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Deflighting Procedures and Their Welfare Implications in Captive Birds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

H Hesterman ,
N G Gregory  and
W S J Boardman
H Hesterman*
Affiliation:
Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
N G Gregory
Affiliation:
South Australian Research and Development Institute, PO Box 1571, Flaxley, SA 5153, Australia
W S J Boardman
Affiliation:
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, PO Box 369, Entebbe, Uganda
*
*Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints
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Abstract

Deflighting is used to prevent large captive birds from escaping by limiting their ability to fly. This practice deprives birds of this normal behaviour, but can allow them to express other behaviours that would be suppressed if they were confined to cages or aviaries. The potential negative welfare issues associated with deflighting include the stress of capture and restraint, pain and discomfort associated with the procedure and during recovery, risk of post-operative infections, risk of neuroma formation which could lead to pain, and loss of the ability to fly. The potential practical and welfare advantages of deflighting include a reduction in the need to closely confine or cage birds to prevent them from escaping, and deflighting may be the only way of keeping particular birds in an open situation for display, such as in parks or zoos. In these respects, there must be a balance between the requirement for this practice and the welfare compromises it introduces for birds. By outlining temporary and permanent methods and the complications involved, the following review highlights potential welfare problems and discusses ways of avoiding them. It also evaluates the necessity of deflighting and the need for careful risk assessment.

Keywords

animal welfaredeflightingfeather clippingpatagiectomypinioningtenonectomy
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 10 , Issue 4 , November 2001 , pp. 405 - 419
Copyright
© 2001 UfAW, The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Herts ALA 8AN, UK

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