Education Dept. Series - Part II: - The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species & Purchasing CITES Birds in the U.S

Education Department Series - Part II:

The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species
and Purchasing CITES Birds in the U.S

By Kerri McCoy

I confess that prior to mid 1999 I was uneducated when it came to CITES. It wasn't until my family began preparing for a move to Canada that I realized that CITES directly affected my bird keeping hobby. As I began preparation to organize the move of my aviaries I was informed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service that I had CITES birds and would be required to apply for CITES export permits if I wished to take my finches with me to Canada! The last two years have been a real educational eye opener for me in regards to rules, regulations and legislation involving both the United States and Canada that directly affect my hobby.

It has become increasingly evident that bird hobbyists in general are lacking in knowledge as it relates to laws that effect bird keeping. In the past I would only casually glance at an article that focused on government laws regulating bird keeping. It is becoming increasingly critical that all bird hobbyists educate themselves with the laws that govern our hobby. Whether you are small time hobbyist with perhaps one pair of birds, or a full-scale breeder with hundreds, the rules still affect us all.

I had always been under the impression that CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), WBCA (Wild Bird Conservation Act, ESA (Endangered Species Act), USFW rules and regulations (US Fish and Wildlife) had little to no affect on my bird keeping hobby. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. These articles will be done in a series. Each will focus on a different aspect of laws that govern the birdkeeping hobby.

The CITES treaty went into effect in 1975. To date there are 152 party countries involved with this treaty. For a detailed listing of all participating countries visit: http://international.fws.gov/cites/citeslop.html The United States began involvement in the CITES treaty on July 1, 1975.

CITES is comprised of three Appendices. They are as follows:

Appendix 1: which protects threatened species from all international commercial trade. Trade in specimens of these species must be subject to particularly strict regulation in order not to endanger further their survival and must only be authorized in exceptional circumstances. An example of an Appendix 1 listed bird would be the Red Siskin (carduelis cucullata).

Appendix II: species that are not currently rare or endangered but could become so if trade is not regulated. The species being traded must be covered by an appropriate Convention export permit issued by the government of the exporting nation before entry to or export from the US will be allowed. An example of an Appendix II listed bird would be the Parson Finch (Poephila cincta cincta).

Appendix III: species that are not necessarily endangered but are managed within the listing nation. The species being traded must be covered by an appropriate Convention export permit if trade is with the listing nation, or by a certificate of origin or a re-export certificate if trade is with a nation other than the listing nation, as required by the Convention. An example of an Appendix III listed bird would be the Goldbreasted Waxbill (Amandava subflava).

I know that many of you right about now are beginning to tune out. However, please endeavor to stay with me. Below is a complete listing of finch species that are currently under CITES regulation. Many of you will be surprised to see some of the species listed:

Appendix I:

Carduelis cucullata – Red Siskin

Appendix II:

Amandava formosa – Green Avadavat

Carduelis yarrellii – Yellow-faced Siskin

Gubernatrix cristata – Yellow Cardinal, Green Cardinal

Padda oryzivora – Java Rice Bird, Java Sparrow

Paroaria capitata – Yellow-billed Cardinal

Paroaria coronata – Red-crested Cardinal

Poephila cincta cincta – Southern Black-throated Finch, Parson Finch

Appendix III:

