The Welfare Implications of Housing Captive Wild and Domesticated Birds

Stereotypic behaviours in Melopsittacus undulatus: Behavioural consequences of social and spatial limitations

“…Limitations in space, social interaction, and foraging opportunities are known to negatively affect the behaviour of parrots in captive environments (Garner et al, 2003;Meehan et al, 2003aMeehan et al, , 2003bMeehan et al, , 2004Meehan and Mench, 2006;Hawkins, 2010). However, guidelines on optimal strategies for the husbandry of parrots are scarce (King, 2000;Hawkins et al, 2001;Fair et al, 2010;Kalmar et al, 2010) and scientific findings are almost entirely based on a few large species that do not represent the most diffused and abundant parrots in captivity (Nicol and Pope, 1993;Gebhardt-Henrich and Steiger, 2006;Luescher and Luescher, 2006).…”

“…The study was carried out at the time in which non-invasive research in parrots did not require a numbered and formal authorization from the Italian Ministry of Health (June-July 2009-2010. Notably, behavioural observations of parrots in social housing conditions in very small cages were excluded from the experimental design to guarantee the safety of the animals and minimize potential confounds associated with the manifestation of conflicts among individuals.…”

“…Thus, it has been hypothesized that the development of stereotypies represents a coping strategy for reducing the magnitude of environmental-induced stress Meehan and Mench, 2006;Rushen and Mason, 2006;Wurbel et al, 2006). In this vein, it is commonly assumed that inadequate housing conditions cause frustration, stress, fear, and insufficient stimulation to animals that are not successful in fully displaying their natural behavioural repertoire (Mason, 1991;Carlstead, 1996;Meehan and Mench, 2006;Bateson and Feenders, 2010;Hawkins, 2010). Specifically, when environmental restrictions limit an individual from exhibiting goal-oriented behaviours (e.g.…”

“…/j.applanim.2015.009 0168-1591/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1996) and their presence in captive environments is associated with the unnatural evolution of speciesspecific behaviours (Hawkins, 2010). Thus, it has been hypothesized that the development of stereotypies represents a coping strategy for reducing the magnitude of environmental-induced stress Meehan and Mench, 2006;Rushen and Mason, 2006;Wurbel et al, 2006).…”

“…Nevertheless, stereotypic behaviours in captive parrots can be minimized by providing adequate housing conditions that include social and environmental enrichments (Meehan, 2002;Meehan and Mench, 2002;Meehan et al, 2003aMeehan et al, , 2003bMeehan et al, , 2004Garner et al, 2006). National and international recommendations on the care and housing in captive environments have been established for a wide range of birds (Hawkins, 2010). Yet, guidelines on optimal strategies for the housing of parrots are mainly focused on large species and evidence for their applicability on the most representative parrot species in captivity are surprisingly scarce (Nicol and Pope, 1993;King, 2000;Hawkins et al, 2001;Gebhardt-Henrich and Steiger, 2006;Schnegg et al, 2007;Fair et al, 2010;Kalmar et al, 2010;Polverino et al, 2012).…”