An increasing number of crane breeders are pinioning only the females, with the idea of full-winged males being more fertile. However, the cost of adequate size aviaries means that most captive cranes are still pinioned. It could be argued that a pinioned crane with acres of ground has better quality of life than a full-winged one in an aviary.
I reared full-winged Mandarin Ducks last year, but following the death of one that killed itself against the aviary roof in a night fright, the survivors are now wing clipped.
I'm afraid my pet hate is flight-restricted vultures, and to a lesser extent parrots.
I always thought pinioning and wing clipping were two different thing. doesn't pinioning involve surgery and is pretty much irreversible. A bird that only has it's wings clipped will be able to fly again once it moults and grows new feathers.
I always thought pinioning and wing clipping were two different thing. doesn't pinioning involve surgery and is pretty much irreversible. A bird that only has it's wings clipped will be able to fly again once it moults and grows new feathers.
