Do you let your child chase birds?

I think it's just your SIL, I see kids chase the pigeons at the park all the time -- my kid among them

it depends...

crows, pidgeons, robins, hummingbirds (that one is fun to watch) etc. ok kiddo chase away. he really thinks he will catch them.

ducks and geese with babies...no. they will not leave their flightless babies and will protect them. ds will get hurt.

poor little guy doesn't actually want to *chase* them, he wants to pet them but they fly away I guess we need to go to the petting farm more often.

What if the kid chases them with food, thinking he's going to give it to them, yelling FOOD BIRD EAT!!?!?

I think it's all in the context. There is a great cafe in our neighborhood where people eat outside and some toss crumbs to the pigeons. I let my daughter chase the birds. Once I heard a woman pointedly tell her daughter not to 'be mean and scare the poor birds', loud enough for me to hear. But really the pigeons have the total advantage of flight and if they felt threatened they would not come back, as they did, over and over.

I agree tho, any animal which cannot get away, adult or baby: never.

This reminds me of squirrels. I have two big dogs and I've often wondered why the squirrels seem to love running along the top of our fence and leaping into the tree when it looks to me like a suicide run with my shepherd racing after them. Then I saw a special on TV that said "Squirrels are the Evil Knievals of the nature world..." and the theory was that they often seemed to enjoy provoking a chase and could gauge when they were really in danger. Years of living predator-free in the suburbs has changed things for many animals. Yesterday I was talking to my neighbor when a wild rabbit hopped up nonchalantly between our feet.

My son doesn't chase anything except the dog and cats in our house right now, but I can't imagine I would discourage him from trying to catch birds. To someone so small, I'm sure that something being on the ground and then being in the air must be so amazing and exciting that they just want to see it (over and over, like everything else they do!). I don't think it's cruel at all - simply because the birds aren't being caught or even close to being touched, and when birds are in the road, they have to get out of the way for cars, so I don't think it's really any different. Besides, if they don't want to be chased by little kids, perhaps they could hang out in the trees or go elsewhere until all is clear! I agree that if they truly feel threatened, they won't hang out.

I'm a bird lover. I don't think it's too harmful to chase birds that can easily fly away. But it's probably a good opportunity to start teaching appropriate behaviour around different animals. I have 2 pet birds and I get really annoyed at people who try to stick their fingers in the cage - it's the birds home, it's violating their territory and it's threatening to them. Birds are so smart, my male cockatiel will bite and draw blood if he's angry yet he's very tolerant of my 17 mo dd. If she gets a chance, she'll try to stick her fingers in the cage to tough them but they'll just hiss at her. They could have bitten her several times but they haven't. They seem to know she's just a baby. If I'd done what dd had done (teasing them), they would have bitten me hard.

I'm surprised how many people think it's no big deal to tease animals and birds. Recently, I saw some children get off a school bus and a girl, about 8ish came flying off the bus to chase 2 geese who had about 7 babies with them. dd and I had been watching this goose family. The 2 adults of course tried to defend their babies and hissed and charged the girl who thought that was really funny. I automatically yelled at her and told her off although it took ME a while to scare this girl off. When I rejoined my friends, I told them about it and they didn't think it was a big deal. I was really upset for this goose family for quite a while after that, concerned they had to live in this neighbourhood with this horrible little girl.

Wombat, I agree about the opportunity to teach where the line is. Animals in cages and animals that can't get away should never be teased or picked at. My son is learning that lesson (verrrrrrrrryyyyy sssloooooooooowwwly) with my dog.

I have friends who have pet birds and I was amazed at how intelligent and...well, pet-like they are!

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YOU GO GIRL!

Thank you!

My response:

Wild birds? Maybe, and I mean Maybe!

Pet birds-absolutely not!

I have 2 pet birds as well. My parrot is as smart as most toddlers. It is a complete and total violation of him and his space for people to approach him and assume he can be handled and messed with!

So I guess I probably transfer some of that concern over to wild birds as well. Now I do realize that we are speaking of your basic bird here. But I do wonder how most moms would transfer this to a house pet bird? You know if you had a friend who had a bird, would you allow your child to go pet and mess with the bird. Thinking that this is a teaching tool? Or do you worry about your kid getting bitten? Or do you concern yourself with the pet? I'm really just asking. Hope I'm not coming across as snarky. I don't mean it at all!

Did anybody know that crows are one of the smartest animals in the kingdom.

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Oh! Yeah! My Harry cuddles with me and gives kisses and love as well as my dog! He snuggles and gets close. I hug him and pull him close. He's the bomb!

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Oh, we are very respectful of pets and animals in general around here. My mom has two cockatiels, and ds is very gentle and respectful with them. We have taught him not to stick his hands in the cage (which he was a little hesitant to do anyway). At pet stores or the zoo I never let him bang on the cage or the window or anything like that. He knows how to be very gentle with dogs and cats. I am both concerned with the animal AND with ds being bitten. He knows to ask before he pets a dog or goes up to any strange animals.

We live in a big city and there are pigeons everywhere - that is mainly what I am referring to. I would never let him chase little baby ducks or mommy birds with baby birds, or anything that couldn't easily get away. It's pretty much pigeons, and sometimes squirrels, both of which easily outrun him!