Parrots are among the most cognitively demanding companion animals, with welfare needs that most households are poorly equipped to meet.
Companion parrot welfare is characterised by a fundamental mismatch between the species' cognitive complexity and the environments most owners can realistically provide. Parrots in inadequate care develop chronic behavioural disorders — feather destructive behaviour, repetitive screaming, aggression — that cause suffering and exhaust owners, often leading to further rehoming. The welfare-positive approach involves pre-purchase education that is honest about requirements, species-appropriate environments for those who do keep parrots, and species-appropriate alternative companionship programmes for parrots whose owners cannot meet their needs. The ethical question of whether highly intelligent, social, long-lived wild animals should be kept as companions at all deserves serious consideration.