Birds kept as companion animals have complex needs that are rarely fully met in captivity, with significant welfare implications for individuals across all species.
Companion birds suffer from a fundamental incompatibility between their complex social, cognitive, and spatial needs and the environments most owners provide. Parrots that bond intensely to one owner and are then separated or rehomed experience genuine grief responses. Cage sizes legal in the UK are often far smaller than minimum welfare recommendations from avian veterinary specialists. Feather plucking is a stereotypic self-directed behaviour indicating severe psychological distress. Long-lived species like macaws that outlive their owners face repeated rehoming with associated trauma. The welfare case for reconsidering large parrot keeping is increasingly compelling.