Austin Animal Clinic

Wing Clipping

Any individual who owns a pet bird can tell how important it is to clip a bird’s wings. There are untold horror stories of birds flying into boiling pots of water or fan blades. There are other stories of birds flying into toilets and drowning. The safety reasons alone for clipping a bird’s wings are reason enough to perform the task.

Clipping wings is necessary for any and all birds that are social and out of their cage at any time. Birds such as canaries and finches that live in their cage all the time do not need to have their wings clipped. Larger, more social birds, such as cockatiels and parrots, do need to have their wings clipped to avoid any unpleasant mishaps. A bird owner needs to take responsibility for protecting their bird from harm and this includes clipping wings.

Wing clipping is the method of trimming a bird’s primary flight feathers so that it is no longer fully-flighted. This reduces or prevents a bird’s ability to fly. The bird should still be able to glide to safety, if the need arises.

The first few times the wings are clipped, the bird owner needs to watch how a veterinarian or other experienced individual clips the wings. After that, one person should restrain the bird wrapped in a towel (most birds do not enjoy this so be prepared for an angry bird) while the other extends the wing and removes the ends of the flight feathers. If needed, more of the feather can be trimmed later. If the bird is unhappy with the clipped feather, it can be plucked out.

Contact your Austin Veterinarian Clinic

If you have questions about clipping your bird’s wings or would like a demonstration, contact your Austin veterinarian.