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Parrot Confidential – Why Wild Birds Don’t Belong in Captivity

by Jennie Richards · Published November 21, 2019 · Updated August 9, 2021

About

“No one knows the number of parrots in captivity—estimates range from 10 to 40 million in the U.S. Thousands are surrendered every year. What we are looking at is the failure of humans as companions to parrots.”

This is a documentary film for bird lovers, bird owners, potential bird owners, bird rescuers, breeders, and people who care about the plight of wild birds that are captured from the wild or bred into a life of captivity for pet ownership. Cockatoos, macaws, parrots and amazons—their exotic beauty, extreme intelligence and formidable language skills have jeopardized their well-being and fate, and made them a target for the underground and domestic bird industry. As the film vividly portrays, these wild birds are not designed to be domesticated, and captivity is very destructive for them physically, emotionally and mentally.

Their intense need to bond, complex emotional lives, and the ability to reach ages of up to 80 or 90 years complicate the equation further. Sooner or later, many owners come to the conclusion that they have taken on a more difficult challenge than they can handle, and turn to already overcrowded shelters and sanctuaries for help. From the wilds of Costa Rica to the suburbs of our own country, parrot owners, rescuers, breeders, sanctuary owners and biologists involved in conservation programs share their stories and the stories of their parrots in this bittersweet and unforgettable film about the difficulties and consequences of keeping and caring for parrots as pets.

Parrots do not belong in cages. If only more people understood their life in the wild and their true nature and basic needs, I believe they would think again before buying a parrot. For then they would understand the enormous demands that would be made on their time if they wanted to give their bird a satisfying life — that is, as satisfying as it could ever be in captivity. ~ Jane Goodall

“We never can offer them the quality of life they have in the wild.”

Film Length: 55 minutes

Film Produced: 2013

Watch the Film

Watch the full-length film on Amazon

More About Parrot Confidential on PBS Nature TV, 2013

Visit Web Resources: Conservation, Sanctuaries and Advocacy

Film Notes: Allison Argo, Director, on the Making of Parrot Confidential

What You Can Do to Help

Never Purchase a Bird – From a pet store or a chain like PETCO or PetSmart, which propagates and supports the illegal capture of birds from the wild in Mexico, Central and South America, Africa or Indonesia – or the breeding of wild birds. Both are cruel.
Never Breed Birds – That further adds to the overpopulation of available birds that are homeless, in rescue centers or are euthanized due to too many domestic birds available and not enough homes.
Rescue a Bird – If you want to adopt a bird, from a rescue center or sanctuary.
Become Educated About Wild Birds – Understand the needs of birds, their life span, how to enrich birds’ lives by helping them in the wild and in your own backyard.
Watch Birds in the Wild to Appreciate Them – Enjoy birds in their natural setting by watching them where they belong—in nature, free and wild. Photograph them, film them, but leave them alone and respect them. That is where they deserve to be.
Teach Kids to Respect Birds and Animals – Great article on how how to teach your children to respect birds and animals in their natural habitat.

Quotes from the Film

Nearly 1/3 of wild birds are endangered today.
No one knows the number of parrots in captivity—estimates range from 10 to 40 million in the U.S. Thousands are surrendered every year. What we are looking at is the failure of humans as companions to parrots.
Every bird has a story, every bird has a history, especially an emotional history, they carry their baggage with them.
Every cell in a parrot’s body is built for flight. Their wings can carry them 50 miles a day.
We stopped breeding parrots and opened a bird rescue sanctuary. A lot of breeders just stopped breeding. People who really care about parrots, don’t buy birds—they adopt. We need to conserve the parrots in the wild. ~ Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary
As numbers of birds dwindle in the wild, the number of rescues in captivity continues to increase. With sanctuaries struggling to stay afloat, the fate of unwanted parrots is becoming more precarious every day.
If Faegan was in the wild he’d have a flock, a mate, and would have babies—and be with his partner, forever.
The stress that captive parrots are under is immense. We house them in cages, we cut their wings, we don’t allow them to be with their own species—you can imagine the stress we put on these animals. Clipped wings and cages guarantee a sedentary life. Heart disease is all too common now.
The care requirements are so huge you never feel like you’ve been successful. From the first day I got Molly, my resolve was to make his life better— every single day. When people ask what the right size cage is for Macaws—there is NO right size cage. It is the sky, it’s infinite.
The numbers for surrendering birds is staggering. To the point where our rescue now has over 1,000 birds.
Every bird has to be fed, watered, cages cleaned 3-4 times a day, it’s a labor of love.
After living in a smoke-filled house for over 30 years, I saw a bird in crisis. His feathers were greasy with nicotine, he was self-mutilated, he was physically addicted to the nicotine. He started having seizures without the nicotine. When they do physical damage to themselves, it’s like self-mutilating. Plus he was malnourished his whole life. He is getting better.
Not everyone is cracked up to own one. I felt I was contributing to a problem. Many of the birds we have now have been adopted out, but they come back. It’s a huge problem.
Birds—when they bond, it’s a mate-bond—for life. You, we — become their life.
You cannot be angry with them, they are still wild animals.
Parrots have never been domesticated, unlike dogs and cats. They have complex social lives like primates.
Their language skills are remarkably advanced. They learn to speak much as humans do.
If you sound like others, you’re a member of their group. They even speak in regional dialects, and some are bilingual.
They are very tightly bonded with each other.
The ranch hands will often poach the parrots. The ranch hands will steal the newborn chicks out of the nest to sell them. It’s awful.
The illicit trade in exotic birds has become a multi-billion-dollar business.
In 1992, the U.S. banned the importation of wild birds. But before that, pet stores were filled with wild parrots.
They are very social animals, they are right up there with apes and humans.
A wild parrot is seldom alone. A native parrot is seldom out of ear shot of others. Solitude is rare for them.
Every day we get emails, that’s the hardest part of our lives now, we have to say “no” a lot.
It turns out people were giving me their parrots, because they are very difficult birds. Quickly, I was over-run by parrots. The birds took over the house. At one time, we had over 300 parrots. The house had become a sanctuary.
Where were all these unwanted parrots coming from? From South America, Africa, Asia, Indonesia. Parrots were streaming in from the wild. But when it became illegal to import parrots into the U.S., then they were bred domestically. There are no regulations.
40 years ago, if you purchased a parrot, it would almost certainly be from the wild. Capture and transport took a terrible toll on them. It’s been estimated that over 70 percent of parrots that were transported from the wild—died.
The ARA Project is breeding rescued Macaws to release them to the wild.
You take on this living creature, it’s your responsibility. They are not pets, you can put it in the pet shop, but they are not pets.
I wish for all of them to have a long happy life in the wild, not just for Jeffrey. ~ Bird sanctuary raising baby birds to release into the wild