Pet birds are friendly and social. With their playful personalities, they can lead happy and healthy lives. Birds quickly adapt to new environments and routines. Their upkeep costs are minimal, and they can be trained easily.
Flight training is essential to birds as it helps them exercise, build confidence, and improve their flight skills. It’s a beneficial way of getting your bird back into his cage if he flies away. Training a bird to fly to you is a gradual process that can be achieved in stages and requires persistence and patience for better results. Treats and command phrases can also be used during the training.
Stages of Flight Training
Training a bird to fly to you can be done in the following five stages;
1. Training a Bird to Walk to You
A young bird that has been weaned doesn’t know how to walk. The bird’s first few steps can make it nervous as it is afraid of falling. However, the bird can gain confidence and learn quickly to walk through your encouragement.
For a hand-fed bird, put it on one side of the table and have it walk to the other for food. Repeat the process until the bird can walk to you.
2. Step-Up Training
In this stage, the bird is trained to step up from one perch to another. With the bird in your hand, place your other hand just below the bird’s chest. You can stimulate your bird’s stepping action by gently rubbing your finger above its leg.
Once the bird has stepped onto the other hand, continue using the laddering-up motion until the bird steps onto the other hand when offered.
3. Jump Distance Flight Training
After mastering step-up, you next train your bird to come to you by jumping short distances without using its wings. Some enticement is needed for this stage of training to be effective.
Hold a treat out of your bird’s reach but near your hand, give a command, and wait for the bird to jump to your hand. After a few jumps, you can leave out the treat when issuing the command phrase, as they should not be given in large amounts to birds.
4. Long Distance Flight Training
For this stage, the space between you and your bird is extended, and the bird must fly to get to your hand. Increasing the distance each time the bird gets to your hand would be best.
If the bird does not want to fly to you due to the long distance, persist at the distance where the bird is stuck until it can fly to you to help it learn not to give up.
5. Different Rooms Flight Training
Here, the bird learns to fly to you from a different room. It involves a lot of risks, as accidents are prone to happen. Thus, it is crucial to teach your bird to fly through doorways and around corners first.
To fly from different rooms, a bird must be confident, comfortable with the rooms, fully understand the command phrase, and be motivated to fly to you.
Can You Train Birds to Come to You?
Yes, you can train a bird to come to you. The training period can vary from one bird to another, depending on their age. Young birds are easier to train due to their willingness to learn than older ones.
For effective training, choose a quiet room and a time when your bird is relaxed. Your bird’s favorite treats should also be handy for motivation, and select command phrases you don’t usually use when interacting for the training sessions.
When doing flight training, repeat command phrases such as ‘come’ or ‘fly’ until the bird flies to you, then give them a treat. Also, ensure that you have gained your bird’s trust before starting the training.
How to Train Your Bird to Come to You
After gaining your bird’s trust, the next step is training your bird to come to you, which can be achieved by;
1. Hand feeding: Food offered from your hand makes a bird see you as a source of food and security, which builds loyalty between you and your bird.
2. Establishing Physical Contact: Through contact, the bird gets used to your touch, which helps reduce nervousness when playing. This will make it easy for your bird to come to you for petting.
3. Offering Treats and Encouragement: This keeps the bird motivated to come to you whenever you give a command, as they will be rewarded.
How Do You Train a Bird to Trust You?
A bird that trusts you will be comfortable around you, making it easy to interact with and train.
The following can be helpful when building a bird’s trust:
1. Giving Your Bird Treats
Giving your bird its favorite food when it does something good can help build trust.
2. Learning Your Bird’s Body Language
Birds communicate through body language. Learning your bird’s language will help you know when your bird is comfortable or nervous.
3. Spending Time With Your Bird
Setting aside time to be with your bird will help it to relax and feel that it can trust you. Playing, speaking gently, or reading a book to your bird will help it get used to your voice.
4. Avoid Yelling at Your Bird
You should avoid shouting or using a high-pitched voice near your bird to maintain trust. Being gentle and the patient is essential in creating relationships.
5. Letting the Bird Out of the Cage
Taking the bird out of the cage helps it feel comfortable with the new environment and owner, which assists in building trust.
Can You Train a Bird to Come When Called?
Yes, a bird can be trained to come when called if it knows its name.
First, you must choose your bird’s name and stick to it. Call out the bird’s name and reward him for conditioning purposes.
The process is repeated over and over until the bird looks toward you every time you call the name as it anticipates a treat.
How to Train a Bird to Go on Your Finger
Using the step-up method, you can train your bird to go on your finger.
First, you need to familiarize the bird with your hand. Place your hand slowly in the cage until the bird is comfortable.
Offer your hand to the bird so that it can step on it. A treat can be used to entice the bird. Push the bird slightly off balance; it will step on your finger. As a finger resembles a perch, the bird can step onto it for support.
Take your bird out of the cage when perched on your finger. If your bird doesn’t fly away, encourage it to step up from one finger to another as you reward it. When the bird seems exhausted, return him to the cage.
How Do You Train a Bird Not to Fly Away?
Spending time outside with your bird can be refreshing. However, a bird can fly away and get lost due to its free-flight instinct. This makes it necessary to train it not to fly far from where you can see it.
You can train the bird not to fly away by:
1. Using a Bird Harness
Putting a harness on your bird helps you pull it back to you when it tries to fly away. The bird will eventually learn it can’t fly away with a harness.
2. Clipping The Bird’s Wings
Clipping prevents a bird from flying. With its inability to fly, the bird will learn that it is not supposed to fly, resulting in minimized movements.
3. Keeping Them Within Sight
Having your bird close to you helps it feel safe when near you and will not have the urge to fly away.
4. Positive Reinforcement
Treating your bird when it stays in the cage or doesn’t fly away when released will help it stay put.
5. Desensitize Your Bird to Long Distance
Allow your bird to fly around your room until it gets used to flying around you. Once taken outside, the bird will not fly away, as it only feels safe around you.
How to Train a Bird to Fly and Come Back
You can train your bird to fly from its perch to your hand for a treat and then back to eat. Start at a very short distance and then progressively increase it.
Making use of command phrases will be helpful to enable your bird to know when to fly away and when to come back.