Does he flap his wings at all? Have you ever discussed this with your vet when the bird was in for an exam?
Some birds that were clipped before they fledged may never fly because they never learned.....then if a bird's wings were injured at a young age, they may not be able to flap them properly or they are pained by flapping/trying to flap them.....
It may be that you're just going to have to be sure he is always on a relatively low perch/perching area.....
This was just a statement, not a question. African grays are stocky birds with relatively small rounded wings and short tails. His lack of experience, and naturally heavy body, are what causes him to dive bomb.
Yes, he flaps very hard when on my hand. So hard he lifts himself up off my hand and panics. It's so sad, poor guy.
I only recently adopted him, but his parronts have taken him to the same avian vet as Rosie for his 20 years were they have all his records, and he's up to date. I am confident in his health and will take him to the vet when he trust me(or a emergency) so I don't destroy our new, very fragile, developing trust.
I've known birds that were caged for so long, their wing muscles atrophied so much that they couldn't fly. Do things with him that make him flap his wings, like having him on your arm, and dropping your arm enough that he raises his wings to steady himself. DO NOT DROP HIM! And let him walk on the floor, and exercise his feet to strengthen them.
He was kept in a bird safe room were he was free to come and go from his cage as he pleased when people were home. His parronts took very good care of him. His feet aren't that weak, they are just weaker than other grays I've met. He walked around everyday, and has no trouble standing on perches or balancing on one foot. His feet are just a little weaker then other African grays I know. Most have a vice grip in my experience.
A lot of people drop their hands to force their birds to put their wings up, but we need to remember that our hands must be a reliable perch. Especially with birds who are new to us. Dropping our hands suddenly so they put their wings up does not enforce this. With Rosie I will gently tilt my hand so she raises her wings slowly, but never drop it.