Amadina fasciata – Cutthroat Finch, Ribbon Finch

Amandava subflava – Orange-breasted or Gold-breasted Waxbill

Amblyospiza albifrons – Grosbeak Weaver, Thick-billed Weaver

Anaplectes rubriceps – Red-headed Weaver

Anomalospiza imberbis – Parasitic Weaver, Cuckoo Weaver

Bubalornis albirostris – White-billed Buffalo Weaver

Estrilda astrild – Saint Helena Waxbill, Common Waxbill

Estrilda caerulescens – Lavender Firefinch, Lavender Waxbill

Estrilda melpoda – Orange-cheeked Waxbill

Estrilda troglodytes – Red-eared Waxbill, Black-rumped Waxbill

Euplectes afer – Golden Bishop, Napoleon Weaver

Euplectes ardens – Red-collared Widowbird or Red-collared Whydah

Euplectes franciscanus – Orange Weaver, Orange Bishop

Euplectes hordeaceus – Black-winged Bishop, Fire-crowned Bishop

Euplectes macrourus – Yellow-mantled Whydah, Yellow-backed Whydah

Lagonosticta rara – Black-bellied Firefinch, Black-bellied Waxbill

Lagonosticta rubricata – African Firefinch, Blue-billed Firefinch

Lagonosticta rufopicta – Bar-breasted Firefinch, Bar-breasted Waxbill

Lagonosticta senegala – Senegal Firefinch, Red-billed Firefinch

Lagonosticta vinacea – Vinaceous Firefinch, Vinaceous Waxbill

Lonchura bicolor – Black-and-white Munia, Black-and-white Mannikin

Lonchura cantans – African Silverbill

Lonchura cucullata – Bronze-winged Mannikin, Bronze Mannikin

Lonchura fringilloides – Magpie Mannikin, Pied Mannikin

Malimbus cassini – Black-throated Malimbe, Cassin’s Malimbe

Malimbus malimbicus – Crested Malimbe

Malimbus nitens – Gray’s Malimbe, Blue-billed Malimbe

Malimbus rubricollis – Red-headed Malimbe, Red-headed Weaver

Malimbus scutatus – Red-vented Malimbe

Mandingoa nitidula – Green-backed Twinspot, Green Twinspot

Nesocharis capistrata – Gray-headed Olive-back, White-cheeked Olive Weaver

Nigrita bicolor – Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch

Nigrita canicapilla – Gray-crowned Negrofinch, Gray-headed Negrofinch

Nigrita fusconota – White-breasted Negrofinch

Nigrita luteifrons – Pale-fronted Negrofinch

Ortygospiza atricollis – African Quailfinch

Pachyphantes superciliosus – Compact Weaver

Parmoptila rubrifrons – Red-fronted Antpecker, Jameson’s Antpecker

Passer griseus – Gray-headed Sparrow

Petronia dentata – Bush Sparrow, Bush Petronia

Pholidornis rushiae – Tit-hylia

Plocepasser superciliosus – Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver

Ploceus albinucha – White-naped Weaver, Maxwell’s Black Weaver

Ploceus aurantius – Orange Weaver

Ploceus cucullatus – Village Weaver, Spot-backed Weaver

Ploceus heuglini – Heuglin’s Masked-Weaver

Ploceus luteolus – Little Weaver

Ploceus melanocephalus – Black-headed Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver

Ploceus nigerrimus – Vieillot’s Black Weaver

Ploceus nigricollis – Black-necked Weaver

Ploceus pelzelni – Slender-billed Weaver

Ploceus preussi – Preuss’s Weaver, Yellow-capped or Golden-backed Weaver

Ploceus tricolor – Yellow-mantled Weaver

Ploceus vitellinus – Vitelline Masked-Weaver

Pyrenestes ostrinus – Black-bellied Seedcracker

Pytilia hypogrammica – Red-faced Pytilia, Yellow-winged Pytilia

Pytilia phoenicoptera – Aurora Finch, Crimson-winged or Red-winged Pytilia

Quelea erythrops – Red-headed Quelea, Red-headed Dioch

Serinus canicapillus – West African Seedeater

Serinus leucopygius – White-rumped Seedeater, Gray Singing Finch

Serinus mozambicus – Yellow-fronted Canary, Green Singing Finch

Spermophaga haematina – Western Bluebill, Blue-billed Weaver

Sporopipes frontalis – Speckle-fronted Weaver, Scaly-fronted Weaver

Uraeginthus bengalus – Red-cheeked Cordonbleu, Cordonbleu

Vidua chalybeata – Green or Village Indigobird, Senegal Combassou

Vidua interjecta – Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah

Vidua larvaticola – Baka Indigobird

Vidua macroura – Pin-tailed Whydah

Vidua orientalis – Northern Paradise-Whydah

Vidua raricola – Jambandu Indigobird

Vidua togoensis – Togo Paradise-Whydah

Vidua wilsoni – Pale-winged Indigobird, Wilson’s Indigobird

The exhaustive list, which includes numerous softbill and other bird species is available in its entirety at: http://international.fws.gov/cites/cites.html For those without internet access you can write for the full appendices at the following address: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Management Authority, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington, VA 22203 Phone: 800-358-2104, Fax: 703-358-2281.

