Parrots are highly intelligent, long-lived birds with complex social and behavioural needs. Meeting these needs in captivity requires significant commitment and appropriate husbandry.
Captive parrots frequently live with frustrated behavioural needs. Feather plucking, screaming, and self-mutilation are behavioural indicators of psychological distress that reflect inadequate environmental complexity, social isolation, or unmet foraging needs. The lifespan of large parrots means welfare problems may persist for decades. Prospective owners must understand the extraordinary commitment required before acquiring these birds.