The wild bird trade causes significant welfare impacts at individual and population levels. Understanding the scale and nature of these impacts informs consumer choices and conservation advocacy.
The wild bird trade causes catastrophic welfare impacts at every stage from capture to sale. Wild birds experience the extreme stress of capture, confinement in transport with unfamiliar birds, inadequate food and water, disease transmission in crowded holding facilities, and high mortality rates. Surviving birds arrive in poor condition requiring significant recovery time. The ongoing welfare challenges of captive confinement for wild-caught birds are severe as birds evolved for free flight adapt poorly to cage living. Only captive-bred birds from reputable breeders provide welfare outcomes that are comparable to acceptable aviculture standards.