Credit: Amy Evenstad CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0

The Wild Bird Conservation Act (Act), a significant step in international conservation efforts to protect exotic birds subject to trade, became effective on October 23, 1992.

The Act focuses on bird species listed in the Appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Since most exotic pet birds (including parrots, cockatoos, and macaws but excluding budgerigars and cockatiels) are species listed under CITES, most are affected by the Act.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) issued regulations implementing the Act that provide for permits to allow foreign travel with your pet bird (domestic travel and sales are not affected). If you plan to take your pet bird with you on foreign travel, or your residence has been outside the United States for a year and you plan to travel to the United States with a pet bird, you will need to have a permit before you travel. These new regulations are in addition to any other existing requirements of CITES, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and other applicable statutes.

For the personal pet application form, 3-200-46, click here . For more information on permitting requirements, visit the Branch of Permits page.

For more information on traveling with your pet bird, please read our Traveling Abroad With Your Pet Bird . If you are unsure whether these regulations apply to you, contact the Service’s Division of Management Authority directly.