Bird

Adult chicken hens express their affective states via bare facial skin blushing and head feather movements

In mammals, facial expressions serve as a window into a variety of affective states. Emotional facial expressions in birds have received little scientific attention. Juvenile hens showed variations in their facial display, facial redness and head feather position, depending on...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Soulet, D., Love, S. A., Blache, M.-C. et al. 2025. Adult chicken hens express their affective states via bare facial skin blushing and head feather movements. Animal Behaviour 227, 123277.

Environmental enrichment in birds: Physical integrity, keel problems and locomotor responses

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of environmental enrichment on physical integrity, keel damage and locomotor problems in broiler chickens reared in a controlled environment at different ages. Ninety-six Cobb broiler chicks were used, reared in...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Nazareno, A. C., Silveira, R. M. F., Júnior, S. L. de C. et al. 2024. Environmental enrichment in birds: Physical integrity, keel problems and locomotor responses. Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology 12(2), 2024018.

Relative preference for different pecking blocks offered as pairwise comparisons in White and Brown-feathered laying hens

Different commercially available pecking blocks (PBs) have varying nutrient composition, appearance, and texture. However, the relative preferences of laying hens for different PBs are unknown. We housed 120 Dekalb White and 120 Bovans Brown in twelve (360 cm x 116 cm x...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Ehigbor, T. F., Kiarie, E. G., Harlander, A. et al. 2025. Relative preference for different pecking blocks offered as pairwise comparisons in White and Brown-feathered laying hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 290, 106708.

Future aviary design: The science of circular flight aviaries for avian welfare

Birds are kept in captive settings globally, and many of these birds are not flight-restrained. It is generally considered more ethical to house birds in aviaries than to practice flight restraint through wing clipping or pinioning, which means that aviaries...

Year Published: 2025Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Finch, Other Bird, Parrot

Citation: Brereton, J. E., Coe, J. C., Fernandez, E. J. 2025. Future aviary design: The science of circular flight aviaries for avian welfare. Zoo Biology 44(4), 293–303.

Dance behaviour in cockatoos: Implications for cognitive processes and welfare

Parrots (Aves, Psittaciformes) in captivity have been reported to show dance behaviour in response to music, which may involve complex cognitive processes including imitation, vocal learning and entrainment. Dance behaviour in parrots may be indicative of a positive welfare state...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Parrot

Citation: Lubke, N., Held, S. D. E., Massaro, M. et al. 2025. Dance behaviour in cockatoos: Implications for cognitive processes and welfare. PLOS ONE 20(8), e0328487.

Effects of flight restraint and housing conditions on feather corticosterone in white storks under human care

Flight is part of the natural behaviours of most bird species, and as a consequence, flight restraint in zoos, even for those species that are primarily ground-dwelling, encounters increasing animal welfare concerns. While previous studies on greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus)...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Housing, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Other Bird

Citation: Liermann, F., Baumgartner, K., Simon, R. et al. 2025. Effects of flight restraint and housing conditions on feather corticosterone in white storks under human care. Animals 15(13), 1878.

Mental Health and Well-being in Animals

Since the publication of the first edition of this book, professional and public concern for the well-being of animals has continued to increase throughout the world. Advances in research and technologies have yielded an enormous amount of new knowledge about...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Baboon, Bird, Capuchin, Cat, Chicken, Chimpanzee, Crocodile & Alligator, Dog, Equine, Fish, Gibbon, Goat, Lemur, Lizard, Macaque, Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate, Other Animal, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Parrot, Pig, Rabbit, Reptile, Salmon, Sheep, Snake, Squirrel Monkey, Trout, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: McMillan, F. D. (Ed.) 2025. Mental Health and Well-being in Animals (3rd ed.). CAB International, Oxfordshire, UK. 464 p.

Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals

This 30-chapter volume informs students and professionals about the behavioral biology of animals commonly housed in laboratory and other captive settings. Each species evolved under specific environmental conditions, resulting in unique behavioral patterns, many of which are maintained in captivity...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Rearing & Weaning, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Amphibian, Baboon, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Chicken, Crocodile & Alligator, Dog, Equine, Ferret, Finch, Fish, Fowl, Frog & Toad, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lizard, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile, Rodent, Salamander, Sheep, Snake, Squirrel Monkey, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey), Zebrafish

Citation: Coleman, K., Schapiro, S. J. (Eds.) 2022. Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals (1st Ed.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 560 p.

Meta-analysis on the effect of foraging on feather pecking and feather coverage

Feather pecking (FP) has been a longstanding concern in avian welfare because of its potential to inflict harm on bird plumage. Researchers have proposed the redirection hypothesis in studies investigating factors influencing FP, positing that pecking feathers serve as a...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Wen, J., Yang, S., Zhu, J. et al. 2025. Meta-analysis on the effect of foraging on feather pecking and feather coverage. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 285, 106584.

A gentling program decreases fear-related behaviour towards humans but not towards novel objects in broiler chickens

The human-animal-relationship is a crucial aspect of good animal welfare. Improvements in this regard might be particularly relevant for chickens, as their relationship with humans in commercial husbandry conditions is often limited to brief animal inspections (visual contact) on a...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Stocker, T., Nawroth, C., Puppe, B. et al. 2025. A gentling program decreases fear-related behaviour towards humans but not towards novel objects in broiler chickens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 290, 106710.