tielfan wrote:
I suspect that a lot of them would choose captivity over flying free in the wild.
See, I feel the opposite. Sure they live longer in captivity and are sheltered from the elements, but in their natural habitat, they are faced with natural challenges to always keep their minds busy and test their skills and all that flying keeps them trim and lean, so no perch potato obesity.
However, in captivity, we have been able to unlock different mutations and discover how complex and intelligent they are.
But yesterday, we had a very big thunderstorm and I told my flock "Well, I bet you're happy that you're warm and dry in here tonight." It was actually Poppy's first huge thunderstorm, with loads of lightning and all that. Poor boy had his feathers all flat. Beck was just chatting and headbobbing at nothing. The tiels slept through it.