Abstract
Careful evaluation and exposure to select environments can increase the competence of free
flying birds reducing the risk of loss or injury during free flight demonstrations. This paper
provides a system for evaluating and selecting freeflight environments, towards the goal of a
competent bird that has mastery of the many situations that can arise during shows.
Discusses the experience of systematically using complex outdoor environments in freeflight
training and illustrates the immense benefits of allowing a bird to fly at liberty in carefully
evaluated environments.
Included resources are an evaluation worksheet, illustrations of evaluated areas, and case
studies of those areas. Draws on the author’s 18 years of show experience and two years of
implementing this method to increase the competence of 22 parrots ranging from conures to
macaws.
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