Statewide Retail Parrot Sale Ban to Be Considered to Protect Birds From Breeding Factory Horrors

For Immediate Release:
June 30, 2026

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Boston, MA –

On the heels of an explosive PETA investigation into Creekside Birds, a huge parakeet breeding operation with ties to PetSmart and Petco, tomorrow the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will consider a bill that would ban the retail sale of parrots in Massachusetts.

H.5137, initiated by Animal Research Initiative and supported by PETA, World Animal Protection, and the International Alliance for the Protection of Parrots—a coalition of veterinarians, avian rescues, conservation organizations, and parrot guardians—would protect all birds in the order Psittaciformes, which includes parakeets, macaws, cockatoos, amazons, lorikeets, and more. PETA Manager Jakob Shaw will testify in support of the bill at tomorrow’s hearing.

*Living and dead parakeets crammed into filthy cages at Creekside Birds, a massive pet store supplier. Photo: PETA*

“Parrots can live for decades, form lifelong bonds with their mates, and in nature travel vast distances every day with their flocks—yet in cages, these highly social birds are isolated and denied everything that’s natural and important to them,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges Massachusetts residents to support H.5137 to stop this needless suffering and reminds everyone never to buy any animal from a breeder or pet store.”

PETA’s investigation into Creekside Birds revealed 10,000 birds crammed into tiny, filthy cages; staff killing birds by crushing their necks, slamming them against the ground, or even ripping their heads off; and sick and injured birds left to suffer for weeks without veterinary care. Nearly 1,400 birds were found dead in just 27 days.

Parrots are highly social animals who, in nature, live in close-knit flocks and stay in near-constant communication with one another, flying and foraging together during the day and sleeping together in the same tree at night. PETA points out that it’s nearly impossible to meet parrots’ complex physical, social, and psychological needs in captivity, and the birds suffer immensely as a result. Parrot rescues and shelters throughout the Northeast are inundated with requests from owners to take in birds, as people realize too late that they’re unprepared for the animals’ specialized care requirements. For these reasons and more, four Massachusetts municipalities—Arlington, Beverly, Brookline, and Cambridge—have already adopted legislation banning the sale of parrots.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and fear, a parrot is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.