Free Flight Training

When people think of letting their birds go unrestrained outdoors, they may freak out at the idea of having their bird fly away and never come back. But there's those of us who like to challenge that idea, using training and science to hone in on our parrots natural skills and fly them freely outdoors.

 

Free flight may terrify certain parrot owners, but it's an amazing way to bond with you pet bird, all the while giving them the freedom to stretch their wings and be a bird. No amount of indoor or aviary flying can compare to the exercise and general happiness a parrot feels while flying free in the sky. It's also an amazing way of keeping their minds active and forming a better bond with your pet through constant training.

 

Free flight in Australia is something that is semi-new, different styles of free flight being used by different trainers. An example of a free flight style is point A to point A flight (called affinity flying), which is basically where the bird leaves the trainer's hand, flies around and comes back to the trainer, not landing on anything else in between. Another example is a style called 'liberty flying', where the bird has the freedom to fly away and go where they want, land in trees and then come back to the trainer either when they feel like it, or are recalled.

 

The number one question a free flier will get asked is 'what about raptors'. To put it bluntly, the reason people see birds of prey with pet parrots is because they are improperly trained, or they were clipped. The clipping being the most common. Some owners will clip a parrot and think it can't fly, and that it's totally fine to take them outdoors. Unfortunately this is not the case. Not only is clipping a health defect for your bird, causing obesity and depression in clipped birds, but they also still have the ability to take flight if a strong gust of wind picks them up. Only a clipped bird has not been trained to avoid a predator. They also do not have the ability to take off again if they land on the ground (Or even somewhere high as they most likely will fear falling). Raptors will almost always go after prey that looks injured or sick, as they're an easier target and they don't need to waste much energy chasing. So that clipped escaped bird looks like a target to a raptor. However, a highly trained, highly capable parrot can easily out manouve a raptor who is used to an easy prey item. Trained parrots have a keen eye to spot oncoming danger and instinctly know to listen to native birds which will hawk call if a raptor is within range.

 

Here in Australia we are home to many beautiful raptors, yet are still able to safely free fly our pet parrots in the same environment.

 

In saying how beneficial free flight is, it also takes a lot of dedication, time, and learning. Not just for the bird, but for the trainer. If you are interested in free flight but do not have years of experience flying parrots, then seeking out a mentor is always the best option. There are plenty of experienced people willing to pass on their knowledge to create a safe and happy flight training experience for people and their pets.

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Article written by R. Caw, 2019

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Free Flight Training Coming in 2024

Location Jimboomba 4280 

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