Is it permissible to keep birds inside a cage?

It is permissible to keep ornamental birds and similar creatures in special cages for their beauty or sound, provided that they are given food and water. Scholars have inferred this from what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did with Abu Umair, the brother of Anas ibn Malik, who had a bird called "al-Nughayr." The Prophet playfully said to him: "O Abu Umair, what has become of al-Nughayr?" Sheikh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz mentioned that there is no harm in this if the necessary food and water are provided for them. The Permanent Committee clarified that selling and keeping ornamental birds is permissible, because looking at them and listening to their sounds is a permissible purpose, and no text has been narrated that prohibits it. Rather, what has been narrated indicates the permissibility of keeping them confined while providing them with food and drink. Some scholars, however, are of the opinion that keeping them for breeding is disliked or forbidden, considering it a form of extravagance or folly.