feathers remain intact.
Here’s what a clipped cockatiel’s wings look like:
You can see that not all feathers get clipped.
A strong gust of wind will easily lift your cockatiel with their wings like this, they’ve only lost the ability to effectively generate their own lift, but they can still utilize a strong gust of wind to glide for miles.
The wind will lift and carry them for miles and all they need to do is glide.
Never take your bird outside without a cage or a harness unless they are free flight trained, simply having clipped wings will not prevent a cockatiel from flying away.
In fact, it’s more dangerous for them to be flying around outside with clipped wings as they can’t control their flight.
Having clipped wings will only prevent cockatiels from flying accurately, not entirely.
If they do end up flying away, they’ll be at the mercy of predators because they can’t fly away when getting attacked.
Will Clipped Cockatiel Wings Grow Back
Clipping a cockatiel’s wings is only a temporary restriction on their flight ability, all flight feathers grow back during their next molt.
Heavy molts will occur once or twice a year for cockatiels.
Cockatiels will gradually drop and replace feathers during a molt, as the clipped feathers fall out, new flighted feathers will grow back and they’ll be able to fly again.
However, their flight ability won’t be as good because they’ve just spent time without flight feathers.
Cockatiels will lose more flight skills the longer they’ve been clipped.
Why You Shouldn’t Clip Your Cockatiels Wings
There are definitely more reasons to keep your cockatiel flighted than there are to clip them.
One of the main reasons is that cockatiels are built for flight, just like every other type of bird. Taking away a birds’ flight capability is like taking the fins from a fish.
Some people consider it animal cruelty.
In fact, article 2 of the Germany animal welfare act prohibits the act of clipping pet parrots’ wings.
To me, this really says a lot.
Everything about a cockatiels anatomy, bone structure, and body shape were all specifically designed for flight.
Being able to fly will give your cockatiel an improved sense of security and trust as they know they can fly away if danger presents itself.
Giving a cockatiel the opportunity to fly around the house freely will generally improve their lives as pet birds in so many ways.
The argument that wing clipping is good to prevent the cockatiel from crashing into walls is flawed.
Birds who are given the chance to regularly fly around the house will eventually become experts in their environment and they won’t crash into anything.
Just look at these two cockatiels gracefully flying around the house:
They are able to dodge obstacles, turn with great precision, and land with no problems.
By clipping your cockatiel’s wings, you are depriving them of their ability to exercise and have fun flying around the house.
A clipped cockatiel will still try to fly, they just won’t be able to fly very well, which will probably make them crash more often.
So, saying your cockatiel is better off clipped for their safety is a heavily flawed argument.
Flawed arguments should not be used to justify a decision that can cause physical health problems in your cockatiel.
And yes, there are some disastrous health problems that can originate from wing clipping…
Physical Problems With Clipped Cockatiels
Cockatiels who have clipped wings will experience various physical problems, especially if they’ve been continually clipped since birth.
If they get clipped before fledging (before flight feathers grow), they won’t even know how to fly.
There is also something very horrible that happens to clipped birds that often gets ignored by the pet bird community…
Muscle atrophy.
Muscle atrophy in birds is when the wing muscles diminish due to lack of use, severe cases of muscle atrophy will lead to muscle and bone diseases, preventing them from flying ever again.
Those who support wing clipping are likely not aware of this disease.
As the muscles of a bird’s wings waste away, it will become more and more difficult for them to lift themselves up when they attempt to fly.
They simply won’t be able to support their own weight with their wings.
Here’s the worst part…
The longer a birds’ muscles are diminishing, the harder it will be to regain their muscles and be able to fly again.
Birds who are clipped for 3 years or longer will experience severe muscle atrophy.
There was a severe case of muscle atrophy with a green wing macaw, it was clipped and didn’t fly for the first 20 years of its life, its new owner has been trying to rehabilitate it to fly for the last 2 years.
As of the time of writing this, the macaw has still not taken flight due to muscle atrophy and anxiety.
Here’s a link to the owner of that particular macaws YouTube channel
Severe muscle atrophy can disable a bird for the rest of its life, and it all starts from wing clipping.
Muscle atrophy is just one of the many health problems that originate from a lack of exercise, other problems include:
- Heart problems
- Obesity
- Feather plucking (from soreness and stress)
So, before you decide to clip your cockatiel’s wings, consider the physical impact that’ll cause and whether or not they really NEED it.
Personal convenience and making taming easier are not valid reasons to clip a cockatiel’s wings.
5 Quick Facts About Wing Clipping
- The longer a bird goes without flight, the harder it will be for them to start flying.
- Even when birds recover from muscle atrophy, they’ll never be able to fly as good as a bird who has never suffered from muscle atrophy.
- Clipped birds can still fly, just not very well or accurately, which is actually dangerous as they can fly into a wall
- A lack of wing exercise will cause the muscles to waste away
- Birds who suffer severe muscle atrophy can potentially be disabled for life
Short Summary
Cockatiels are birds who love to fly, clipping their wings should never be done unless advised by an avian vet.
Although, an avian vet is highly unlikely to recommend this.
It’s a shame that wing clipping has become so normalized in the world of pet birds, I personally don’t understand why people get flighted animals, and then take away their flight.
Makes no sense to me.
Cockatiels with clipped wings can still be lifted by a strong gust of wind and taken for miles.
They won’t be able to control their flight or landing.
Clipping a cockatiel’s wings causes muscle atrophy, a disease caused by a lack of wing exercise.
Muscle atrophy is when the bird’s wing muscles slowly diminish over time as a result of no exercise.
Birds who suffer severe muscle atrophy may never fly properly again.
Sources
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