Quick wing jerking, what's wrong with her?

[EthanUCLA]

Anyone else have any experiences with a bird jerking it's wings? It's definately not flapping. They are spastic jerks with one of either wings jerking. The left or right wing (randomly) will jerk quickly in one direction, set itself back in place, then jerk again. This happens randomly between the wings every few seconds. She does it all the time, even when she is resting.

I just bought her 1 week ago (they said she is 3-4 months old) and otherwise (besides the screeching, which I understand is normal for a Sun Conure) she is a fun, loving, playful little critter.

I saved the receipt, should I use it?

[Lisa B]

it could be if her wings are clipped the edges are poking her. most do that when they are rearranging feathers.

did you have a well birdy visit?

[EthanUCLA]

Thanks for your reply, Lisa.

Yeah, she does have her wings clipped. I hadn't thought of the clipped wing edges poking her, that would make sense...I hope it's that, or something temporarily similar, like a wing sprain.

I should take her to the vet, but I got her last week and am unattached to her, besides thinking she's a really cool bird. I'd rather not waste any money if anyone who's had similar experiences could advise me on whether it might be temporary or permanent.

Do you know how long clipped wings take to grow back? My parents have a big house and we don't mind having her fly around.

[Lisa B]

ahhhh I am sorry you feel unattached to her. She can probably also sence that.....A relationship you make with a bird is one of the most incredible bonds you can form. however, you need to do this when you bring them home. She needs to know she is safe and sound before she can open up.
She will read this through you.
A vet visit is important to make sure she is healthy, and that the store/breeder/person sold you a healthy bird. However, not sure on the time frame from the store you purchased her from.

Its hard to say how long it will take for the wings to grow back in. It depends on when they were clipped. it could take as long as 9 months for them to all grow back in because the grow independently. Each in different stages.

I hope you are able to form a bond to her, as she has 30 years or so ahead of her. It can be pretty lonely out there with no one to bond to.

[PowerBBS]

Our fids actually will do the wing twitches when they're comfortable with us. They'll do it especially when we snuggle with them.

I'm agreeing that it's most likely due to a bothersome feather or two poking at it. In time they'll preen out the offending feather.

Also note: Sometimes they'll do this to fan out air from the bodies in an effort to either warm or cool themselves as well.

In terms of a decision to allow your fids to fly about: All of our birds are full flight in our home. However, we have taken a lot of measures to insure that our fids have a very "safe" flight environment. We have no other pets that are a threat to the birds. We have protected entrances/exits to and from our home so we do not have as much a risk of a fid flying out the door - which happens all too often with bird owners. No ceiling fans, no sharp edges or suprises around corners. Perches in different parts of the house for them to land on so that they have a "routine" to follow when flying which helps preserve safety.

I actually would encourage you to keep your fids wings clipped. Typically a flighted bird will learn to be more independant of you making the experience somewhat un-satisfactory. Flight means that you could cease to be the central focus in the life of your fid. I'm not saying this is a guarantee... it's just a good possibility. Clipped wings reduce the destruction to other parts of your home as you can limit what it can get to, hense limiting what it can chew on. It makes being a "parent" more manageable.

Anyhow... that's just my suggestion on that. Our GCC and Sun were both flying within 3 months of having it's wings clipped.

[gizmosmum]

my ringneck did this for the first couple of weeks of coming home with me but then he was fine.. i was worried at first but he came good :-)

[mmann]

Hi EthanUCLA! Let me tell you my experience with this behavior.

I have a Sun Conure named Bo and a Jenday Conure named Tango. Bo and I have formed a bond and I'm the only person in the house that he wants to be with. Sometimes Bo will start fluttering his wings in a spastic sort of way, which alarmed me just as it has you. I was advised that this is typical of mating behavior for conures...they will back up to you, stick their rear ends in the air somewhat and flutter their wings. Sometimes they will make little chirping noises as well. Don't be upset or confused by it. I think it 's just their way of saying they trust you, and believe me, once you've earned the trust of a bird, you have really done something indeed, and you don't want to take that for granted.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE spend all the time you can with your little one. Conures are one of the MOST precious little birds with the sweetest, most loyal personalities that you will ever find. It sounds like your baby is bonding with you (strange as it may seem). You are so lucky to be starting such a wonderful relationship that will last many many years! Conures definitely have their own language (both movement and vocal) and once your learn what it all means, you guys will have a great time!

[birdmommaof2]

morgan did this along with bobbing his head when he was that young so i believe its a baby thing

[JPurdy85]

I know this thread is a little old, but I'd like to chime in on this and hopefully get some advice. My 2 year old Green Cheek just recently started doing something similar to this, but he is also making a sort of grumbling noise and reaching his head back towards his wings in a somewhat jerking motion. He has done it three times now in as many days and has only done it while on my shoulder cuddled up to my neck. What makes me think that it's not a bonding thing is because if I reach my hand near him while he's doing it he'll try to bite at it. That's very unusual because he's not a biter. Also he's almost completely unresponsive to me while he's doing it. Does that still sound like a clipped wing growing back and poking him?

[Monica]

It sounds like either baby begging behavior, or just food begging behavior.... do you know for a fact that your GC is a male?