Wild capture of birds for the pet trade causes mortality, disrupts wild populations, and produces birds poorly adapted to captive life, creating welfare problems at every stage.
Wild capture for the bird trade inflicts welfare harm across the entire chain: trapping trauma, crowded holding, transport stress, and then a lifetime in captive conditions for birds evolved for complex wild environments. Wild-caught birds that survive often show chronic stress, feather-destructive behavior, and behavioral abnormalities that reduce welfare and make them challenging pets. The welfare case for choosing captive-bred birds from reputable breeders is clear, and for challenging species like large parrots, welfare concerns extend to questioning whether they should be kept as pets at all.