Bird Cage Lighting – Why It Matters & What Works Well

by Christina Gravalis, Executive Director/

Cascadia Pigeon Rescue

Note: We do not profit from any product recommendations made in this article. These are just the products we use and the ones we think work best.

Overview

Indoor birds can miss out on important wavelengths of light that they would naturally get from direct sunlight. Sunlight isn’t just “visible light” — it also includes UVA and UVB rays, which birds use for key biological functions. UVA helps their vision and mental well-being, while UVB is essential for producing vitamin D3, which supports proper calcium metabolism, strong bones, healthy feather growth, immune function, and normal hormonal balance. Normal indoor lighting and sunlight that passes through glass do not provide adequate UV.

Why UV Light Matters for Bird Vision

Pigeons, like most birds, are tetrachromatic, meaning they have four types of color receptors in their eyes. Humans have three. That fourth receptor allows birds to see ultraviolet (UV) light, a part of the spectrum completely invisible to us. To a pigeon, UV isn’t some exotic extra—it’s a normal part of how their world looks.

Because birds evolved to see UV, their visual system depends on it. When pigeons don’t have access to UV light:

• Their perception of color becomes incomplete or distorted.
Many natural colors (feathers, plants, sky reflections, even food items) look different—or lose their meaning—without UV.

• They have difficulty reading social cues.
Birds communicate using subtle UV patterns in their feathers and skin. Without UV, they may miss signals related to mate choice, flock interactions, and emotional state.

• They can’t accurately assess objects around them.
UV helps with orientation, depth perception, and recognizing shapes and edges. Their navigation and environmental understanding decrease without it.

• They may experience reduced stimulation and mental engagement.
Birds kept in purely visible-light environments live in a visually “flattened” world. The absence of UV can contribute to boredom, stress, and abnormal behaviors.

• Some biological rhythms depend on UV exposure.
UV wavelengths interact with non-visual photoreceptors in the brain that regulate hormones, circadian rhythms, and seasonal behavior.

In short, UV light isn’t optional for pigeons—it’s part of their normal visual biology. Without it, they cannot use their eyes the way they were designed to.

This is why high-quality bird lighting (such as the Arcadia PureSun systems) includes controlled, safe levels of UVA. It restores a missing part of their visual spectrum and allows them to perceive their environment correctly, improving mental well-being, behavior, communication, and overall quality of life.This is why many indoor bird keepers use specialized bird lighting designed to mimic natural daylight and provide safe UVA/UVB exposure.

What the Arcadia PureSun / PureSun-Midi System Does

The Arcadia PureSun-Midi lighting kit is a full-spectrum lighting system made specifically for birds. It produces balanced daylight-quality illumination with controlled levels of UVA and UVB — typically around 12% UVA and 2.4% UVB when installed correctly. This allows birds to use the light the way they would natural sunlight.

Benefits include:

• Natural vitamin D3 production

• Healthy bone and feather development

• Improved appetite and natural behaviors

• Better visual enrichment (birds see UV as part of their normal color spectrum)

These systems typically use T5 fluorescent tubes with built-in reflectors, designed to spread light evenly over the cage and create a safe “basking zone” where the bird can receive appropriate UV exposure.

Examples of Effective Bird Lighting

• Arcadia PureSun Compact Bird Light Kit — A compact, flicker-free UV light kit suitable for small to medium cages, providing appropriate UVA/UVB output.
• Arcadia PureSun E26 Compact Bulb (20 W) — A plug-in compact bulb offering strong UVA/UVB output (around 2.4% UVB) for a variety of cage setups.
• Arcadia FBC20X Compact Bird Lamp — A high-quality 20-watt lamp with UVB output for use in compatible fixtures.
• Arcadia Bird Lamp T8 UVB Fluorescent Tube — A T8 fluorescent UVB option compatible with standard T8 fixtures (check for correct ballast type).

There are other lighting systems designed for reptiles (such as Arcadia ProT5), but for bird cages it’s best to use lighting specifically marketed as avian-safe full spectrum because the UV output ratios and reflectors are optimized for birds, not reptiles. The goal is not to blast the bird with UV, but to provide gentle, biologically appropriate light.

How to Use Bird Lighting Safely

• Install the light above the cage, allowing the bird access to both a lit area and shaded areas.
• Position perches so the bird can sit comfortably 8–12 inches (20–30 cm) from the lamp for appropriate UV exposure.
• Replace the UV bulb annually, even if it still looks bright — visible light remains, but UV output declines steadily.
• Avoid spraying water near the bulb or fixture.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for distance, timing, and mounting.

Recommended Daily Photoperiod for Pigeons

For healthy indoor pigeons, the ideal photoperiod is:

10–12 hours of light + 12–14 hours of uninterrupted darkness

This supports:

• normal hormone regulation

• stable circadian rhythms

• healthy sleep

• proper molt cycles

• reduced chronic hormonal stimulation (important for preventing reproductive disease)

Important Details

• Darkness must be real darkness.
No hallway lights, TVs, night lights, or LEDs shining toward the cage. Birds require complete darkness for deep sleep.

• More light = more hormones.
Consistently more than ~12 hours of light per day elevates reproductive hormones, increasing the risk of chronic laying, egg-binding, hormonal aggression, and reproductive tumors.

• Shorter daylight hours can help reduce hormonal problems.
Many avian vets recommend 10 hours of light / 14 hours darkness for companion pigeons, especially chronic layers.

• Run the UVB lamp only during the “daytime” portion.
Typically 4–8 hours of UVB exposure is sufficient, depending on lamp strength and distance.

In Short

Indoor pigeons do best with 10–12 hours of daylight and 12–14 hours of true darkness each day to regulate hormones, support sleep, and maintain healthy circadian rhythms.

Where To Buy:

If you are having trouble buying a bird light or figuring out which one will work for your birds, please just give us a call or shoot us a message on facebook on Cascadia Pigeon Rescue’s page, we are happy to help. Unfortunately, links to lights like these change frequently depending on stock and, lately, tariffs have affected shipping of Arcadia lighting equipment to the United States, You will have to look up the individual bulbs online and figure out which ones will ship to you. You cannot buy them directly from Arcadia’s website, only from other retailers.