Is It Legal to Have Wild Bird Feathers?

September 6, 2012

Question: Is it illegal to have wild bird feathers? I live in the national forest and I often find feathers around. I never know if it is ok for me to keep them. I am an artist and need to know if I can gather feathers to use in my artwork to (hopefully) sell. Please let me know what I can and cannot have. (Cedar)

Answer: Generally, California and U.S. laws protecting wildlife prohibit both possessing and selling any part of any bird found in the wild in California. However, there are some exceptions:

1.   You may possess but not sell or purchase the feathers from any wild bird which was harvested legally during the open season (e.g., ducks, geese, quail, pheasants, etc.) You don’t have to take the birds yourself. They can be acquired from another person who took them, but there can be no sale or bartering involved in you acquiring them.

2.   You may possess and sell the feathers of any bird which you acquire from any person who is licensed to possess and raise game birds for commercial purposes.

3.   Feathers of bird species commonly sold in hobby or pet stores (e.g. canaries, parrots, parakeets, etc.), or any species of domestic poultry, are not protected by Fish and Game laws and may be possessed and sold. Although I realize these are probably not the feathers you are inquiring about, they may be found in various locations throughout California.

Additional and specific information regarding the laws protecting birds is available online. Go to www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/ and in the “Helpful Information” column on the right side of the page, choose the link to the Fish and Game Code. Specific laws to study include: Sections 22, 2000-2002, 3039, 3504-3513, 3800-3801.6.

For federal laws protecting birds, please check with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at www.fws.gov/.