What you should consider is a bird that is going to do well flying outdoors and a bird that you will actually like and get along with. Both are perhaps just as important. Species that are a good choice for Free Flight are usually larger, louder and more the colorful ones. A large Scarlet Macaw is far more easy to spot in the sky or a tree then lets say a Senegal parrot. Often your bird might get out of your direct line of sight, but because of its loud contact call you will still hear it! A chirping budgie inside a 50 feet tall tree with the wind blowing will be very hard to hear. A Macaw or an Amazon or Cockatoo will be heard no problem, they are actually designed to be loud just for this purpose, so now we even have a reason to be happy when they "scream" :) I am not trying to discourage you from teaching your existing small parrot to fly, but you should know about the extra risk involved because of its size or color so you can make the final decision your self. It can be done, but it is a bit harder and more risky. A popular choice of a smaller size bird for Free Flight is a Sun Conure (Aratinga Solitaris) because of their vibrant colors and its loud screechy kind of call which can carry quite far.
 |
| Sun Conure / Aratinga Solitaris |
Some species are said to do better then others, but I do not believe in this theory and I know of people who fly almost any species from Lovebirds to Hyacinth Macaws. My theory on this is based on you and your ability and dedication to training your bird. This leads us to the most discussed subject in Free Flying world and that is whether to get a new baby bird or start with the one you already have?! But I cover this in more depth in my Getting a Baby vs. Older Bird article.