Birds Should Fly Free

Think Outside the Cage

There is no such animal as a “cage bird.” All caged birds were either captured or bred in captivity. In the wild, these beautiful beings are never alone—ever. And if they become separated for even a moment, they call wildly to their flockmates. They preen each other, fly together, play, and share egg-incubation duties. Many bird species mate for life and share parenting tasks.

Unfortunately for birds, the very qualities that we find admirable and fascinating about them—their brilliant colors, speech capabilities, and intelligence—have made them the third-most-popular type of animal companion in the United States. It’s estimated that in the U.S., 40 million birds are kept caged and captive—bored, lonely, and a long way from home.

Because irresponsible retailers sell birds and other animals to people who buy them on impulse—including some people who don’t have a clue about how to properly care for them—countless birds spend their entire lives unable even to use or stretch their wings, confined to small cages, and deprived of the vital companionship of other birds.

Driven mad from boredom and loneliness, caged birds often become aggressive, neurotic, and self-destructive. They pull out their own feathers, incessantly bob their heads, peck over and over again at cage bars, and shake or even collapse from anxiety.

Just as there are puppy mills, there are now enormous bird factories, where breeders warehouse thousands of parrots and other exotic birds and remove their offspring in order to sell them. These birds are frequently kept in dim lighting and confined to dirty cages, where they are unable to fully stretch their wings. Like dogs on chains, caged birds crave freedom and companionship, even if they have always been deprived of those things.

Learn More

• If you already care for a bird in your house, learn ways to improve your bird’s health and provide stimulation while keeping your bird safe.
• If you don’t have a captive bird, don’t get one. If you must get one, consider rescuing a bird who has been removed from an abusive situation. Even better, add a bird feeder, bird baths, and bird houses to your back yard and transform your yard into a mini-sanctuary for free-flying birds.
• Learn more about the bird market and its unscrupulous suppliers and about good and bad bird sanctuaries.
• Find out why buying a bird from a pet store contributes to the problems that birds face.

What You Can Do

• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. PETA can give you letter-writing suggestions.
• Sport PETA’s new “Friends Don’t Cage Friends” T-shirt.

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