Instructions
Look at each long feather on the wing closely before clipping. If you find a feather that has a reddish-brown shaft down the center of it, do not cut that feather or any feather around it. The reddish brown indicates blood flow through the feather, and cutting it can cause the bird extreme pain. Wait for a few weeks while the feather matures and the center shaft is clear.
Using a pair of sharp scissors, begin to clip the long feathers from the outside in towards the bird's body. When clipping, clip them so that they are the same length as the covert feathers, which could be several inches. Your bird may try to struggle, but it is not because of pain as long as all of the feathers have matured. Clip the first four feathers on each wing from the outside in.
Let the bird do a test flight. If it can still get some vertical flight, clip one additional feather on each side and let it try again. However, always leave at least one long feather on the bird so that it can still land correctly.
Repeat until the bird is not able to fly upwards but can still glide downwards. Though you will have to repeat the process every time the bird molts, it will be worth it to ground an aggressive bird.
How to Clip the Wings on a Pet Bird
Clipping the wings of your pet bird is an easy task that you can have done or do yourself to stop your bet bird from being able to fly away. The wings that you clip will not exact any pain in the bird, as birds naturally molt and remove their own feathers at times. You are not hampering your bird's ability to glide downwards, just to fly upwards. Before trimming your bird's wings, observe the feathers on the wing. The longest feathers on the wings are the flight feathers and will be the ones that you will need to trim. The smaller row beneath these is the covert feathers and should never be trimmed as they can prevent your bird from being able to glide. Cutting them will cause moderate pain.