Can You Ship Live Birds to California? (Explained)

California has some of the strictest local laws about wildlife, including birds. These laws constitute the encyclopedic California Code of Regulations Title 14 for Natural Resources. Given the stringency of the innumerable restrictions, can you ship live birds to California?

You can ship live birds to California unless a species is restricted or the destination is an HPAI-affected area. You’ll need an expedited shipping service and follow its packaging and marking instructions. Permits are required for international imports and shipping of restricted live birds.

How To Ship Live Birds to California

The California Code of Regulations Title 14 about Natural Resources involves many state and local departments as enforcement agencies.

But only two major departments are involved in the context of shipping live birds to California:

• California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• California Department of Food & Agriculture

The California Department of Food & Agriculture classifies birds into the following categories:

• Avian (pet)
• Gamebirds
• Poultry
• Ratites

The Department of Fish and Wildlife in California uses a much broader classification for poultry, so it includes ratites and some game birds.

Irrespective of these differences, the general shipping regulations apply to all live birds that aren’t on the restricted species list.  

Here are the broad rules and regulations for shipping live birds to California:

• The place of origin within the United States shouldn’t have an ongoing outbreak of any type of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
• Poultry and some birds must have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection and a permit if the origin is an HPAI-affected area unless a species are exempted.
• The expedited shipping service should transport and deliver the live bird to California within 72 hours.
• Any bird on the restricted species list cannot be shipped to California without a permit or other special exemptions that may be applicable.
• Chicks should be a day old, and adult birds should meet the mailing criteria of a selected service, such as health, weight, and time of the year.
• Live birds should be in approved containers marked with all essential information as per the mandatory instructions of the shipping service.

Here’s a glimpse of the packaging and marking instructions for USPS Priority Mail Express:

• You must use a sturdy and ventilated container approved by the USPS. Its size should be suitable for the live bird, and it must have an absorbent material at the base. The container must also have a covered window for visible inspections.
• The package must be marked with directional arrows on at least 2 sides and have the phone numbers and addresses of the recipient and sender. All information must be complete and marked on the outside of the package.
• The entire package shouldn’t exceed the Domestic Mail Manual limit of 70 pounds. Also, the container, along with any outer packaging, cannot be larger than 108 inches, i.e., length plus girth.

If you need to ship a live bird weighing up to 5 pounds, you can get one of the Horizon Live Bird Shipping Boxes, with or without a divider based on your needs.

This USPS-approved shipping box is ready-to-go with already glued filters, cable ties, and handles.

Live Birds You Can Ship to California Without a Permit

You can ship day-old chicks and adult live birds to California without a permit if the species is included in the poultry classification.

The list includes the following birds:

• Cassowary
• Chicken
• Dove
• Duck¹
• Emu
• Francolin
• Gallinule
• Geese¹
• Grouse
• Guinea fowl
• Ostrich
• Partridge
• Peafowl
• Pheasant²
• Pigeon
• Quail
• Rhea
• Swan¹
• Tinamou
• Turkey
• Turkin

¹Except Cygnus olor (mute swan)

²Only from April to August with USPS

Although you don’t need a permit to ship poultry to California, the state requires a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection from a USDA Category II accredited veterinarian.

This should be fewer than 30 days old before the shipping date.

Furthermore, any poultry shipped from an HPAI-affected area must have an entry permit issued by the animal health official of the origin state or sender’s region. 

At the time of writing, Florida is an HPAI-affected area, but Alabama isn’t.

So all poultry shipped to California from the sunshine state should have the entry permit and the health certificate.

However, the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection and entry permit criteria don’t apply to some pets and other domesticated avians, such as:

• Budgerigars
• Cockatiels
• Parrots

Restricted Live Birds That You Cannot Ship to California

Here is a list of the restricted species of live birds that you cannot ship to California:

The Department of Fish and Wildlife in California mandates Restricted Species Permits if you wish to ship any of these live birds and others that may be included in the list in the future.

The permit is necessary for everyone involved in the shipment:

• Recipient (importer)
• Sender (exporter)
• Transporter

These special permits to ship restricted live birds to California are:

• Non-transferable
• Renewable
• Revocable

Shipping a live bird to California from outside the US has many regulations, whether or not the species is on the restricted list. 

Here are a few common requirements:

• Relevant certifications and permits from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
• An import permit for the specific bird species from the Veterinary Services.  
• An original health certificate from the relevant authority in the country of origin.
• A health examination at the first port of entry in the US, a designated airport.
• A comprehensive test for diseases and 30 days of quarantine if necessary.

Export and import permits are also necessary to ship live migratory birds to California.

However, this federal requirement doesn’t apply to domestic shipments of migratory birds or movements across state lines.

That said, other migratory bird protective clauses may still apply for transits.

Sources

• United States Postal Service: Mailable Live Animals
• California Department of Food & Agriculture: Avian/Poultry Entry Requirements
• United States Department of Agriculture: Importing Pet Birds – Non-U.S. Origin