Songbirds kept for singing or display have complex welfare needs that small cages cannot meet.
Kept songbird welfare is compromised by the fundamental mismatch between cage environments and bird behavioral needs. Birds are evolved to fly — confinement in small cages prevents this primary mode of locomotion and the behavioral expression associated with it. Songbirds in small cages show stereotypic behaviors and feather plucking that indicate chronic frustration. The wild-capture of songbirds for the keeping trade also causes conservation harm to wild populations. Minimum cage size regulations — where they exist — typically fall far short of providing adequate welfare for birds that naturally range over large areas.