An aviary bird refers to a bird kept in a captive environment in an enclosure, large cage or other structure. It does not refer to birds kept for a commercial purpose. Aviary birds do not include such bird groups as poultry, large parrots, racing pigeons or emus.
Examples of aviary birds include:
- budgerigars
- cockatiels
- love birds
- finches
- ornamental pheasants
- rock pigeons
- doves.
Allowable numbers
The number of aviary birds you can keep on your property depends on:
- the size of the bird
- the size of the aviary/enclosure
- if the birds are kept indoors or outdoors.
The tables below show the minimum requirements for the keeping of one pair of aviary birds. For more information about these requirements, please visit Queensland Government – Aviculture Code of Practice.
Minimum indoor or suspended cage dimensions for two birds (one pair)
| Size of bird (approximate length in millimetres) |
Minimum floor area (square metres) |
Minimum height of enclosure (millimetres) |
Increased floor area for each additional bird (square metres) |
| 100 |
0.10 |
340 |
0.10 |
| 200 |
0.16 |
340 |
0.10 |
| 300 |
0.50 |
900 |
0.25 |
| 400 |
1.00 |
900 |
0.60 |
| 500 |
2.25 |
1,500 |
0.85 |
| 900 |
4.00 |
1,500 |
1.40 |
Minimum outdoor aviary dimensions for two birds (one pair)
| Size of bird (approximate length in millimetres) |
Minimum floor area (square metres) |
Minimum height of enclosure (millimetres) |
Increased floor area for each additional bird (square meters) |
| 100 |
0.37 |
1,800 |
0.18 |
| 200 |
0.72 |
1,800 |
0.36 |
| 300 |
1.00 |
1,800 |
0.50 |
| 400 |
1.50 |
1,800 |
0.75 |
| 500 |
2.50 |
1,800 |
1.25 |
| 900 |
5.00 |
1,800 |
2.50 |
You may need a development approval if you want to keep more birds than is allowed. For more information please see Development in Logan.
Enclosure requirements
Providing a suitable enclosure is an important part of being a responsible pet owner.
Enclosures must:
- prevent the escape of bird/s
- be cleaned at least once a week
- be more than 900mm from the property boundary
- be more than 10 metres from any neighbouring houses.
General requirements
As a responsible pet owner, you must make sure that keeping aviary bird/s does not cause:
- a disturbance or disruption to a neighbour’s enjoyment of their own premises
- a nuisance, such as noise or odour
- a build-up of animal faeces
- breeding or harbouring of flies or vermin
- damage to property
- harm to human health or safety.
For more information about Animal Keeping Local Laws, please visit Local Law No. 4 (Animal Management) 2002, or Subordinate Local Law No. 4.1 (Animal Management) 2002 (PDF 474 KB).
Other bird types
Find out more about your responsibilities for the keeping of other bird types: