A new scientific study analyzing 120 bird species has revealed that masturbation is a natural and healthy sexual behavior that occurs more frequently in wild birds than in captive ones, as reported by The Guardian.
Researchers compiled data from bird experts, breeders, online communities, and published scientific literature to investigate avian self-pleasure.
>>> Mike Myers Receives Academy Icon Award at Canadian Screen Awards
The findings challenge traditional assumptions that the behavior is harmful or triggered solely by the stress of captivity.
The study, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, warns that veterinary interventions designed to stop the behavior could cause severe damage to the animals.
These common interventions range from removing toys and perches to administering hormone treatments and performing surgery.
Natural Behavior Across Species
"Our big finding is that masturbation is not a negative response to captivity," said Dr Chloe Heys, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Lancashire in Preston.
Heys noted that the behavior is widespread and forms a normal part of the avian sexual repertoire.
"This is widespread in birds and we found it’s a perfectly natural and healthy behaviour that’s part of their repertoire of sexual behaviours," Heys said.
The research team documented the behavior across multiple species, including ducks, chickens, turkeys, and parrots, with a slightly higher frequency reported in males.
"I had a pet cockatiel that masturbated all the time," Heys said. The researcher explained that the physical actions associated with the behavior are highly distinctive.
"If you’ve ever seen a bird masturbate, you absolutely know what that bird is doing," Heys said.
According to the collected data, male birds typically rub against objects like perches, toys, or human hands, while females tend to lift their tails and back onto convenient surfaces.
>>> Clearwater Police Detain Multiple Suspects After Beachfront Teen Gathering Shooting
This activity is sometimes accompanied by unique vocalizations and wing flapping.
"I don’t want to say satisfied, but they do look different after they finish. It’s obviously doing something for them," Heys said.
The survey of hobbyists revealed that many owners seek veterinary help out of fear that their birds might injure themselves, leading some vets to recommend physical or chemical disruptions.
"In really extreme cases, vets would give the birds drugs or hormonal therapies to stop them doing this," Heys said.
Heys criticized extreme medical actions, such as surgical alteration, as entirely unnecessary. "There have even been cases of surgery to completely de-sex birds, which is bonkers," Heys said.
The researcher emphasized that medical intervention should be reserved only for a tiny minority of cases where physical injury occurs.
"Vets shouldn’t be advising owners to stop birds doing this unless it’s obviously caused a chronic problem like a prolapse, but that’s the absolute minority of cases," Heys added.
Independent experts noted that the publication offers crucial guidance for veterinary practitioners interacting with anxious pet owners.
"This research is pivotal and will be a step towards achieving a more holistic understanding of why and how birds behave the way they do," said Dr Ana Basto, a vet at the University of Lancashire who was not involved in the study.
The co-authors stated that the data contributes to a broader scientific understanding of non-reproductive sexual behaviors across diverse animal species.
>>> HBO Concludes Euphoria Season Three as Future Renewals Face Uncertainty
"The fact that masturbation seems to be even more common in wild birds than those in captivity has huge implications for their welfare, especially given that folk husbandry often advises bird keepers to discourage or punish this behaviour, sometimes even resorting to surgery and hormonal interventions," said Dr Matilda Brindle, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford University and the study’s co-author.
