Visitor FAQs: Falcons as pets?

One thing I love about my profession as an interpretive naturalist is that I never stop learning new things. And it's often the visitors of the nature center where I work that ask the most interesting questions.  Below is my answer to a question a recent visitor asked. 

 Question:  Can people own falcons as pets, and if so, what is the legal process for that?

 Falcons and other raptors such as hawks and eagles are protected under the International Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) which forbids the taking of and possession of falcons from the wild unless it is done so in compliance with MBTA regulations (Verhey, 2008).  Up until 2008, the federal government, via the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, regulated the permitting process for falconry.  Falconry is the ownership of wild falcons as pets by an individual in an attempt to train them (17 ILL ADM Code, 2014).  In 2008 the federal government passed on the permitting duties to state and tribal governments, and falconry is legal in every state except Hawaii (Verhey, 2008). States must comply with federal regulations when executing permits for prospective falconers.  In Illinois, prospective falconers can being the permit process by applying for a permit with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.  Following the application, there is an examination process that tests the applicant's knowledge of falconry including their knowledge of regulations and the history of falconry in the United States.  More detailed information about the permitting process as well as maintaining certification as a legal falconer is provided by the Illinois Department of Natural  Resources Title 17 documentation (2014).  
Figure 1:  A juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicencis), one of the most common species of raptors in Illinois, rests on a fence post on a cold winter day.  Photo credits:  Jacob Huffman/Forest Preserves of Cook County.  
References
PART 1590: FALCONRY AND THE CAPTIVE PROPAGATION OF RAPTORS. (2014). 17 ILL. ADM. CODE. Retrieved July 25, 2015, from http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/adrules/documents/17-1590.pdf

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2008). Migratory Bird Permits; Changes in the Regulations Governing Falconry. Federal Register, 73(196), 59448-59477. Retrieved July 25, 2015, from http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2008-10-08/pdf/E8-23226.pdf







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