An Entertainment Abuses Article from All-Creatures.org

Parrots Do Not Make Good Household Companions

From Lorin Lindner, PhD, MPH, Parrot C.A.R.E. / Serenity Park
August 2023

"Birds are flock animals and wired for connection to a partner or a flock. Social isolation is psychologically damaging to them. To thrive, birds need the freedom to carry out their normal behaviors. In the wild, birds spend 90% of the day foraging. Activities such as preening with partners, flying miles each day, nesting, breeding, and raising chicks are all integral to the health of birds. Parrots in captivity are suffering in ways that don't get recognized." - Dr. Pliny

See Lorin's book Birds of a Feather

"The whole issue here is free will. How are we impacting that? How are we removing that? When does that then lead to a level of undesirability as pets?" Dr. Pliny

According to a new study by Anne Tygesen and Björn Forkman titled "The Parrot–Owner Relationship and Problem Behaviors in Parrots" many, if not most, of the millions of parrots kept as family companions “do not receive adequate care, and their well-being suffers in unexpected ways.”

The authors looked at reports of problematic behaviors in parrots which may result from frequent owner changes, being home alone for extended periods of time, and the lack of company from fellow birds. While the authors acknowledge that parrots “have a high need for being social” they fail to mention that parrots also have many other needs that humans are only just beginning to understand.

While the authors say that “the majority of parrots are still being kept in subpar conditions” and that they hope that humans will treat companion parrots with more compassion, respect, and dignity they still encourage the keeping of parrots “for company, or as a hobby or professionally” and do not acknowledge that the treatment of parrots in captivity often takes the form of animal abuse and neglect simply by being kept in solitary confinement.

In addition, they use a false, disproved analogy that parrots “have an intelligence similar to that of a child and can learn many tricks and interact with humans somewhat like children do.” The fact is that parrots are capable of elaborate courtship rituals, the building of intricate nests and the raising of young, often co-parenting while finding adequate food sources for their brood. Young human children are not even capable of conceiving how to engage in these complex behaviors.

While I agree with the authors that all countries need to, at the very least, develop official minimum requirements and guidelines for parrot husbandry, I believe that that should be the case for parrots already in captivity and every effort should be made to discourage parrot ownership, stop the breeding of parrots in this country, and stop the worldwide theft of parrots from their native lands for sale in other countries.

Around the same time that this article came out, Drs. Patricia Latas and Anthony Pilny provided great insight into the consequences of wildlife trafficking and parrots in captivity at the 2023 AVMA Convention.

Here, these two veterinarians and parrot advocates stated the following:

“Birds are flock animals and wired for connection to a partner or a flock. Social isolation is psychologically damaging to them. To thrive, birds need the freedom to carry out their normal behaviors. In the wild, birds spend 90% of the day foraging. Activities such as preening with partners, flying miles each day, nesting, breeding, and raising chicks are all integral to the health of birds. Parrots in captivity are suffering in ways that don't get recognized.

For smuggled birds, the ultimate goal is to return parrots and their valuable genetics back to the population from which they originated, to ensure that wild parrots remain free and healthy, and to achieve true justice for victims of these crimes. Illicit parrot trafficking is an estimated $45-50 billion annual industry, and it causes harm at every step to the people and birds involved.”

The vets also addressed, “the serious issue that animal rescues and sanctuaries are facing with the number of unwanted pet birds. Relinquishment rates are high, and most pet birds are kept for less than three years before the owner tries to surrender them. The situation is especially challenging because when birds cannot engage in their natural behaviors, health and behavior problems arise, such as chronic disease, self-injury, aggression, biting, and screaming—making it even more difficult to properly assess and rehome them.” 

Birds have unique captive care requirements. Often pet stores and breeders do not prepare people for the considerable financial, physical, and emotional costs involved. Dr. Pliny

It can be challenging to create a captive environment that effectively serves the needs of a bird.

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