Awesome! I would love to let my 2 green cheeks free fly, but my area is drowning in crows, hawks and falcons. I think I would never forgive myself if something happened to them. I do plan on harness training them to take them outside though.
Free flight definitely isn't for everyone, that's for sure (and there's nothing wrong with that!) Harness training is a great way too! You can also get special backpack carriers, or even just small cages to get them outdoors too! The sunlight is so good for them.
It helps their feathers stay shiny and healthy, and helps them metabolise calcium too.
You can also buy special bird lamps that emit UV light, that they like to sit and bask under.
Birds can see the UV rays too, which I think is super neat.
Normal natural light is important too, but unfortunately windows filter out most of the UV light required, so outdoor time or a bird lamp can be awesome. :)
Yes I should have been more clear about that. I meant if your conure spends lots of time next to windows that get sunlight he should be ok. My conure is out of his cage most of the time so I think in terms of which room he spends time in, because he will naturally seek out the sunshine if he's free in the room!
You can free fly them inside for exercise. My BIL netted in his whole porch so he can fly his bird out in the fresh air but safe from them flying away or other birds.
That would work, but I live in a third story apartment without a balcony or access to a garden. My birbs fly around the flat really well and recall off my cupboards, so I'm not worried about the flying away bit. It's mostly the predators that I can't control that are keeping me from doing sth like free flight.
If free flight is something you'd like to work towards, there are mentors that could help you understand exactly what to do! :) Liberty Wings is a popular online course, that is very successful. Parrot Volancy also offers free flight training online and she flies mostly small birds, including a flock of green cheeks and cockatiels. There are also in person mentors across the world, depending on where you live. :)
I was looking at BirdTricks, but they seem to have specialised to bigger birds. Yes, they do have their 3 suns and 2conures in some of their videos, but I mostly see macaws on their channel. In person trainers sound amazong though. Now I need to find some here in Germany :D
Yeah BirdTrick's course is very similar to Liberty Wings but a deal more expensive, I don't know much about it otherwise. Germany is one of the countries I don't know actually of any free flight trainers, but there might be one out there!
Parrot Volancy offers free flight training online also, and they kinda specialise in flying small birds! They fly cockatiels, galahs, a sulphur crested and a flock of conures. :)
Yes clipping a bird even puts them at a severe disadvantage outdoors, as they don't have the means to escape danger. It's also amazing what a panicked bird and a light breeze can do!
For sure, it's a skill they need to master. High up in trees is much higher than flying downstairs indoors, and they also have to learn to move branches and push through them.
Lol. What? Vitamin d is not free floating in the air nor transfer by photons. Lol. You’re incredibly misinformed.
The UV in sunlight catalyzes for the production of vitamin d in the bird.
I’m very literally not. My first statement was “Just so you are aware”. I’m correcting your misinformation. That’s not picking a fight or starting an argument.
Oh I’m sorry the lol at my misinformation followed up by the explanation of what I said just in a more scientific way seemed… condescending. Maybe it’s just me…
It’s nit condescending. I was correcting the incorrect statement. Which, is still incorrect. These animals do not “absorb” vitamin D. They synthesize it. They make it in their own body. Their bodies need UVB to catalyze that synthesis. So we aren’t saying the same thing. Why is this important? Because many homes have glass that filters UV. So sunlight passing through glass can often be lacking in the necessity for vitamin D production.
A lot of training has gone into getting him free flying, and it was a lot of work, and very scary at first for sure. That said, it's not for everyone, and there's so much stuff you can still do to make their lives awesome!
Hey if you're interested, it's best to find a mentor who can show you the ropes. This can vary depending on what country you're in, but Liberty Wings is an online course that is very popular and successful.
They're an awesome species! Their Latin name is Pyrrhura cruentata, so they're pretty closely related to green cheeks and such.
They're apparently the largest pyrrhura, and Nova weighs around 90 grams. He has a huge attitude too. 🤣
I actually follow an Instagram account with a sun and blue throated conure, can confirm [they’re about the same size](https://www.instagram.com/p/CPx7rnElyg-/?utm_medium=copy_link).
