birds outside

psittacined:

hey so… I’ve noticed a growing trend in bloggers whom I know and trust posting or reposting pictures of birds outdoors without any restraints or disclaimers.

when posts like that get around, especially from more prominent bloggers, it might send people the message that this is a safe and healthy thing to do. 

unfortunately, it poses a massive risk to the bird in question and should never be attempted by anyone but a LICENSED professional. Some owners whose birds are clipped consider this safe, but clipped birds can fly and glide, and roadsides, wildlife, or feral pets (looking at you, outdoor cats) are major risks that an owner cant control. Even the most well trained velcro bird can  get spooked and fly too high to be retrieved or get into an accident.

of course, like anything, there are some exceptions to this rules, but that list of exceptions is EXTREMELY small and a dedicated owner would hesitate to promote free access outdoors without disclaiming the specific circumstances.

I’ve messaged a few people this week abt the anxiety and misinformation these practices can spread, and have gotten zero replies or even a “theyre trained/disabled/it was a mistake.

TL;DR: keep your birds harnessed or restrained otherwise (cage, carrier) outdoors and make sure to promote disclaimers if your beeb is out under special circumstance.