Cockatiels: does the right enrichment actually cut plucking? A 2025 study puts a number on it
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
Telling an owner whose bird plucks its feathers to "add more toys" stays vague advice as long as nobody knows which type of enrichment actually works, and by how much. A 2025 study on captive cockatiels puts precise numbers on exactly that (see the study). More on this is gathered in the bird toys and enrichment category.
Contents · 5 sections
What does the study on cockatiels show?
A study by Aguiar, Châline and de Azevedo, published in 2025 in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, separately tested two enrichment categories on captive cockatiels: manipulable objects (toys, shreddable material) and food-based enrichment (hidden or extractable food). The key finding: plucking directed at a companion bird dropped by 58% and self-directed plucking by 43% compared with the no-enrichment baseline. Manipulable objects drew more interaction than food-based enrichment alone, a clear gap between the two categories tested.
Why do objects outperform food alone?
Food-based enrichment keeps a bird occupied for as long as it takes to consume or extract the food, then stops once the resource runs out. A manipulable or shreddable object, by contrast, stays available continuously and taps into a behavior close to the vegetation-destroying activity seen in the wild, with no time limit tied to a food quantity. That doesn't make food-based enrichment useless: the two approaches remain complementary, but the study warns against relying solely on seed dispensers while assuming that covers the full need for occupation.
What this study does not show
It covers captive cockatiels in a controlled experimental setting, not every home configuration; the size of the measured drop doesn't transfer as-is to a bird living in very different conditions. The study also doesn't establish a minimum enrichment dose below which the effect disappears, nor whether too many objects would dull their appeal — a point covered separately in our guide to how many toys to install.
What this means for choosing toys
- Prioritize manipulable objects (soft wood, rope, shreddable cardboard) rather than relying entirely on seed dispensers, drawing on ideas from our guide to foraging toys for birds.
- Combine both categories rather than picking just one: the study measures a clear effect for each, without indicating that either alone is sufficient.
- Rotate objects regularly, since interest in an identical toy fades over time regardless of its category.
Frequently asked questions
Does this study apply to species other than cockatiels?
It covers only this species; the underlying mechanism (objects more engaging than food alone) is plausible elsewhere, but the exact size of the effect hasn't been measured in other parrots.
Does existing plucking disappear with enrichment alone?
The study shows a clear reduction, not a total or guaranteed disappearance: long-standing plucking or a medical cause may still need veterinary input alongside enrichment.
Should food-based enrichment be dropped in favor of objects?
No, the study measures a positive effect from both categories: objects simply drew more interaction in this specific protocol. Find all our guides in the bird hub.
In our shop, for this use: Natural wood play stand for budgies: perch, ladder and ring (€30.90) · the whole shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Birds universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.