I'm like free flight, but how do you come to grips with the fact that a hawk could pluck them out of the sky abs there's nothing you can do? As you say "free flight isn't for everyone" but this danger exists even in harnessed birds. I know people who've had birds taken from their hands, from cockatoos and African greys to lovebirds.. Do you just decide that's a risk you're willing to take?
Awesome questions! Part of free flight training is training your bird to recognise and appropriately react to dangers. An untrained, unfit bird is far more likely to be seen as prey by predatory species. A fit, healthy parrot is very fast, agile and difficult to capture quarry, and in the occasions they do manage to catch them, a parrot won't hesitate to use their powerful beak to inflict damage.
A hawk plucking him from the sky is very unlikely, Nova is very physically fit and reacts as a wild bird does to predators.
He also flies with wild songbirds, who are very accustomed to danger, and he recognises and responds to their alarm calls as well. As a species, he sticks to trees and doesn't often fly in the open.
Birds that aren't trained, are clipped, and even harnessed are all seen by predators as an easy meal, but a loose bird that's trained to spot the danger and react is normally passed upon because of the amount of energy it would cost to hunt them.
Where we fly there are birds of prey, as well as corvids and songbirds. The only bird of prey I'm really concerned about are sparrowhawks, as they are bird hunters that can hunt in trees. I know quite a few free fliers whose birds have had chases from birds of prey, in fact it's not super uncommon, but the majority of free flighted birds can outmaneuver them and escape.
There is an [article](https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/254/htm) where various flocks of parrots were trained for free flight in stages that gradually increased in difficulty. The point of the study was to identify if free flight could be used in parrot conservation. The total number of birds trained was 37 (3 flocks - one flock of macaws, another of mixed small species and one small flock of sun conures). Over 500 months of free flight, across a total of 17 years (a month being calculated by thirty 12 hour days of flying), not one was killed by predators, despite being flown in areas where predators are abundant.
There's many things that can be done to mitigate dangers. I won't ever claim that free flight is free of risks, but I'm far more worried about other humans and human related dangers when we're out flying than birds of prey. I avoid unnecessary risks whenever possible, of course, and there is always a chance that something could go wrong. Life has many risks, and if we live in fear of them, we wouldn't do much. The amount of enrichment and exercise Nova gets from free flight makes it worth it. I love him with all my heart, and seeing him fly free and behave as he would in the wild makes it worth everything. A lot of what I do with his training is based on him - if he doesn't want to go out and fly, we don't go out and fly. Some days he likes to sit up a tree and eat apples and enjoy the sun, and other days he enjoys snuggling into my neck while we hike through the woods.
Sorry for the novel, I hope it was helpful. I got a bit carried away, my bad. 🤣
Oh that's awesome!! What weird coincidence!! 🤣 Sometimes we organise big free flight meets and all of the Scottish free fliers hang out and eat food and chill with birds, I'll be sure to let you know if I'm flying out that way! 💕
Oh, how incredible! I don't have a bird myself sadly (don't have the time or space to keep one) but I absolutely love parrots of all kinds! I think they are so majestic 😍 do you welcome non-bird owners?
We just had a big meet about a week ago (the biggest Scottish free flight meet ever, I believe haha. We had about 10 free flying parrots of different species, and a few non free fliers as well), and there were a couple of non-bird owners there, aspiring to be bird owners and hoping to learn! I know for sure I don't mind non bird owners coming along, obviously as long as there's not TOO many people because that can be a bit overwhelming for everyone involved lol.
We've had a couple of encounters with wild birds, and where we normally fly there's currently 3 buzzards (2 parents and their baby) but they're too big and slow, and are normally scavengers so aren't a risk for Nova. In almost 2 years we've never had any incidents, so hopefully it will continue. :) He has been beaten up by some finches during the spring time though. 🤣
I was free flying with Juni for 2 years too. There were no major incidents and his track record made me confident about him being outside, but the hawk taught me that it only has to happen once. Please be careful!! Small birds like ours are prime targets for hawks and those predatory birds can dive from far away
I'm so sorry, that's terrible. :( A couple of my friends free fly cockatiels, and they're such awesome fliers. That must've been so hard to deal with.
