Nowadays, contraceptives for birds are more en more used for the prevention of reproduction and for therapeuticreasons. In female animals, the indications for the use of contraceptives are abundant or chronic egglaying,eggbinding, dystocia, salpingitis, impaction of the salpinx, prolapse of the cloaca or salpinx, rupture of the salpinx,ovarian neoplasia or ovarian cysts. In male animals contraceptives are administered to obtain teaser males, to preventreproduction, to treat testicular neoplasia and to improve the carcass quality of poultry. For several years researchershave been studying these diseases, their treatment and prevention. This review includes the hormonal therapies aswell as the surgical and endoscopic contraceptive techniques. Furthermore, the reproductive anatomy andendocrinology of birds are described. In bird practices, the administration of chemical contraceptives as well as theperformance of surgical techniques and endoscopies are on the increase. Since specialization is increasing rapidlyin small animal practices, it can be expected that these procedures will become more frequent in the future.