How many exotic birds are captured in the wild each year?
The number of birds taken from the wild for the bird trade is estimated to be in the millions, however it is impossible to determine the exact number for several reasons. First, the trade in birds within their countries of origin may be as large or larger than the international export trade and there exist no systematic surveys of the number of captive birds held within exporting countries. Another is that export numbers fail to account for the number of birds that die during capture and transportation prior to export. It has been estimated that up to four times as many parrots are captured than make it to market. Finally, export statistics track only the legal trade and, as such, fail to take into account the number of birds smuggled illegally into the trade. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the illegal trade in wildlife is second only to that of drugs in the United States. How big is the exotic bird breeding industry? The size of the United States bird breeding industr
