Avian Behavior Conservancy

Inconsistency in how we communicate to our birds during early training is one of the biggest obstacles to success. A setback during the foundation building phase looms larger than when there is more learning history based on positive interactions. We had a setback with the African fish eagle a few weeks ago when I was cleaning him as carefully as I could, and it took a little bit to right our course.

When we have to make unpleasant interactions, whether a restraint for a medical procedure or an intervention in their environment, disguising ourselves is one of the most effective ways to keep on track. That way the bird does not associate us with the negative event and we use clothing items that they will never see in real life so won’t accidentally come across it with a visitor or audience member.