Sec.26-67e-15. Banding requirements; microchips

(a) A falconer shall not possess a wild raptor unless the bird is banded with a cable band, or the falconer holds an exemption pursuant to subsection (g) of this section.

(b) A falconer shall not possess a captive-bred raptor unless the bird is banded with a seamless band, a cable band pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, or the falconer holds an exemption pursuant to subsection (g) of this section.

(c) A falconer may implant a microchip in a falconry bird.

(d) When any band becomes mutilated, illegible or lost, or otherwise has been removed, the falconer shall request a replacement band from the commissioner within five calendar days from the day the band is removed or known to be lost. Any band removed or lost shall be replaced with a cable band.

(e) Prior to releasing a wild raptor, the falconer shall present the raptor to the commissioner or an authorized federal agent for removal of the band affixed in accordance with subsection (a) of this section and attachment of a standard band to the bird.

(f) A falconer shall not alter, deface, or counterfeit a band. A falconer may remove the rear tab or smooth any imperfect surface on a cable band provided the band is not materially affected.

(g) If a falconer documents injuries to a raptor caused by a band, the commissioner, at the commissioner’s sole discretion, may provide a written exemption to the banding requirement for that raptor. If an exemption is granted, the falconer shall have in their possession the written exemption when transporting or flying the raptor. If an exemption from banding is granted for a wild goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Harris’s hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) or gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), a microchip shall be implanted.

(Adopted effective March 1, 2004; Amended December 9, 2013)