Is it illegal to keep a bird feather?

The short answer

• Keeping a feather from a native wild bird is illegal in the US without a permit. That holds for a molted feather from your own yard, and for a cardinal or Blue Jay that never migrates.
• Since December 31, 2024, anyone may pick up a found feather or dead bird (50 CFR 21.16). You then have 7 days to donate it to someone with a permit or destroy it. Personal use is not allowed.
• Four common feeder birds are not covered by the federal law: House Sparrow, European Starling, Rock Pigeon and Eurasian Collared-Dove. Some states still protect them, such as Maine for the collared-dove.
• Feathers from a game bird taken legally by a hunter may be kept for personal use (50 CFR 20.92). Eagle feathers fall under a stricter law and go to the National Eagle Repository.
• The federal penalty is a fine of up to $15,000, up to six months in jail, or both. Selling a feather can be a felony.

Yes. In the US, keeping a feather from a native wild bird is illegal unless you have a permit. That includes a feather a bird molted in your own yard, and it includes what a hawk left under your feeder. Since the end of 2024 you may pick the feather up, but within 7 days you must give it to someone with a permit or destroy it. The exceptions are species the law does not list. At a feeder that means four birds: the House Sparrow, the European Starling, the Rock Pigeon and the Eurasian Collared-Dove.

What the law means by a migratory bird#

The federal law is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). It makes it unlawful to "possess" any migratory bird, or "any part, nest, or egg of any such bird." A feather is a part, and so is a wing, a skull or a bird found dead on the patio. Possess means to have it. How you got it does not matter, and the law does not ask whether you hurt the bird.

Migratory bird is the term that trips people up, because in this law it does not mean a bird that migrates. It means a species on the federal list at 50 CFR 10.13. The list's own stated purpose is "to inform the public of the species protected." The Northern Cardinal is on it, and cardinals do not migrate at all. The Blue Jay is on it too, though it stays year-round in most of its range. The list holds native species. Since 2004 the law has said it applies only to species "native to the United States or its territories," not to ones people brought in.

Two answers go around online. One says a feather that fell out on its own is fine to keep, and the other says every feather is illegal, chicken feathers included. Both are wrong. The law draws no line between a molted feather and a plucked one. If the species is listed, the feather is protected, and the law does not reach birds off the list, which covers introduced species and domestic fowl. The first answer persists because it sounds fair: nobody hurt the bird. But the text has no exception for that, and the one rule that lets you pick a feather up says you still cannot keep it.

A case walked through: feathers under the feeder#

Take a February morning. Suppose there is a scatter of feathers on the snow under your tray feeder, and you know a Cooper's Hawk has been working the yard. Say the feathers are from a Mourning Dove. Walk it through the rules.

1. Is the species listed? The Mourning Dove is on 50 CFR 10.13, so the feathers are protected.
2. Can you pick them up? Yes. Since December 31, 2024, 50 CFR 21.16 lets "any person" salvage feathers and birds found dead. Salvage just means picking up.
3. Can you keep the nicest one? No. The same rule says "personal use is not authorized," and you have 7 calendar days to donate or destroy what you picked up.
4. How do you destroy it? The Fish and Wildlife Service says burning or burial counts. So does the trash, where local rules allow.
5. Does it matter that doves are hunted? Not here. A hunter may keep feathers from a dove taken legally in season, and a hawk kill is not that.

Now change one fact. Suppose the prey was a European Starling. The starling is not on the list, so federal law does not cover that feather and you may keep it. Your state may still have a say, as shown below.

Feeder birds and their feathers#

This table covers federal law only. Each row traces to the list or rule named in it.

Picking up is allowed, keeping is not#

The salvage rule, 21.16, replaced a permit with a blanket okay. Before it, the Service says, "permits were required for any salvage of migratory birds." Now anyone may pick up whole birds found dead, parts, feathers, old nests and eggs that cannot hatch. The rule sets terms:

• You must donate or destroy what you collect within 7 calendar days.
• Anything you donate needs a tag. It names the species, the date, the place, and your name and contact details.
• If a dead bird wears a federal leg band, report it to the US Geological Survey's Bird Banding Laboratory.
• If you think birds were killed illegally, or you find five or more dead, call Service law enforcement before you pick anything up.
• It never covers live birds, eggs that could hatch or a nest in use. Endangered species need more permission.

