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 could be used as welfare indicators f...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Animal Welfare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0962728624000617/type/journal_article |
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| author | Andrea Piseddu Yvonne RA van Zeeland Jean-Loup Rault |
| author_facet | Andrea Piseddu Yvonne RA van Zeeland Jean-Loup Rault |
| author_sort | Andrea Piseddu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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 could be used as welfare indicators for companion parrots. From 1,848 peer-reviewed studies retrieved, 98 met our inclusion and exclusion criteria (e.g. experimental studies, captive parrots). For each outcome collected, validity was assessed based on the statistical significance reported by the authors, as other validity parameters were rarely provided for evaluation. Feasibility was assigned by considering the need for specific instruments, veterinary-level expertise or handling the parrot. A total of 1,512 outcomes were evaluated, of which 572 had a significant P-value and were considered feasible. These included changes in behaviour (e.g. activity level, social interactions, exploration), body measurements (e.g. body weight, plumage condition) and abnormal behaviours, amongst others. Many physical and physiological parameters were identified that either require experimental validation, or veterinary-level skills and expertise, limiting their potential use by parrot owners themselves. Moreover, a high risk of bias undermined the internal validity of these outcomes, while a strong taxonomic bias, a predominance of studies on parrots in laboratories, and an underrepresentation of companion parrots jeopardised their external validity. These results provide a promising starting point for validating a set of welfare indicators in parrots. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e2d14b7606f84b6e916a7471e41c95fc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0962-7286 2054-1538 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animal Welfare |
| spelling | doaj-art-e2d14b7606f84b6e916a7471e41c95fc2024-12-05T10:47:19ZengCambridge University PressAnimal Welfare0962-72862054-15382024-01-013310.1017/awf.2024.61What we (don’t) know about parrot welfare: Finding welfare indicators through a systematic literature reviewAndrea Piseddu0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3695-5565Yvonne RA van Zeeland1https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7450-981XJean-Loup Rault2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6015-8318Centre for Animal Nutrition and Welfare, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, AustriaDivision of Zoological Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 108, 3584 CM Utrecht, The NetherlandsCentre for Animal Nutrition and Welfare, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, AustriaParrots 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 could be used as welfare indicators for companion parrots. From 1,848 peer-reviewed studies retrieved, 98 met our inclusion and exclusion criteria (e.g. experimental studies, captive parrots). For each outcome collected, validity was assessed based on the statistical significance reported by the authors, as other validity parameters were rarely provided for evaluation. Feasibility was assigned by considering the need for specific instruments, veterinary-level expertise or handling the parrot. A total of 1,512 outcomes were evaluated, of which 572 had a significant P-value and were considered feasible. These included changes in behaviour (e.g. activity level, social interactions, exploration), body measurements (e.g. body weight, plumage condition) and abnormal behaviours, amongst others. Many physical and physiological parameters were identified that either require experimental validation, or veterinary-level skills and expertise, limiting their potential use by parrot owners themselves. Moreover, a high risk of bias undermined the internal validity of these outcomes, while a strong taxonomic bias, a predominance of studies on parrots in laboratories, and an underrepresentation of companion parrots jeopardised their external validity. These results provide a promising starting point for validating a set of welfare indicators in parrots.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0962728624000617/type/journal_articleanimal welfarefeasibilityPsittaciformesvaliditywelfare assessmentwelfare indicator |
| spellingShingle | Andrea Piseddu Yvonne RA van Zeeland Jean-Loup Rault What we (don’t) know about parrot welfare: Finding welfare indicators through a systematic literature review Animal Welfare animal welfare feasibility Psittaciformes validity welfare assessment welfare indicator |
| title | What we (don’t) know about parrot welfare: Finding welfare indicators through a systematic literature review |
| title_full | What we (don’t) know about parrot welfare: Finding welfare indicators through a systematic literature review |
| title_fullStr | What we (don’t) know about parrot welfare: Finding welfare indicators through a systematic literature review |
| title_full_unstemmed | What we (don’t) know about parrot welfare: Finding welfare indicators through a systematic literature review |
| title_short | What we (don’t) know about parrot welfare: Finding welfare indicators through a systematic literature review |
| title_sort | what we don t know about parrot welfare finding welfare indicators through a systematic literature review |
| topic | animal welfare feasibility Psittaciformes validity welfare assessment welfare indicator |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0962728624000617/type/journal_article |
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