What is legal possession of exotic birds?
Anyone in possession of an exotic (non-native) bird that is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) or is not listed in Part 1 of the list of specimens suitable for live import under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) must be able to demonstrate the legal origin of the specimen/s. The EPBC Act regulates the possession of illegally imported species, including CITES listed species and regulated live specimens. The National Exotic Bird Registration Scheme (NEBRS) was established in 1996 and was discontinued in 2002. Since the closure of NEBRS bird keepers have been responsible for maintaining records or other evidence that an exotic bird in their possession has been legally obtained.