A dead bird under a window is salvage under this rule. A stunned one is a live bird, which the rule does not cover, and our window strikes page covers that case. Several dead finches at once is also a disease sign, and the bird diseases page says to report clusters to your state wildlife agency.

Nothing else gives the public a way to keep a feather. The general exceptions at 50 CFR 21.12 cover Interior Department staff, state game departments, public museums and zoos, disease labs, vets, and people freeing birds trapped in buildings. None of them is a person keeping a feather they found.

Eagle feathers#

Bald and Golden Eagles have a second law, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which bans possessing an eagle "alive or dead, or any part, nest, or egg thereof." The Service says found eagle feathers and remains "must be transferred to the National Eagle Repository." The Repository supplies eagle feathers to Native Americans for religious use. If an eagle looks shot, poisoned or electrocuted, or has had feathers pulled off, call 1-844-397-8477 at once.

The penalties#

These are ceilings set in the text. We did not find figures on how often a found feather leads to a charge, so this page makes no claim about that.

The feathers you may keep#

Introduced birds. The law's native-species rule keeps the House Sparrow and starling off the list. The Service's 2020 list names the Rock Pigeon, the Eurasian Collared-Dove and the Mute Swan as nonnative birds the law does not cover. Our pigeons page covers that list. Domestic birds such as chickens are not on 10.13.

Legally hunted game birds. 50 CFR 20.92 lets any person keep "for his own use," with no permit, "the feathers and skins of lawfully taken migratory game birds." Rule 20.91 goes further for waterfowl. Feathers of hunted ducks, geese, brant and swans may be sold for fishing flies, pillows and mattresses. They may not be sold for hats or decoration. Neither rule covers a found feather. A dove feather on your lawn was not "lawfully taken."

Birds off the list that a state governs. The Wild Turkey is not on 10.13, and neither is the Ring-necked Pheasant, so each state sets the rules for those birds.

State laws can be stricter#

Federal law sets a floor. Two states we read go further:

• Maine bars anyone from possessing "alive or dead, a wild bird" other than the House Sparrow, Rock Pigeon and European Starling. The Eurasian Collared-Dove is not on that short list. So a dead collared-dove under a Maine feeder is not yours to keep, though federal law is silent. The statute names the bird, not its parts. Breaking it is a Class E crime.
• Georgia bans possessing "any hawk, eagle, owl, or any other bird or any part." Its exceptions are the House Sparrow, the European Starling, feral pigeons and domestic fowl, "except as otherwise permitted" by state game laws. The collared-dove is not named in that section.

What this page does not cover#

This page covers US federal law and two state statutes, and we did not read the other 48 states. Any of them may protect more birds, or more kinds of parts, so search your state's wildlife code under "possession" before you keep even a starling feather. We did not check Canada, which has its own law. Native Americans have separate routes to eagle and other feathers, run through the repositories above. Live birds, nests and eggs follow other rules: our nesting season page covers what you can and cannot move. And a permit for science or teaching exists, but this page does not walk through it.

If you want to keep something, keep a photo. If you want the feather to be used, the Service names two repositories that take non-eagle feathers: Liberty Wildlife and Sia, the Comanche Nation feather repository. For birds the law does not protect, our starlings and House Sparrows pages cover what you can do at the feeder. The rest of the problems section works from what you see in the yard.

Frequently asked questions#

Is it illegal to keep a bird feather you found?

In the US, yes, if it came from a native wild bird. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act bans possessing any part of a protected bird, and a feather is a part. Since the end of 2024 you may pick one up, but you must donate it to someone with a permit or destroy it within 7 days. Feathers from House Sparrows, European Starlings, Rock Pigeons and Eurasian Collared-Doves are not covered by the federal law.

Is it illegal to keep a blue jay feather?

Yes. The Blue Jay is on the federal list of protected birds at 50 CFR 10.13, even though many Blue Jays never leave their home area. Under the law, migratory bird means a species on that list, not a bird that migrates. The same goes for the Northern Cardinal, American Robin, House Finch and Mourning Dove.

Can I keep a feather from a bird a hawk killed in my yard?

Not if the prey was a native bird. You may pick up the feathers and remains to clean up. Then you have 7 days to donate or destroy them, and the trash counts as destroying where local rules allow it. If the prey was a House Sparrow, European Starling, Rock Pigeon or Eurasian Collared-Dove, federal law does not apply, but your state's law might.

