How do I tell if my parakeets wings are clipped?
Gently spread the wing outwards. If the wings have been clipped then the main flight feathers (The longest ones near the outer wing) will look a lot shorter than they should be. Check both sides. Often they only clip one side to off balance the bird. It is a cruel practise due to the fact that a birds main defence is to fly away and it can make them very depressed and insecure if they cannot do this. They will grow back though if they have been clipped. The only bird in captivity that should have clipped wings are male cockatoos as these birds will try to mate with a female insistently until he actually kills her with his aggressive advances.
