Are Leg Tethers Safe for Parrots?

An ancient falconry practice being applied to parrots...

What Are Leg Tethers?

Leg tethers (also called jesses) are small straps attached to a parrot’s ankle. The use of leg tethers originates from practices used in ancient falconry. Parrot owners sometimes use leg tethers in free-flight, outdoor training, or when a bird is taken out in public. The idea of using leg tethers for companion parrots is similar to using a leash and collar for a dog.

Tethers may be connected to a long line, glove, or perch, seemingly giving the bird "freedom" while still under control. These devices are designed to provide a way for birds to explore their surroundings without the risk of flying away or getting lost, allowing for a certain level of interaction between the bird and its environment.

However, the illusion of safety that these tethers provide often masks serious risks that both the bird and the handler may face. When a bird is tethered, its movements are restricted, which can lead to physical and psychological stress.

What are the potential risks of using tethers? Here's a few reasons why we say no to leg tethers for parrots:

Anatomical Incompatibility

Leg tethers belong to falconry, not parrot care. Raptors have a significantly different make up compared to parrots. Being predatory creatures, they have thick, heavily muscled legs to aid them in restraining prey, so they can tolerate tethers a lot better than parrots.

Parrots have fragile legs not built to withstand restraint. They are cognitive and emotional animals that respond better to trust-based methods such as positive reinforcement, skill development and recall training. They do not have the hunting mindset or handling tolerance of falconry birds.

Over time, the falconry approach was inappropriately applied to parrots, especially by amateur trainers and owners trying to control flighted birds outdoors, people unfamiliar with positive reinforcement or modern parrot behavior science and so on.

Serious Injuries

Being prey animals, parrots are extremely flighty creatures. They quickly react to unfamiliar or scary external stimuli, even when it sometimes isn't neccessary.

if a parrot suddenly flies, gets startled, or tangles itself, the tether can:

• Twist, fracture or break the leg.

• Cause joint dislocations.

• Cut off circulation or cause nerve damage.

• Tear ligaments and muscle

• Break blood feathers in the wings and tail

  
  

In some cases, birds have even died mid-flight due to spinal or chest impact from being yanked back.

Once tangled, parrots panic—and as they struggle, they can cause deep cuts, amputations, or suffocation. This is especially dangerous if the bird is unattended for even a few seconds.

Mental Effects

Tethers interfere with a parrot’s sense of freedom and autonomy. I have never encountered a bird who likes to be restrained in any way. They especially hate having foreign objects on them which cause frustration and stress.

Parrots are also highly intelligent and emotionally complex—being physically restrained can by their human interferes with their bond with and perception of said human. Using tethers can cause:

• Learned helplessness

• Anxiety

• Increased biting or screaming

• Self mutilation (in an attempt to chew their way out of their restraint)

• Trust issues

• Long-term stress or trauma

This undermines training goals and can

damage your relationship with your bird.

False Sense of Security

The whole idea of using a leg tether in the first place is to keep a flighted bird safe when outdoors. What many fail to realize is that at the end of the day, an untrained bird is an untrained bird.

So if a tethered parrot were to somehow manage to accidentally escape from it's handler, it is still going to be unable to fly back to it's owner. Even is the bird is recall trained, it will be weighed down and therefore slowed down, putting it at higher risk of predators and also possibly tangling it up in a tree or fence, making it impossible to recall.

What to Use Instead: Safer Alternatives

1. Flight Training Indoors and/or Outdoors

Build flight confidence and recall indoors or in a controlled aviary before progressing outdoors.

If you’re interested in outdoor free flight, ensure you check out our live guided free flight course, use GPS trackers, and never rely on tethers.

2. Proper Flight Harness

While harnesses still aren't our favourite option, using a well-fitted parrot-specific harness designed for safety, comfort, and proper body distribution is still a much better option.

3. Enclosed Outdoor Aviaries

We would never force the idea of outdoor free flight or liberty flight on anyone. But we do know that outdoor time offers unmatched mental and physical benefits to your bird.

So while allowing your parrot to fly freely indoors should always be allowed, an outdoor aviary lets your bird enjoy sunshine and wind safely inside an outdoor enclosure. It offers enrichment without restraint or fear.

Final Thoughts

Using leg tethers ignores the bird’s needs in favor of human convenience. Our belief is that it’s inhumane, outdated, and completely avoidable.

As the world moves toward positive reinforcement, flight training, and behavior-based enrichment, the use of leg restraints has no place in modern parrot care.

If we truly love our parrots, we must protect not just their bodies—but their dignity and freedom. Let’s move beyond control and focus on connection, communication, and permission-based training.

Your parrot doesn’t need to be tethered—they need to be trained and trusted.