{"id":93468,"date":"2020-11-18T17:23:24","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T23:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/windycityparrot.com\/blog\/?p=17305"},"modified":"2020-11-18T17:23:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T23:23:24","slug":"how-can-we-slow-our-cockatiels-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/?p=93468","title":{"rendered":"How Can We Slow Our Cockatiel’s Flight?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scott S. is unsure about free flight (sort of):<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hi folks: My question: is there a “best way” to transition our flighted, little shy of three-year-old ‘Tiel to a quasi-free flight environment (inside a screened lanai).<\/span><\/p>\n

Buddy is desperate to be with the rest of the flock out on the lanai, he flies and hovers by the door trying to find a way out to us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our other “fids” (Feathered Kids) have been great in the lanai but we’ve been “birding” since 1982 and we’ve never had a faster ‘Tiel…he’s a rocket and we’re afraid he may hurt himself if he hits a screen at full boogie.<\/span><\/p>\n

Any thoughts?<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you much! Scott<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>
\nFirst a couple of notes for our readers.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cockatiel\u2019s are one of the fastest flying psittacines, capable of achieving speeds of over 30 mph in a short distance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Birds like Quakers and Senegal\u2019s are chunky slow-moving flyers.<\/span><\/p>\n

I once calculated our Senegal\u2019s flight at about 6 miles an hour during a training session as a counterpoint to a cockatiel’s flight speed.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To answer your question, Scott, we need to factor in a few dimensions.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can do a mild wing clip which will slow the bird down but cockatiel\u2019s flight feathers can grow back in about 30 days (about four minutes for budgies) as opposed to two or three months for a Quaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve learned this from the birds currently under our roof.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thus before you know it Buddy is trying to break the sound barrier again.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The good news is that screened lanais are just that, screened.<\/span><\/p>\n