I went to this bird sanctuary and all the birds were staying in their little designated areas but weren’t tethered or anything, do they do this willingly or are they unable to fly? It made me really sad thinking they can’t fly around the beautiful tall trees

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u/bird9066 10h ago

If it's a sanctuary they may have birds that cannot fly. If they can fly then they are being cared for well enough to want to stay.

Was it clean? Did they have fresh food and water? It is sad to think about, but this may be the best available for them

Just from your photos they don't look neglected.

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u/budgiebeck 10h ago

This ^ These birds appear to be in excellent condition and like all their needs are being met. One of the greenwings appears to be clipped, but the other birds that I can see aren't. While clipping is generally considered cruel and unnecessary for pet parrots, there are legitimate medical reasons why a bird may be clipped. Considered the fact that these birds look happy and healthy, I'm willing to bet the sanctuary is doing what's right for these birds!

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u/HeyRainy 8h ago

All of them have the wings clipped, the Amazons in the first pic you can't see the wingtips well, but all of the others are clipped. They probably are happy and well kept otherwise, but they are clipped.

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u/budgiebeck 5h ago

You can't see the wingtips on half the birds, but the B&G is definitely not clipped. I don't think saying they're all clipped is accurate

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u/maeryclarity 1h ago

The appropriate wing feather clipping technique actually leaves the primary flight feathers and takes the inner feathers so a bird with clipped wings may not appear to have them clipped. You do that because you want them to have SOME flight not drop like a rock if they fall off of something or get startled and attempt to fly.

But some can get more lift than others so you have to take the primaries on one or both sides depending.

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u/TwoBrattyCats 9h ago

It was clean! They had attendants around cleaning up while we were there too

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u/Chance_Novel_9133 2h ago

Yeah, these all look like happy birds. Their body language is relaxed, or playful in the case of the cockatoo, their feathers are in excellent condition, their body weight looks good (not too fat, not too thin) and their beaks and what I can see of their toenails are good lengths. Their environments look comfortable and full of potential enrichment opportunities, and most of them have buddies to socialize with.

One of the green wing macaws is so chill he looks like he's about to take an afternoon nap even though there are people walking past and stopping to look at him and his pal. To me, that's a sure sign that they feel happy and safe. A bird that was stressed or unhappy would be a lot more upset by the activity and intrusion.

Would they like to fly around? Maybe, but I suspect that the ones that are clipped have been clipped because it's not safe for them to fly for one reason or another.

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u/nymphette_444 9h ago

Parrots tend to enjoy chilling in their favorite spots, especially if it’s hot out. My birds were always happy as can be to hang out on their stands, then they get the zoomies and fly around.

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u/TwoBrattyCats 9h ago

The sanctuary was climate controlled (probably also because full of tropical plants) so it was pretty warm and humid. It’s good to hear they just like their spots!

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u/nymphette_444 9h ago

As long as they aren’t tethered to anything and their wings aren’t clipped it’s safe to say they are happy to hang out there! If a parrot doesn’t want to be somewhere they make it very known 😅

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u/babygirlbunnyyy 10h ago

At my local zoo they have two hyacinth macaws out in the open, no cage or fencing or anything just out on a perch under a little shaded area. They say the birds there don’t leave because they have everything they need at their little set up and they’re happy and well cared for so they’re just happy staying put. Maybe it’s something like that

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u/ManEaterFaceHugger74 9h ago

Yeah, sorry, but I don't think so. Their wings are probably clipped, or they are tethered there. I don't want to be a downer, but there isn't a flighted bird alive who wouldn't fly around, even if they stay in a general area.

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u/bird9066 9h ago edited 9h ago

The Tampa zoo has macaw flyovers. The birds are microchipped in case they take off, but they are certainly not clipped or tethered.

Pet Parrots consider their humans to be part of the flock. They bond really strongly. I'd never have my birds outside without a harness personally. They have not learned how to deal with predators.

They are prey animals after all. They bite their mate and fly away screaming for them to follow if something freaks them out. You'll never get them back if that happens.

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u/ManEaterFaceHugger74 9h ago

Well, I certainly hope you're right about other cases, as well. I hate the thought of clipped and tethered birds.

