I was afraid Cody, my cockatiel, would be miserable wearing a collar. It only took him a day to get used to it. The soft material is light weight and non-irritating. The XS size is perfect for a cockatiel. I don't know what one would do with a flighted bird if it needed a collar, but Cody has arthritic wings and can't fly anyway. (The hat is AI; the collar is real)