Editorial Policy
This page explains how PetsAndBirds.org decides what to publish, where the facts come from, how they’re checked, and what we do when we get something wrong.
It’s here so you can judge the site for yourself instead of taking our word for it.
What this site covers
PetsAndBirds.org is an independent reference for people who keep pet birds in the United States, or are deciding whether to. It’s for the first-time budgie owner, the family weighing a cockatiel against a pair of finches, and the person who already shares a house with a parrot, a cat, and a dog.
The guides cover seven areas: bird species, choosing a bird (costs, lifespans, and the law), daily care, health, birds and other pets, a safe home and yard, and gear.
Most solid information on birds sits in veterinary manuals, university handouts, and federal pages written for professionals. We read it, check it, and rewrite it for owners, with the source named beside each figure.
What this site isn’t
Not a breeder or a pet store. We don’t keep, breed, or sell birds. You won’t find stories about “our birds” here, because there aren’t any.
Not a veterinary practice. Nobody on the team is a veterinarian, and the next section explains what that means for what we write.
Not a product tester. Gear guides come from manufacturer documentation and patterns in verified buyer feedback, and they say which is which.
Not a stand-in for your avian vet. Your vet can examine your bird, weigh it, and run tests. A web page can’t.
Where our guidance stops
A pet bird weighs a few ounces and hides illness well, so small mistakes can turn serious fast. Four rules follow from that, and every page keeps them.
We describe. We don’t diagnose. A guide can explain what fluffed feathers or changed droppings might point to. It can’t tell you what your bird has. That takes an exam.
We publish no doses. Medications, supplements, and treatment for injuries are decisions for an avian vet. We explain what a treatment does. We never give the amount.
Species are not interchangeable. A budgie, a cockatiel, and a macaw differ in diet, cage size, noise, and lifespan by decades. Every figure on the site names the species it applies to.
Wild birds aren’t pets. Federal law protects most native birds, and we never suggest keeping one. Guides about wild birds stick to safe yards, feeders, and calling a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Who writes the guides
Four people research, write, check, and edit the site, each in a defined area. They’re listed on the About page.
Guides carry a shared Editorial Team byline because nearly every guide passes through more than one of them. Naming one author would hide the rest of the work.
How topics get chosen
A topic has to pass two tests before anyone writes it.
Do people actually ask it? We write for questions bird owners and would-be owners really search for and send us.
Can we answer it better than the pages already ranking? That usually means something specific: lifespans broken out by species instead of one average, a first-year cost that includes the cage and the vet, a hazard explained room by room, or a clear line between what’s legal to keep and what isn’t.
If a topic fails both tests, it doesn’t get written.
Where the information comes from
We start with the most authoritative source available and work down from there.
Veterinary references and schools. The Merck Veterinary Manual, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and other accredited veterinary colleges.
Federal and state agencies. The CDC for illnesses people can catch from birds, the US Fish and Wildlife Service for wildlife law, the USDA for bird imports and avian influenza, and state wildlife agencies for local rules.
University extension services. For garden and household products, such as Oregon State University Extension on lawn treatments.
Veterinary and bird care organizations. The Association of Avian Veterinarians, avian veterinarians writing for the American Federation of Aviculture, the ASPCA for poison control and care costs, and client handouts from animal hospitals such as the Animal Medical Center of New York and VCA.
Manufacturer documentation. Labels, specification sheets, and safety information for gear and household products.
Buyer feedback. Patterns across verified purchase reviews, used only for practical points like how a perch holds up or how easily a cage cleans, and always labeled as owner reports.
What needs a source
Any figure that changes by species or situation names its source in the same sentence. That covers lifespans, costs, diet proportions, cage sizes, sleep needs, toxic foods and fumes, disease risks to people, and legal rules.
Purchase prices are the one figure no university or agency publishes. When we give a price, we call it a typical range from current US listings, and we say it changes.
How figures get checked
Before a guide goes live, every figure is opened in the publication it cites. Not a summary, and not another site quoting it. The original.
If a claim can’t be traced to a named source, it comes out.
When sources disagree
They often do. Lifespan averages for the same species can differ by a decade between references, because they’re drawn from birds kept on very different diets and in very different homes.
When that happens, we give both figures and name both sources. An average of the two would be a number nobody actually published.
When the research is thin
Some questions don’t have strong published answers yet. Exact nutrient needs have been measured for chickens in far more detail than for most parrots, so some diet advice for pet birds rests on veterinary experience rather than controlled studies.
We say so when that’s the case. Admitting a gap is more useful than covering it with a confident guess.
How we write about species
No bird is the best bird for everyone. Each species guide sets out the same points: lifespan, noise, space, daily time needed, cost, and any legal limits, each with its source.
We cover the hard parts too. Large parrots can outlive their owners, scream for long stretches, and chew through furniture. Leaving that out would make a guide pleasanter and less useful.
How we cover products
Product guides follow tighter rules, because that’s where overstatement is most tempting.
- We don’t claim to have tested anything, because we don’t
- Specifications come from the maker, not from other review sites
- Practical points from buyer reviews are labeled as owner reports
- We don’t publish prices, which change too often to keep accurate
- We don’t link to prescription medications or supplements sold through vets
- We flag gear with known risks to birds, such as nonstick coatings that give off fumes when overheated
- Cage guides name the bird sizes a cage suits, because bar spacing that’s fine for a macaw can trap a budgie
If a product claim can’t be documented, it’s left out.
Money and independence
Some pages carry affiliate links, and we may earn a commission when you buy through one. The details are in our affiliate disclosure.
No company pays for coverage, a rating, or a place in a list, and no company sees a guide before it’s published. We don’t accept sponsored posts or paid guest posts.
Corrections and updates
Corrections. When we get something wrong, we fix it and note what changed and which source the fix came from. We don’t quietly swap a figure.
Updates. Research gets revised, laws change, and products are redesigned. When a source we rely on changes, the guide changes with it.
Reporting an error. Send the page and the figure to editor@petsandbirds.org. Telling us the species and the source you’re comparing against speeds things up.
Readers who keep birds often spot problems before we do. A correction is a favor, and we treat it like one.
Review schedule
Cost and gear guides are checked at least once a year, because prices and products change fastest. Legal guides are reviewed whenever a federal or state rule changes. Species and care guides are reviewed when their sources are updated or a reader flags something.
Images
Photos show real birds in safe, ordinary settings. We don’t show birds in cramped cages, near nonstick cookware, or within reach of a cat, because those are things our guides warn against.
Team photos on the About page show the actual people behind the site, and no other photo presents a person as an owner speaking for us. Charts are built from the same sourced figures as the guide they sit in.
Questions
Write to editor@petsandbirds.org. If any part of this policy is unclear, we want to know.
Last reviewed: 10/05/2026
