if you clip a bird's wings, it is no longer fully flighted.
what happens if you clip a bird's wings?
no longer fully flighted
Na
Na
techniques for clipping the wings vary primarily in the number of feathers cut and the amount of each feather left behind. a mild clip on one wing only can impair a bird's flight greatly, as it renders the bird unbalanced in the air. this can cause injury or death to the bird if it strikes a hard surface during a fall. in most cases, only the primary flight feathers are cut, and an equal number of feathers are trimmed on each wing to avoid causing the bird to become unbalanced in flight. the most common clip involves trimming the primary flight feathers below the level of the primary coverts (usually removing about half to a third of the length of the flight feather). this clip is quick and simple to do, but leaves exposed cut ends that occasionally may cause a bird to chew on the cut feathers. another method of clipping involves cutting the flight feather above the level of the coverts, so almost the entire feather is removed. this clip does not leave any exposed cut ends, but as more of each feather is removed, fewer feathers should be cut. however, these cut feather stumps are still present and may irritate the bird, causing significant discomfort.
wing clipping