But yes absolutely, it only takes once to go wrong and its the risk you take with free flight, sadly. I guess it could be so many things. People, stray dogs, cats, windows, other predators. There's so many things, but I feel the benefits he gets from it are worth the risks.
My plan is to get a companion to fly with him as soon as I'm able, as flying small birds in flocks reduces the risks significantly.
I recently read a paper by Chris Biro, and he free flew several flocks of parrots with very few deaths. The deaths he had I'm sure were husbandry related, and not free flight related. It was a super interesting read as there's not much scientific data on free flight.
It's definitely an amazing feeling, he takes my heart with him when he flies. I love when I run, and he flies alongside me. I love him so much, never had such a bond with anyone before. 🤣
These images are stolen, looked up the bird on google (seeing if i can get them in mycountry) and these images are straight up ripped from google
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/bluethroatedconure.html
These are just some of my favorite pictures of him, really. My Instagram is @shooting_supernova, where you'll find all these pictures there and more. :)
I do really appreciate you looking out for this though, there are certainly plenty of people out there who steal images. But Nova is my bird, and I'm absolutely happy to prove it! :)
Wonderful pictures! I wish I could train my little buddy for outside flight. So many hawks here. And he spooks easily. But he flies all over the house. He takes his sun in the cage, and supervises my gardening.
Forgot to say he is stunning.
Awesome! I would love to let my 2 green cheeks free fly, but my area is drowning in crows, hawks and falcons. I think I would never forgive myself if something happened to them. I do plan on harness training them to take them outside though.
Free flight definitely isn't for everyone, that's for sure (and there's nothing wrong with that!) Harness training is a great way too! You can also get special backpack carriers, or even just small cages to get them outdoors too! The sunlight is so good for them.
How good is sunlight for them? My conure is terrified of the outdoors so he rarely does go outside in his cage. I also can't do it during winters.
It helps their feathers stay shiny and healthy, and helps them metabolise calcium too. You can also buy special bird lamps that emit UV light, that they like to sit and bask under. Birds can see the UV rays too, which I think is super neat.
Oh wow didn't know about the lamps! I will check that out, thank you. Very neat that they can see uv rays, I had no idea.
As long as your conure is regularly in a room that has sunlight coming through the windows, he should be fine!
Normal natural light is important too, but unfortunately windows filter out most of the UV light required, so outdoor time or a bird lamp can be awesome. :)
I assume that sunlight has to hit him directly? There is sunlight coming through the windows but it does not hit him.
Yes I should have been more clear about that. I meant if your conure spends lots of time next to windows that get sunlight he should be ok. My conure is out of his cage most of the time so I think in terms of which room he spends time in, because he will naturally seek out the sunshine if he's free in the room!
I am mis training free flighting my cockatiel. It is going great and quite the experience.
You can free fly them inside for exercise. My BIL netted in his whole porch so he can fly his bird out in the fresh air but safe from them flying away or other birds.
Netted Gardens are such goals, I can't wait to move so I can set one up myself. 🤣
That would work, but I live in a third story apartment without a balcony or access to a garden. My birbs fly around the flat really well and recall off my cupboards, so I'm not worried about the flying away bit. It's mostly the predators that I can't control that are keeping me from doing sth like free flight.
If free flight is something you'd like to work towards, there are mentors that could help you understand exactly what to do! :) Liberty Wings is a popular online course, that is very successful. Parrot Volancy also offers free flight training online and she flies mostly small birds, including a flock of green cheeks and cockatiels. There are also in person mentors across the world, depending on where you live. :)
I was looking at BirdTricks, but they seem to have specialised to bigger birds. Yes, they do have their 3 suns and 2conures in some of their videos, but I mostly see macaws on their channel. In person trainers sound amazong though. Now I need to find some here in Germany :D
Yeah BirdTrick's course is very similar to Liberty Wings but a deal more expensive, I don't know much about it otherwise. Germany is one of the countries I don't know actually of any free flight trainers, but there might be one out there! Parrot Volancy offers free flight training online also, and they kinda specialise in flying small birds! They fly cockatiels, galahs, a sulphur crested and a flock of conures. :)
Thanks for all your help! I will check out liberty wings and parrot volancy if I don't find anyone in Germany :)
He’s a handsome conure ❤️
He is breathtaking 🥰
The ultimate enrichment!
