Bird category growth shifts toward wellness and enrichment
Bottom line
Bird products are gaining ground inside the broader pet market in 2026, according to Pet Age’s category analysis, with growth concentrated in supplements, vitamins, and toys, even as bird food remains the dominant segment at roughly $1.17 billion. The broader backdrop supports that read: APPA says total U.S. pet industry expenditures reached $158 billion in 2025 and projected continued growth in 2026, while its 2026 reporting format puts more emphasis on trend interpretation and category-level business use. At the same time, bird care is increasingly being discussed through a wellness lens, not just a basic feed-and-cage lens, which helps explain why enrichment and nutrition-adjacent products are outpacing some legacy purchasing patterns. (americanpetproducts.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the shift is notable because it aligns with long-standing clinical concerns in avian medicine. The University of Illinois notes that diet-related disease remains one of the most common problems seen by avian veterinarians, and that seed-heavy diets can contribute to hypovitaminosis A, calcium deficiency, obesity, hepatic lipidosis, and atherosclerosis. That means rising consumer interest in vitamins, supplements, and toys could create more openings for preventive counseling, diet conversion support, and conversations about evidence-based enrichment, but it also raises the risk of oversupplementation or poorly targeted products if pet parents self-direct care. (vetmed.illinois.edu)
What to watch: Expect closer attention on whether bird-category growth continues to favor wellness and enrichment products, and whether veterinary guidance becomes a bigger part of how those products are marketed and used. (americanpetproducts.org)
Bird products are one of the quieter growth stories in the 2026 pet market. Pet Age reports that the category is expanding through supplements, vitamins, and toys, while bird food still accounts for the largest share of spending at about $1.17 billion. That suggests the bird aisle is no longer defined only by staple feed purchases, but increasingly by wellness-adjacent and enrichment products. (americanpetproducts.org)
The timing fits a broader industry reset around how pet market data is being framed. APPA said U.S. pet industry expenditures hit $158 billion in 2025 and were expected to keep rising in 2026. In April 2026, the group also said its State of the Industry report had been redesigned to be more narrative, more citation-friendly, and easier for businesses to use across strategy, ecommerce, marketing, and veterinary services. In other words, the industry is not just tracking sales, it’s trying to explain what those sales mean. (americanpetproducts.org)
Within that context, bird-category growth appears to be following the same consumer logic seen elsewhere in pet: spending is moving toward products that promise health support, engagement, and quality of life. APPA’s research blog has separately highlighted bird ownership as an overlooked but high-engagement segment, reinforcing the idea that bird households may be especially receptive to products tied to interaction and daily care routines. Public company disclosures also point to the commercial importance of the segment. Central Garden & Pet, whose portfolio includes Kaytee, describes itself in its 2025 annual report as a leading manufacturer of supplies and food for small animals and pet birds, underscoring that bird nutrition and accessories remain meaningful retail categories even if they get less attention than dog and cat. (americanpetproducts.org)
For veterinarians, though, the clinical backdrop matters as much as the market one. The University of Illinois veterinary college said in June 2026 that diet-related disease remains one of the most common issues encountered by avian veterinarians, with seed-based diets still contributing to chronic deficiencies and metabolic disease. Its clinicians point to hypovitaminosis A, calcium deficiency, reproductive disease, obesity, hepatic lipidosis, and atherosclerosis as recurring consequences of poor nutrition. Merck Veterinary Manual similarly notes that many pet birds have historically been fed seed- and nut-based diets lacking essential vitamins and minerals. (vetmed.illinois.edu)
That makes the rise of supplements and vitamins a double-edged development. On one hand, it may reflect a healthier consumer focus on prevention and a willingness to spend on avian wellness. On the other, the evidence base for supplements in birds is uneven. A 2026 review indexed by PubMed noted that cardiovascular disease is common in pet psittacine birds and said fish oil has some of the stronger scientific support among nutritional supplements used in birds, but that does not translate into blanket support for routine, unsupervised supplementation across the category. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
There’s also a strong enrichment angle here. Toys showing growth alongside supplements suggests pet parents may be responding to a more complete view of avian health, one that includes behavior and environment, not just feed. That aligns with veterinary messaging that whole-food supplementation, foraging opportunities, and appropriate husbandry are part of preventive care. It also creates a practical opening for clinics to connect nutrition counseling with enrichment counseling, especially for parrots and other long-lived companion birds that often present with chronic, husbandry-linked conditions. (vetmed.illinois.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinary teams, this trend is less about retail performance than about where client conversations are headed. If bird-category growth is increasingly concentrated in vitamins, supplements, and toys, clinics may see more pet parents arriving with specific product questions, more assumptions that “wellness” items are inherently beneficial, and more need for species-specific guidance. That creates an opportunity for practices to position themselves as trusted advisors on pellet conversion, targeted supplementation, calcium and vitamin A risk, safe enrichment, and the difference between evidence-based support and unnecessary add-ons. (vetmed.illinois.edu)
What to watch: The next signal will be whether 2026 and 2027 market reporting breaks out bird wellness spending in more detail, and whether manufacturers and retailers begin tying bird supplements and enrichment more explicitly to veterinary education, clinical nutrition, and preventive care messaging. (americanpetproducts.org)