Bird

Contrafreeloading and its influencing factors in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus): Implications for their feeding and welfare (2025)

Contrafreeloading (CFL) refers to animals' tendency to prefer obtaining food through effort rather than accessing food that is freely available. Researchers have proposed various hypotheses to explain this intriguing phenomenon, but few studies have provided a comprehensive analysis of the...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Parrot

Citation: Tao, Y., Zhu, Y.-T., Li, H. et al. 2025. Contrafreeloading and its influencing factors in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus): Implications for their feeding and welfare. Animal Welfare 34, e21

Alleviating isolation stress in chickens: The benefits of home pen playback and mirrors (2025)

This study investigated whether the provision of (1) a mirror or (2) video and sound playback of conspecifics in the home pen (i.e., playback) could alleviate stress in socially isolated adult domestic chickens. Thirty adult chickens participated in the study,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Sirovnik, J. 2025. Alleviating isolation stress in chickens: The benefits of home pen playback and mirrors. PLOS ONE 20(2), e0318126.

Assessment of minimum stable areas for young ostriches according to animal welfare legislation (2025)

Regarding the ongoing global development of commercial ostrich husbandry, it is necessary to establish science-based recommendations for the appropriate treatment and welfare of ostriches. In this study, we determined the minimum housing area required for ostriches aged between 6 and...

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

Citation: Rückschloss, S., Schüttpelz, R. N., Korbel, R. 2025. Assessment of minimum stable areas for young ostriches according to animal welfare legislation. Animals 15(4), 582.

Analysis of the reliability of feather sections for corticosterone measurement in pekin ducks

The aim of this study was to identify the feather section, among the whole feather, rachis, and vane, with the highest reliability for corticosterone measurement in 10 Pekin ducks aged 42 days. In total, 60 samples (i.e., 20 per section)...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Bird, Fowl

Citation: Lim, S.-J., Kim, C. H., Yang, K. Y. et al. 2025. Analysis of the reliability of feather sections for corticosterone measurement in pekin ducks. Animals 15(2), 138.

What we (don’t) know about parrot welfare: Finding welfare indicators through a systematic literature review

Parrots are popular companion animals but show prevalent and at times severe welfare issues. Nonetheless, there are no scientific tools available to assess parrot welfare. The aim of this systematic review was to identify valid and feasible outcome measures that...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Parrot

Citation: Piseddu, A., Zeeland, Y. R. van, Rault, J.-L. 2024. What we (don't) know about parrot welfare: Finding welfare indicators through a systematic literature review. Animal Welfare 33, e57.

Less activity means improved welfare? How pair housing influences pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) behaviour

The activity level and specific behaviours exhibited by captive animals are crucial indicators of welfare. Stereotypies, or repetitive behaviours that have no apparent function or goal, are performed by animals experiencing poor conditions in their environment and indicate welfare concerns....

Year Published: 2024Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Bird, Other Bird

Citation: Wolff, L. M., Stevens, J. R. 2024. Less activity means improved welfare? How pair housing influences pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) behaviour. Animal Welfare 33, e49.

Familiarity of an environment prevents song suppression in isolated zebra finches

Despite the wide use of zebra finches as an animal model to study vocal learning and production, little is known about impacts on their welfare caused by routine experimental manipulations such as changing their social context. Here we conduct a...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Bird, Finch

Citation: Zai, A. T., Rodrigues, D. I., Stepien, A. E. et al. 2025. Familiarity of an environment prevents song suppression in isolated zebra finches. PLOS ONE 20(1), e0307126.

Social enrichment improves affective state and foraging behavior compared to physical enrichment, while maintaining growth performance in broiler chickens

Environmental enrichment is key for improving the broiler welfare in intensive production systems. This study lasted for 43 days and evaluated the effects of physical and social enrichment on broiler welfare. A total of 96 one-day-old male broilers were divided...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Herrera-Alcaíno, S., Luna, D., González-Pavez, J. et al. 2024. Social enrichment improves affective state and foraging behavior compared to physical enrichment, while maintaining growth performance in broiler chickens. Animals 14(22), 3186.

Do cockatiels choose their favourite tunes? Use of touchscreen for animal welfare enhancement and insights into musical preferences

Music may be one of the oldest forms of art, and its appreciation is thought to be universal among humans. Music could also represent a useful tool to improve captive animals' welfare, especially if individuals can choose the music they...

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

Citation: Le Covec, M., Di Stasi, R., Aimé, C. et al. 2024. Do cockatiels choose their favourite tunes? Use of touchscreen for animal welfare enhancement and insights into musical preferences. Animals 14(24), 3609.

Perches used as environmental enrichment influence fast-growth broilers’ biomechanics and locomotor morphometry at the age of 42 days

Currently available conventional breeding methods for broilers often result in impaired biomechanics and skeletal growth for the animals. The addition of environmental enrichment is an alternative which can help alleviate these effects. This study examines the effects of environmental enrichment...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Nazareno, A. C., Silveira, R. M. F., Fernandes, D. P. B. et al. 2024. Perches used as environmental enrichment influence fast-growth broilers' biomechanics and locomotor morphometry at the age of 42 days. PLOS ONE 19(11), e0313214.