Which bird feathers are legal to own?

Under federal law: feathers of birds not on the 50 CFR 10.13 list, which includes House Sparrow, European Starling, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mute Swan and domestic birds such as chickens; and feathers of migratory game birds you or another hunter took legally, kept for your own use. Wild Turkey and Ring-necked Pheasant are not on the list either, so state rules govern them.

What is the fine for having a bird feather?

Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, up to $15,000, up to six months in jail, or both, for a misdemeanor. Selling, or taking a bird to sell, can be a felony with up to two years in prison. Eagle feathers fall under the Eagle Act: up to $5,000 and one year for a first offense, and up to $10,000 and two years for a second.

What should I do with a feather I found?

Leave it, photograph it, or pick it up and donate or destroy it within 7 days. The US Fish and Wildlife Service names two non-eagle feather repositories that can receive migratory bird feathers: Liberty Wildlife and Sia, the Comanche Nation Native American Feather Repository. An eagle feather goes to the National Eagle Repository.

Sources and further reading

1. Living Around Birds U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Possession of migratory bird feathers or remains must be authorized under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; names two Non-Eagle Feather Repositories (Liberty Wildlife; Sia, the Comanche Nation Native American Feather Repository); eagle feathers and remains go to the National Eagle Repository; law enforcement line 1-844-397-8477
2. Authorized Activities: No Permit Required U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Salvage of migratory birds found dead, including parts and feathers, now a regulatory authorization (50 CFR 21.16, previously a permit); donate or destroy within seven calendar days; disposal in the trash where local rules allow; salvaged birds may not be kept for personal use
3. 50 CFR 21.16, Authorization: salvage Electronic Code of Federal Regulations 89 FR 107039, Dec. 31, 2024; any person may salvage whole birds found dead, parts, feathers, inactive nests and nonviable eggs; 7 calendar days; tag for donation; personal use is not authorized; notify Service law enforcement first if birds were illegally killed or five or more are found dead
4. 16 U.S. Code 703, Taking, killing, or possessing migratory birds unlawful Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (a) unlawful to possess any migratory bird or any part, nest or egg; (b) applies only to native species, not human-introduced ones
5. 16 U.S. Code 707, Violations and penalties Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (a) misdemeanor, fined not more than $15,000 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both; (b) knowingly selling or taking to sell is a felony, not more than $2,000 or two years
6. 50 CFR 10.13, List of Migratory Birds Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School Lists Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, American Robin, House Finch, Mourning Dove, Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk; House Sparrow, European Starling, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mute Swan, Wild Turkey and Ring-necked Pheasant are absent
7. List of Bird Species To Which the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Does Not Apply (85 FR 21262) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Register Names Mute Swan, Rock Pigeon and Eurasian Collared-Dove; house sparrow (Passeridae) and European starling (Sturnidae) belong to families the treaties do not cover
8. 50 CFR 21.12, General exceptions to permit requirements Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School Exceptions for Interior Department employees, state game departments, public museums and zoos, disease labs, licensed veterinarians, and removing birds trapped in buildings; none for a member of the public keeping a found feather
9. 50 CFR 20.92, Personal use of feathers or skins Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School Any person for his own use may possess, transport, ship, import and export without a permit the feathers and skins of lawfully taken migratory game birds
10. 50 CFR 20.91, Commercial use of feathers Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School Feathers of hunted migratory waterfowl (ducks, geese, brant and swans) may be sold for fishing flies, bed pillows, mattresses and similar uses; no sale for millinery or ornamental use
11. 16 U.S. Code 668, Bald and golden eagles Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School Bans possessing any bald or golden eagle, alive or dead, or any part, nest or egg; first violation not more than $5,000 or one year; second not more than $10,000 or two years; civil penalty up to $5,000
12. Maine Revised Statutes Title 12, 11851, Hunting or trapping wild birds Maine Legislature A person may not possess, alive or dead, a wild bird other than the house sparrow, rock pigeon and European starling, except as provided; Class E crime
13. Georgia Code 27-3-22 FindLaw Unlawful to possess any bird or any part, nest or egg, except house sparrow, European starling, feral pigeons and domestic fowl, and except as otherwise permitted by state game and fish laws