Every year several million exotic birds are trapped and shipped to Western countries as part of the lucrative international bird trade. The methods of capturing these birds cause injuries, shock and death to millions of birds each year. Often the birds are caught by a leg snare using a previously caught bird as a decoy. Once caught in the snare the bird is left dangling until the trapper comes to collect it some hours later. In another technique, previously captured birds are used as decoys to lure whole flocks of parrots.
Trappers then use nets to enclose the flock.
Many of the panicked birds are injured as trappers grab the birds and stuff them into crates. Yet another technique involves felling trees where parrots are nesting in an attempt to retrieve young birds. As parrots return to the same nests year after year, this practice threatens parrot populations by destroying their nesting areas. If a parrot does manage to survive capture, odds are the bird will not survive the journey to Western countries. The birds are often jammed into crates - at times hundreds per crate.