When do baby doves take their first flight?
Yesterday!
My wife was bringing baby-bird-with-no-name back into the house after a feeding, and she (he? it?) left her hand and flew about 10 feet to land on the side of a palm tree.
This morning, I had taken her outside for feeding, and when she was done, she walked to the edge of the table and launched herself onto the back of a nearby chair. Missing the backrest completely, she started to fall downwards, so to save face, she flapped harder and made it another six feet or so to land on the edge of a planter.
Let’s be honest here, I’m being kind when I say she ‘flew’–it was more of a well-controlled fall. But she has discovered the biggest difference between us, and I’m sure she’ll be showing off as much as she can from now on.
She’s one step closer to her independance, and that’s a Good Thing.