Owls kept for falconry and public display present significant welfare challenges - they are solitary, nocturnal predators with specialized needs that make captive welfare difficult to achieve and easy to overlook.
Tethering is one of the most significant welfare concerns for falconry owls - tethered birds cannot perform natural locomotion, preening, or stretching, and chronic tethering causes foot problems including bumblefoot. Daylight display events expose nocturnal species to stressful light levels and crowd noise during their normal resting period. Educational owl displays that hold owls in gloved-hand contact for extended periods cause physiological stress responses. The welfare of captive owls requires night-active housing arrangements, appropriate tethering limits, access to flight, and species-specific dietary provision. Public demand for owl encounters has driven expansion of often-inadequate owl cafes and display operations.