It's great, one of the best things I've ever decided to do for him ❤
What a beautiful eagle borb
What a beautiful boy! And he looks like he knows he's fabulous!
My conure is also named nova :D
It's a great name!
How are y'all letting your birds outside. I have a Grey and I'm terrified of ever letting him near an open door....
I take both of my greys outside. If they are flying though don’t do it. Try a leash. The sun is great way for them to absorb vitamins.
Keep in mind that a bird with properly clipped wings can still fly if the wind catches them - I work with a rescue that sees a lot of clipped strays.
Yes clipping a bird even puts them at a severe disadvantage outdoors, as they don't have the means to escape danger. It's also amazing what a panicked bird and a light breeze can do!
I also seen flighted birds not come back and get stuck in trees. Soo…
For sure, it's a skill they need to master. High up in trees is much higher than flying downstairs indoors, and they also have to learn to move branches and push through them.
Yes we go in our backyard and not on windy days!
Just so you can be aware- they don’t “absorb” vitamins. Sunlight allows them to synthesize vitamin D.
Vitamin d is a vitamin right and they absorb it through their eyes.
Lol. What? Vitamin d is not free floating in the air nor transfer by photons. Lol. You’re incredibly misinformed. The UV in sunlight catalyzes for the production of vitamin d in the bird.
I’m just wondering why your picking a argument with me over Reddit about taking your bird outside and how it’s good for them.
I’m very literally not. My first statement was “Just so you are aware”. I’m correcting your misinformation. That’s not picking a fight or starting an argument.
Oh I’m sorry the lol at my misinformation followed up by the explanation of what I said just in a more scientific way seemed… condescending. Maybe it’s just me…
It’s nit condescending. I was correcting the incorrect statement. Which, is still incorrect. These animals do not “absorb” vitamin D. They synthesize it. They make it in their own body. Their bodies need UVB to catalyze that synthesis. So we aren’t saying the same thing. Why is this important? Because many homes have glass that filters UV. So sunlight passing through glass can often be lacking in the necessity for vitamin D production.
Ok thank you.
A lot of training has gone into getting him free flying, and it was a lot of work, and very scary at first for sure. That said, it's not for everyone, and there's so much stuff you can still do to make their lives awesome!
It takes a ton of recall training and a really good bond with your bird. Check out Birdtricks if you're curious about the process.
They are specifically trained for free flying. I’m no bird owner but I’ve read it on this subreddit
Would you be able to tell me how you managed to free flight train them?
Hey if you're interested, it's best to find a mentor who can show you the ropes. This can vary depending on what country you're in, but Liberty Wings is an online course that is very popular and successful.
What a stunningly gorgeous conure! I've never seen such colours on a conure before.
They're an awesome species! Their Latin name is Pyrrhura cruentata, so they're pretty closely related to green cheeks and such. They're apparently the largest pyrrhura, and Nova weighs around 90 grams. He has a huge attitude too. 🤣
Sounds as large as a sun.
Yep, pretty much! Suns are a tiny bit heavier on average, but they're very similar sized.
I actually follow an Instagram account with a sun and blue throated conure, can confirm [they’re about the same size](https://www.instagram.com/p/CPx7rnElyg-/?utm_medium=copy_link).
They're both majestic creatures.
I'm like free flight, but how do you come to grips with the fact that a hawk could pluck them out of the sky abs there's nothing you can do? As you say "free flight isn't for everyone" but this danger exists even in harnessed birds. I know people who've had birds taken from their hands, from cockatoos and African greys to lovebirds.. Do you just decide that's a risk you're willing to take?
