THOSE
WONDROUS WINGS
Our Views about Wing-clipping Our
Starlings
NOTE:
As owners of this website, we have chosen
to share our experiences and opinions on
these webpages. We present this info "as
is", and we shall have no liablility
to anyone regarding any circumstance or
occurrence related to the starling(s) or
other birds in their care. It is each starling
owner's responsibility to make the best
choices for the diet, safety, health, care
and wellbeing of his or her own starling.
A
bird's body was designed for flight. Flight
not only provides a bird with mobility,
it also offers a bird physical benefits.
It excercises and strengthens muscles, improves
respiratory function, strengthens the heart,
keeps the body in overall good shape. In
addition, we believe the exercise that occurs
during flight gives a bird a sense of wellbeing
and results in a less stressed bird. Pet
starlings who do not get enough exercise
may develop problems such as obesity, loss
of muscle mass, behavioral issues, and more.
Despite this common knowledge, some "parrot
behavior specialists" tout that wing-clipping
should be done on ALL pet birds in order
to keep these birds "happy". Using
such a statement in reference to European
starlings reveals ignorance about this species.
As
mentioned above, we know that flight helps
keep our starlings in good shape physically
and emotionally. Below are several additional
reasons we are very strongly opposed to
wing-clipping Stormy, Sunshine, and Shadow.
We
have found no facts or research proving
that wing-clipping benefits a starling. In fact, based on reasons given by
some who wing-clip their starlings, we have
come to suspect that clipping benefits the
owners instead of the birds! Some
pretexts we have gathered from starling
owners who wing-clip include: "my bird
is less trouble since I clipped its wings";
"my clipped starling is easier to put
back in its cage"; "I don't have
to chase it to catch it"; "it
cannot fly onto my head or mess up my furniture
anymore". Note that there was no mention
of how their birds benefitted
from having their mobility and independence
taken away.
Flight
provides a starling with a means of defense.
The starling's main defense is its ability
to fly and get out of a predator's way.
Some other species of birds (such as woodpeckers,
parrots, and others) have the ability to
climb, giving them an added defense when
in danger. Starlings do not climb and become
generally grounded if wing-clipped.
To
expound, starlings (and other birds in the
order Passeriformes; often called "perching
birds") have feet that are perfectly
suited to perching. A starling's foot has
three toes facing forward and one toe facing
backward, and the hind toe allows these
perching birds to securely grasp perch surfaces.
However, this type of avian foot is not
conducive to climbing. Some other types
of birds (for example: parrots and other
birds in the order Psittaciformes) have
two toes facing forward and two toes facing
backward. This type of foot enables these
birds to climb very well, leaving them with
some mobility if wing-clipped.
*
Since starlings do not climb, flying
is the only means they have of escaping
dangers everywhere around them. A fully
flighted starling has less chance of being
stepped on in the home or being caught by
a companion animal. Clipping a starling's
wings leaves it defenseless and feeling
vulnerable, and this could easily cause
the bird severe mental stress as well as
resulting in physical harm, regardless of
arguments to the contrary by wing-clipping
advocates! - (*
Jackie Collins, 2000)
A
flighted starling can still be trained and
handled. Some starling owners promote wing-clipping
simply for the purpose of making starlings
"easier to work with" and more
dependent on them. That is merely a cop-out.
Although it may take more effort at times,
we have no trouble working with our fully
flighted starlings or having training sessions
with them.
We
realize that wing-clipping is a controversial
issue, which is often debated among starling
owners. This webpage was created to offer
our specific point of view about the issue
with regards to our own birds. Every starling
owner must make his or her own decision
whether to clip his or her starling's wings.
We
give our starlings regular flight time out
of their cages so that they can use their
wings for the purpose they were intended
and so they will stay in top physical shape.
There is nothing quite like watching the
enthusiasm with which a starling flies.
Our birds revel in exercising their beautiful
wings and in the freedom they have to fly
back and forth to their favorite persons.
When let out of their cages, they zoom around
the room almost gleefully, circling, diving,
darting, and even hovering at times. It
thrills us to watch their enjoyment. We
know that flight contributes to keeping
them healthy, muscular, well-adjusted. There
is absolutely no question that our own three
starlings both need and enjoy
their indoor free flight times. However,
you must form your own opinion regarding
your starling and the issues of free
flight and wing-clipping.
Keeping
them safe when flying free. - Because
starlings have a tendency to get into everything,
a room must be checked for safety before
a starling is let out in it. (Read our Common
Household Dangerspage.) When
they are having free flight in the house,
we supervise our starlings as we would a
small toddler in our home, and we never
leave them alone!
Why
we DO NOT let our starlings fly outside.
- We allow our starlings free flight indoors
only. Our rescued starlings are "human
imprinted birds", and such birds have
little chance of surviving outdoors. We
know of imprinted pet starlings who were
injured, killed, or lost when their owners
"let" them fly outside -- because
these birds had no survival skills, several
were caught by hawks or dogs, and others
simply flew away in a panic and became lost,
never to return. We choose to take no such
risks with our birds, thus their free flight
is restricted to inside our home. Read below
for brief info about imprinted starlings:
What
exactly does it mean to have a starling
who is "imprinted" on people? A
baby starling being raised alone without
other baby birds WILL imprint on its
human caretaker, and it will do so
while still a nestling! For this reason,
wildlife rehabbers are careful to
raise wild baby birds in a manner
designed to prevent the birds from
imprinting on humans.
An
imprinted starling does not relate
to other birds as its own kind but
views you as its own kind instead.
Normally, wild baby starlings imprint
on their parent birds and learn necessary
survival skills from them. But a starling
imprinted on humans knows none of
the skills of wild starlings; it has
no fear of humans or predators and
cannot find its own food. It does
not realize it is a bird. A human
imprinted starling who has suddenly
been set free or who has escaped outdoors
does not know to join wild flocks
and likely will not survive. Remember,
once you have raised a starling, and
it has imprinted on you, you have
made a long-term commitment for a
bird who could live up to 20 years.
It is up to you to keep it out of
harm's way.
If
you are interested in learning more details
about birds' wings and the dynamics of flight
in birds, peruse the links below. Flight
in birds is a fascinating subject!
Flapping
Flight - How Birds Fly
--
wonderful animations illustrating exactly
'how' birds fly. Bird
Flight --
Description and illustration of flight muscles
and wing anatomy. Info about flapping flight. Flight
(at ornithology.com)
--
Webpage filled
with info detailing the dynamics of flight
in birds Discusses soaring, flight control,
landing, flight speed, and more. Birds
in Flight photographs
--
Absolutely stunning collection of
high quality photographs of various birds
in flight. A MUST SEE webpage for bird enthusiast!