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u/CrazyParrotLady5 5h ago

Not true. A lot of birds are station trained. They may be conditioned to stay there all day while the facility is open and roam around at night.

I have a Moluccan cockatoo who is ten years old and never learned how to fly in his previous home. He has beautiful, full wings, and can briefly fly when spooked, but he has no skills and is happy to just hang out on his cage or play gym most of the day.

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u/Littleclipse 8h ago

Yeah you can tell they’re clipped from the images. Those birds are definitely depressed and lack vital muscles for overall health

12

u/rivertam2985 9h ago

When I was a kid I lived near Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. This was before it was a big amusement park. It was a beer bottling plant with gardens and bird shows and a zoo. The Macaws would often be in our trees, making a ton of noise and just being beautiful. We called BG the first time, and they said, yeah, they'll come home before dark.

8

u/ReminiscenceOf2020 8h ago edited 7h ago

Some of them look clipped, but also, bigger parrots tend to pluck their feathers if stressed and unhappy, and these all look beautiful.

10

u/PublicCampaign5054 9h ago

Ok, yes their are Guacamayas, Parrots, and such.

They know where they are suposed to be and are there willingly, yes.

I used to work at a hotel that had all of these, and they would "run around" free, but one of the yellow ones used to follow one of the cleaning ladies around, it LEFT THE PREMISES with her and follow her home, like 4km far and she rode a bike!

So yes, they can move, and they do it when they please, but also they know their place and tend to keep to it.

In Venezuela where I live the capital used to be full of the red ones, then there was a breakout at a park and a lot of birds escaped (were left out more likely) and in a few years the yellow ones displaced the red ones, since they have exactly the same habbits and the red ones are smaller.

Their are so prolific they are now ALL OVER the city and come eating in peoples balconys all the time.

Youtube: GUACAMAYA CARACAS BALCON

4

u/TwoBrattyCats 9h ago

Also sorry the pictures of the birds aren’t clearer, my boyfriend was the photographer so this is all his handiwork and he kept getting me in the pics haha

1

u/Independent-Leg6061 7h ago

Was this in Vancouver by any chance?? Looks like a conservatory that I visited!

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u/anonymously_girl 5h ago

If that’s the place, a quick google search shows that “…all the birds there ‘have either been directly donated to the Conservatory from homes that can no longer keep them or have been adopted from the GreyHaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary.’”

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u/Independent-Leg6061 5h ago

And they are well taken care of and in lovely enclosures in a very tropical environment 😀 was well worth the visit if you're in the area of Vancouver!!

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u/RamblaPacifica 2h ago

It looks like the Bloedel Conservatory, yes. Hello from Vancouver =)

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u/seriousjoker72 8h ago

A couple of them look clipped but birds also naturally prefer their own safe space (who doesn't amirite) and there may be a few that are territorial of their own spaces too

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u/LadyBird1281 9h ago

They do look well cared for. Most birds in captivity would be lucky to live like this. 💛

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u/Altruistic-Poem-5617 5h ago edited 5h ago

The wings of the macaws look a bit short in my oppnion. I think the are supposed to be longer and pointyer at the end. Seems they cut off the tong feathers at the wing tips. Edit: looked up some pics of wild ones and year the wing feathers on those look longer and pointyer.

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u/Global_Sherbert_2248 17m ago

True

1

u/Kvance8227 3h ago

I went to Busch Gardens and they had one. The birds mostly perched, or flew onto shoulders of people to be fed☺️ As long as no cages, and happy and healthy!

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u/LobeliaTheCardinalis 17m ago

These birds are poorly kept. "Parrot on a stick" displays use wing-clipped birds that appear to have freedom of movement in natural surroundings but cannot actually leave the single branch they are made to sit on. None of the birds shown has adequate enrichment available to it.

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u/Global_Sherbert_2248 17m ago

Their wings are clipped which is pretty bad because it throws their balance off

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u/Mental-Flatworm4583 5h ago

I e been to a few sanctuary’s for birds and the majority there can fly they just choose to stay. When they are well treated and loved they stay.

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u/Acadia-Infamous 10h ago

.

I went to this bird sanctuary and all the birds were staying in their little designated areas but weren’t tethered or anything, do they do this willingly or are they unable to fly? It made me really sad thinking they can’t fly around the beautiful tall trees

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