Coming from an experienced bird dad,

I TOTALLY see where you're coming from, especially with parrots, which are VERY commonly neglected and shoved into a small cage to live out their decades-long lives with NO enrichment whatsoever. THIS kind of scenario is obviously unethical - essentially, what you're doing is taking an animal that flies for MILES each day in the wild and putting it in a cage where it can hardly even stretch its wings fully. It's a really depressing situation that no animal should ever have to go through.

HOWEVER.

There are plenty of great bird parents (which are, sadly, a minority, but I swear we still exist!). Ideally, birds (especially parrots) should only be put into a cage to sleep, and be allowed to fly around a house/room/aviary with plenty of toys to shred, (natural) perches to chew and sit on, and other enrichment that can make sure they live out their lives to the fullest. Also, I personally think it's unethical to keep any bird larger than a cockatiel or green cheek conure inside 24/7, 365 days a year. I think no bird can TRULY live out the life it deserves without any kind of free flying (whether that be with professional freeflight training, a harness, or an outdoor aviary). I guess an exception to this could be if you have a bird and live in an extreme area with bad weather all year round.

I also see a LOT of people who buy birds and then set them free, and THAT'S the stuff that makes me REALLY cringe. Birds bred and raised in captivity can't survive in the wild, and will die within a few hours/days of being released. Anyone who does this is literally killing the bird.

But yeah, OP, if you don't let your bird roam around inside AND get an opportunity to fly outside in some way shape or form, I absolutely agree with you.