16 U.S.C. § 4902
Section 4902 · Statement of purpose
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 2 court decisions — leading case Humane Society of the United States v. Babbitt (1994)
Most recently applied in Organization of Professional Aviculturists, Inc. v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (March 2025)
The purpose of this chapter is to promote the conservation of exotic birds by—
(1) assisting wild bird conservation and management programs in the countries of origin of wild birds;
(2) ensuring that all trade in species of exotic birds involving the United States is biologically sustainable and is not detrimental to the species;
(3) limiting or prohibiting imports of exotic birds when necessary to ensure that—
(A) wild exotic bird populations are not harmed by removal of exotic birds from the wild for the trade; or
(B) exotic birds in trade are not subject to inhumane treatment; and
(4) encouraging and supporting effective implementation of the Convention.