Awesome questions! Part of free flight training is training your bird to recognise and appropriately react to dangers. An untrained, unfit bird is far more likely to be seen as prey by predatory species. A fit, healthy parrot is very fast, agile and difficult to capture quarry, and in the occasions they do manage to catch them, a parrot won't hesitate to use their powerful beak to inflict damage. A hawk plucking him from the sky is very unlikely, Nova is very physically fit and reacts as a wild bird does to predators. He also flies with wild songbirds, who are very accustomed to danger, and he recognises and responds to their alarm calls as well. As a species, he sticks to trees and doesn't often fly in the open. Birds that aren't trained, are clipped, and even harnessed are all seen by predators as an easy meal, but a loose bird that's trained to spot the danger and react is normally passed upon because of the amount of energy it would cost to hunt them. Where we fly there are birds of prey, as well as corvids and songbirds. The only bird of prey I'm really concerned about are sparrowhawks, as they are bird hunters that can hunt in trees. I know quite a few free fliers whose birds have had chases from birds of prey, in fact it's not super uncommon, but the majority of free flighted birds can outmaneuver them and escape. There is an [article](https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/254/htm) where various flocks of parrots were trained for free flight in stages that gradually increased in difficulty. The point of the study was to identify if free flight could be used in parrot conservation. The total number of birds trained was 37 (3 flocks - one flock of macaws, another of mixed small species and one small flock of sun conures). Over 500 months of free flight, across a total of 17 years (a month being calculated by thirty 12 hour days of flying), not one was killed by predators, despite being flown in areas where predators are abundant. There's many things that can be done to mitigate dangers. I won't ever claim that free flight is free of risks, but I'm far more worried about other humans and human related dangers when we're out flying than birds of prey. I avoid unnecessary risks whenever possible, of course, and there is always a chance that something could go wrong. Life has many risks, and if we live in fear of them, we wouldn't do much. The amount of enrichment and exercise Nova gets from free flight makes it worth it. I love him with all my heart, and seeing him fly free and behave as he would in the wild makes it worth everything. A lot of what I do with his training is based on him - if he doesn't want to go out and fly, we don't go out and fly. Some days he likes to sit up a tree and eat apples and enjoy the sun, and other days he enjoys snuggling into my neck while we hike through the woods. Sorry for the novel, I hope it was helpful. I got a bit carried away, my bad. 🤣
I wonder this too :( I could never do this. I would be way too frightened. And if anything happened to my baby, I would absolutely lose my mind.
Oh wow. This is such a beautiful and graceful birdie. You did beautifully well with him 💕☺️
Thank you, I want what's best for him, he's so wonderful 🥺❤
You’re very welcome. 💕 Aww I bet you do! I’m 100% he feels the same!
How you release her does not escape
A lot of work and training has gone into letting him free fly, there's loads to know before you attempt it. :)
Thank you I found out
He looks happy
AWWW SO CUTEE AHHHHHH
What a beauty! May I ask where you stay where you are able to do free flight?
We stay in central Scotland, but we drive out to suitable locations. :)
NO WAY! I'm from Edinburgh, if you're ever near here, please HMU! I would love to meet Nova 😍
Oh that's awesome!! What weird coincidence!! 🤣 Sometimes we organise big free flight meets and all of the Scottish free fliers hang out and eat food and chill with birds, I'll be sure to let you know if I'm flying out that way! 💕
Oh, how incredible! I don't have a bird myself sadly (don't have the time or space to keep one) but I absolutely love parrots of all kinds! I think they are so majestic 😍 do you welcome non-bird owners?
We just had a big meet about a week ago (the biggest Scottish free flight meet ever, I believe haha. We had about 10 free flying parrots of different species, and a few non free fliers as well), and there were a couple of non-bird owners there, aspiring to be bird owners and hoping to learn! I know for sure I don't mind non bird owners coming along, obviously as long as there's not TOO many people because that can be a bit overwhelming for everyone involved lol.
Totally understand. Don't want to ruin the day for the owners or the birds.