The full CITES appendices are categorized as follows: latin name, common name, appendix listing, country listing the wildlife and date of its inclusion in the CITES appendices. Please note: it is best to look up the latin name of a species rather than looking under the common name. Many species are listed under common names that are not commonly used here in the US. Example: Goldbreasted waxbill is listed on the CITES appendices under zebra waxbill.

Many of you by now have come to realize that you have some of these species in your aviaries. You are however questioning how all of this affects you since you are not moving out of the country or intending to import birds any time soon. It is however very important for all hobbyists to understand that CITES affects them even when they are not crossing a country border or importing stock.

We have all attended bird fairs from time to time. We have all purchased birds through the years from fellow hobbyists we know and sometimes those we don’t. I don’t think there is a single hobbyist reading this article that hasn’t purchased birds at some time. We all need to add new bloodlines to our existing ones. We all are bitten by the bug and add a new species to challenge us. And, we have unfortunately lost a mate to this or that that needs replacing. This is all common practice of the birdkeeping hobby. It is, however, very important for hobbyists to understand when they are potentially jeopardizing themselves and unknowingly breaking the laws that are put in place to regulate our hobby.

Purchasing CITES birds within the US: The laws in Canada differ somewhat from the US in terms of the importation of CITES species. CITES species are allowed importation into Canada provided they have proper CITES permits attached to the shipment. This rule however, differs somewhat in the United States.

US Rule states that CITES birds that are imported into the United States after 1992 must have a WBCA permit. As stated in a previous article the Red Siskin is the only finch specie currently under WBCA permit. Presently, that means that any more than two CITES finches CANNOT be imported into the United States legally per person per year without a Cooperative Breeding Program permit.

Many of us keep CITES birds. Many of us have purchased CITES birds here in the United States and never questioned their origin; imports or domestics it didn’t matter provided we were able to obtain the species we were looking for. And, since the implementation of the WBCA it has become increasingly difficult to locate many CITES species. I however implore each and every one of you to follow the below recommendations the next time you make a purchase.

#1 If you are purchasing a CITES bird question the seller whether the bird is domestically raised or imported.

#2 If domestically raised, get a signed statement from the seller stating such and keep this with your records.

#3 If imported, understand that only 2 CITES birds per person per year are allowed LEGAL importation into the United States without a Cooperative Breeding Program permit. If you see a 100 certain imported CITES finch species available for sale, walk away unless the Seller can provide you with documentation guaranteeing you of their legality. And, that would mean that 50 people would have each had to have imported 2 of those finches each for them to be legal.

#4 If you raise CITES birds take care to keep careful records of your breedings. Close band your birds to increase the ability to prove their legitimacy. The majority of us practice record keeping of some form or fashion. It is important to keep accurate records of breedings, bills of sale and any and all paperwork related to a purchase or sale of a CITES bird.

#5 Understand that it is YOUR responsibility to prove the legitimacy of birds in your aviaries should you ever be questioned by authorities. "I don’t know" or "What's CITES" doesn’t cut it today. If you purchase illegal CITES birds you run the risk of having them confiscated and being formally charged by authorities with their possession. It just isn’t worth it.

Do not allow my "recommendations" list to deter you from working with CITES birds. It is the work of hobbyists today that will preserve CITES species for the hobbyists of tomorrow. This article was written only to educate the bird hobbyist and provide us all with an understanding of the rules and regulations that govern our hobby and how to work legally within them.