rising@utzoo.uucp (Jim Rising) (04/03/88)
Yes, it is true that most birds are protected by laws (House Sparrow,
Starling, pigeons, and maybe crows aren't), and it is my understanding
that strictly speaking, if you pick one up you are breaking the law.
I believe that any bander automatically has a salvage license, and it
is possible to obtain these--which would be time consuming and a waste
of time unless you were devoting time to walking the beach or cleaning
up under buildings during migration.
On the other hand, I suspect that most museums have someone licensed
to "collect," and that they would report the birds given to them as
salvaged by them--although that may not strictly be legal. Think of
it as taking them a bird to salvage.
Once in FLorida, I picked up a palm warbler that had flown into a
window, and made it up as a specimen. Out of curiosity, I wrote
the authorities asking what I should have done with the bird (I did
not have a permit to collect Palm Warblers). They said that I should
have taken it to the nearest F & W Service office (ca. 120 miles in
that case), turn it in, then they could donate it to me to prepare
for the museum. Being realistic, however, no one it going to hassel
you about a Palm Warbler--and they didn't. What raised the questing
in my mind was the thought of what I should have done if I had found
say a Hook-billed Kite on the road--I was in their range at the time?
I personally think that it would be a great waste to just leave it
there because it was illegal to collect it.
Use your judgement. Does anyone know the law out there?
--Jim Rising
--
Name: Jim Rising
Mail: Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1
UUCP: {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!rising