World Animal Protection Blows Lid Off The Bird Mill Industry

Global organization releases groundbreaking, undercover footage documenting how birds are produced for the pet trade in the US.

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, World Animal Protection and Strategies for Ethical and Environmental Development (SEED) released the first-of-its-kind undercover investigation footage exposing appalling and disturbing animal cruelty taking place at US bird mills. 

Hundreds of thousands of birds are bred in mills and shipped to pet stores across the US every year. 

Undercover investigator, Pete Paxton, documented animal cruelty at four US Department of Agriculture-licensed bird mills in Oklahoma and Texas.

The investigation, which took place during May and August 2025, revealed extreme cruelty, including thousands of birds confined in tiny cages covered in feces and dust, birds left vulnerable to the elements, enduring blistering heat in the summer and freezing cold in the winter, with little or no protection, and even a bird mill owner admitting to suffocating birds he couldn't sell with a plastic bag. Additional findings included a garbage bin overflowing with dead birds and severed body parts, and birds confined in cages alongside rats, and even the decomposing bodies of dead rats.

Grammy Award–winning recording artist and World Animal Protection US Celebrity Ambassador Mýa narrates a concise, one-minute video highlighting the investigation's key findings.

Liz Cabrera Holtz, Senior Campaigns Manager, World Animal Protection, US, states 

"Much like the heartbreaking realities of puppy mills, bird mills strip animals of everything natural to them. At bird mills, birds are crammed into dirty, feces-encrusted cages for years. Some birds will never feel the sun on their wings or breathe fresh air. These are not isolated incidents—these are all USDA-licensed facilities. This is how birds are produced for pet stores in the US." 

The Animal Welfare Act is supposed to protect birds from cruelty, but it's poorly enforced and sets minimal welfare requirements. As a result, parrots, who are exceptionally social and travel for miles in the wild, are left trapped in small cages, unable to express natural behaviors.

As mills flood the US with parrots, bird sanctuaries and rescues are in crisis. Few accredited parrot sanctuaries exist in the US, and most rescues and shelters don't accept birds. The rescue community is overwhelmed with requests from people who want to surrender their parrots.  

That's because birds don't belong in cages. Parrots are meant to fly through wide-open skies and roost with large flocks. Isolated and caged in human homes, many parrots develop challenging behaviors such as self-mutilation (feather plucking), screaming, and biting.  

Help shut down cruel bird mills. Visit dontbuybirds.org  

Notes to Editors:      

For more information contact: 

Jeanne Turkheimer, Communications and Influencer Relations Manager 

[email protected] 646- 783-2210

About World Animal Protection 

World Animal Protection is a global organization working to end animal exploitation. We expose cruel systems, promote animal-friendly alternatives, and influence policy change. For 75 years, we've been rewriting the story for animals.

Working across almost 50 countries with offices in 12, we prioritize animals in farming and wild animals exploited for use in entertainment, as pets, and in fashion.

SOURCE World Animal Protection