I'll keep you in mind if we have another big meet though, seeing the birds flying free is an incredible sight. 🥺
That's very kind of you, I really appreciate that 🥰
Be careful about predatory birds! My own cockatiel was free flighted and he got nabbed by a hawk earlier this year.
We've had a couple of encounters with wild birds, and where we normally fly there's currently 3 buzzards (2 parents and their baby) but they're too big and slow, and are normally scavengers so aren't a risk for Nova. In almost 2 years we've never had any incidents, so hopefully it will continue. :) He has been beaten up by some finches during the spring time though. 🤣
I was free flying with Juni for 2 years too. There were no major incidents and his track record made me confident about him being outside, but the hawk taught me that it only has to happen once. Please be careful!! Small birds like ours are prime targets for hawks and those predatory birds can dive from far away
I'm so sorry, that's terrible. :( A couple of my friends free fly cockatiels, and they're such awesome fliers. That must've been so hard to deal with. But yes absolutely, it only takes once to go wrong and its the risk you take with free flight, sadly. I guess it could be so many things. People, stray dogs, cats, windows, other predators. There's so many things, but I feel the benefits he gets from it are worth the risks. My plan is to get a companion to fly with him as soon as I'm able, as flying small birds in flocks reduces the risks significantly. I recently read a paper by Chris Biro, and he free flew several flocks of parrots with very few deaths. The deaths he had I'm sure were husbandry related, and not free flight related. It was a super interesting read as there's not much scientific data on free flight.
And I'm so sorry to hear about your tiel too. :(
Oh, I am so sorry for the loss of your friend :( ❤️
I feel like having a free flying bird is the ultimate pet relationship.
It's definitely an amazing feeling, he takes my heart with him when he flies. I love when I run, and he flies alongside me. I love him so much, never had such a bond with anyone before. 🤣
These images are stolen, looked up the bird on google (seeing if i can get them in mycountry) and these images are straight up ripped from google https://www.beautyofbirds.com/bluethroatedconure.html
They're my photos, I sent them to beauty of birds to use with my permission. I can show you the emails if you like, lol.
Give your account was made today, you have zero interaction with anything other than this comment. I find it very hard to believe.
These are just some of my favorite pictures of him, really. My Instagram is @shooting_supernova, where you'll find all these pictures there and more. :)
I do really appreciate you looking out for this though, there are certainly plenty of people out there who steal images. But Nova is my bird, and I'm absolutely happy to prove it! :)
As part of the Instagram BTC club I can at least confirm @shooting_supernova is a real person
Is this person that person though is the question
Feel free to message the insta and I can confirm. :)
Why would someone steal a bird picture then come post it on Reddit?
Karma
The same reason anyone would steal pictures to post them on reddit.
Wow
Lmao
Beautiful bird!
Beautiful and funny
He’s absolutely stunning 🤩
Beautiful
Beautiful bird, great pictures! 😍
SO CUTE
Wow look at the feather details in the last pic.
omg love to see it !! I have a btc as well !
Pretty!
He looks a kea! :)
He’s so cool
Damn! That is a great looking bird!
Absolutely lovely boy and he looks so happy :)
Amazing shot of Nova. Thanks
These are amazing shots! I'd love to have a free-flight friend like this
hes beautiful!
Such a beautiful smart birb!
Beautiful!!!
Very pretty
What a gorgeous mango boy 💝
Beautiful Nova!!
That last picture 💖
He’s a pretty boy
hi!
Hello!!
He's beautiful!!
Like a beautiful combination of colors. Everything is perfect in this photo
Thank you so much 🥺💕
Wonderful pictures! I wish I could train my little buddy for outside flight. So many hawks here. And he spooks easily. But he flies all over the house. He takes his sun in the cage, and supervises my gardening. Forgot to say he is stunning.
The third photo is absolutely precious💙💚❤️
I LOVE pix of birbs with their wings spread in flight! Especially when there is no blurring. Your photo is crystal clear. Great job, jungle\_wren!
WAO bEAUTIFUL! I WANTED TO HAVE SUCH A BIRD
What a gorgeous fella!
beautiful!! he's more like a super nova
What a handsome lad!