Feather destructive behaviour affects an estimated 10% of companion parrots and represents a major welfare problem indicating chronic psychological distress, inadequate environment, or underlying health issues.
Feather plucking is a visible signal of a bird in crisis, and its prevalence in companion parrots reflects the fundamental mismatch between the complex social and environmental needs of wild parrots and the impoverished conditions of most captive settings. Parrots are long-lived, cognitively complex social animals that form lifelong pair bonds and live in rich flock environments in the wild. A single parrot in a cage in a quiet house experiences profound social deprivation. Addressing feather plucking requires treating the whole environment rather than just the behaviour: social companionship, foraging complexity, space, and understanding that parrots need human engagement measured in hours per day.