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Bringing bird from the US to Canada

fursumi

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i’ve been considering an African pied crow, over a year of research has been put into this idea and i’m planning to make my decision 2-3 years from now. They’re pretty close to impossible to find here in Canada but I’ve been eyeing a specific breeder in the US so i figured i would need to drive over the border to pick up.



I’ve read over the requirements of importing a bird into canadian borders and I’m able to meet all requirements, however, there is a section about signing a declaration stating that the bird has been in my possession for the 90 day period prior the date of transportation, would i still be able to sign this even though the bid has been in the breeder’s possession? or would i need to apply for an import permit?



Does anyone know? thanks
 

Aviphile

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First you would need to find out if the African pied crow falls under Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (C.I.T.E.S.) I am not sure how they would handle it since you live in Canada and the bird would come the U.S. Export permit from the U.S. and an import permit to Canada? I have no idea but I have information for you :)

I have traveled into Canada with my birds and back to the U.S. Let me tall you that one trip was enough to make me never want to do it again. It was a long drawn out confusing, frustrating and expensive process!

Canada Canada | CITES

United States United States of America | CITES
 

fursumi

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First you would need to find out if the African pied crow falls under Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (C.I.T.E.S.) I am not sure how they would handle it since you live in Canada and the bird would come the U.S. Export permit from the U.S. and an import permit to Canada? I have no idea but I have information for you :)

I have traveled into Canada with my birds and back to the U.S. Let me tall you that one trip was enough to make me never want to do it again. It was a long drawn out confusing, frustrating and expensive process!

Canada Canada | CITES

United States United States of America | CITES
Thank you for the CITES links! No corvids seem to be on the list.

Hopefully no permits are required as I heard applying for them is pretty difficult. You brought up the idea of a US export permit? Are there requirements for exporting bird out of the US?
 

tka

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You'd be better off contacting the relevant US and Canadian agencies. Requirements can change rapidly and you must work with the most accurate and up to date information, particularly on issues such as the one you raise. The stakes are very high: if you get this wrong, your bird won't be admitted into the country.
 

Aviphile

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Thank you for the CITES links! No corvids seem to be on the list.

Hopefully no permits are required as I heard applying for them is pretty difficult. You brought up the idea of a US export permit? Are there requirements for exporting bird out of the US?
The permits took months to get after I applied, it was a messy, confusing and extremely expensive. I never want to do it again if I don't have to. I can't remember the gentleman's name that I talked with in Canada but he was an absolute Angel! If everyone would have been like him it would have been a breeze.

Honestly I couldn't say for sure but I believe it would be the breeder exporting the bird to you. Breeder would be the exporter (C.I.T.E.S. export permit) and you would be the importer to Canada (C.I.T.E.S. import permit). With all of the changes with birds here in the United States the U.S. Fish and Wildlife/C.I.T.E.S. would be the best place to go for the most up to date information. Lets just hope you don't you have to go through it to get what you want.

Thank goodness it isn't a native crow. Can You Have A Crow As A Pet? (Costs, Legality + FAQs).
 

flyzipper

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Thank goodness it isn't a native crow.
In addition to what's already been shared, I'd add that native vs non-native can both carry challenges.

Saskatchewan, for example, has added strict guidelines about the keeping of non-native species out of a concern for natural habitats if the non-natives find themselves released into the wild.

eyeing a specific breeder in the US
Edited to add: be careful regarding your due diligence about the legitimacy of the breeder.
One of the common signs of scammers is saying they will ship anywhere and downplaying importation issues.
 
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Aviphile

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In addition to what's already been shared, I'd add that native vs non-native can both carry challenges.

Saskatchewan, for example, has added strict guidelines about the keeping of non-native species out of a concern for natural habitats if the non-natives find themselves released into the wild.
Invasive species yes it is an ever growing problem and concern for many places.
 

fursumi

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The permits took months to get after I applied, it was a messy, confusing and extremely expensive. I never want to do it again if I don't have to. I can't remember the gentleman's name that I talked with in Canada but he was an absolute Angel! If everyone would have been like him it would have been a breeze.

Honestly I couldn't say for sure but I believe it would be the breeder exporting the bird to you. Breeder would be the exporter (C.I.T.E.S. export permit) and you would be the importer to Canada (C.I.T.E.S. import permit). With all of the changes with birds here in the United States the U.S. Fish and Wildlife/C.I.T.E.S. would be the best place to go for the most up to date information. Lets just hope you don't you have to go through it to get what you want.

Thank goodness it isn't a native crow. Can You Have A Crow As A Pet? (Costs, Legality + FAQs).
Unfortunately the breeder only ships within the US:(

I’ll definitely try and do more research and look into it. Are import and export permits hard to get? Is it a low chance they accept your application?

Oh no definitely not a native crow, would ruin the environment and is very much illegal. I don’t support taking native animals and keeping them, even in places where it’s legal.
 

Icey

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If you're in Canada, go through CFIA (Canadian Food and Inspection Agency). It's a government agency.
They have inspectors there that are aware of all the updates with CITES and they should be able to help you, or at least give you advice on what you need to do to import birds from the US.
 

fursumi

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If you're in Canada, go through CFIA (Canadian Food and Inspection Agency). It's a government agency.
They have inspectors there that are aware of all the updates with CITES and they should be able to help you, or at least give you advice on what you need to do to import birds from the US.
Yeah, i looked through the website prior to this post, I mainly was wondering about the section about the bird being in my possession for 90 days before import, as I’m purchasing from a breeder
 

Icey

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That's something only CITES would be able to tell you. Since you're using a breeder, there is no way you could have a baby bird for 90 days before applying for a permit.
Maybe if money was exchanged something could be done from the breeders end to help you, but then you have to be 100% sure that said breeder is legitimate.
It's going to be risky and time cosuming. It's a tough one for sure.
 
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Sparkles99

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I looked into this when an AA member had to rehome some birds due to long Covid. Not only must the bird have been in your possession, but you also must have been with it in the US for a minimum number of weeks. This was a while back. It could be even more stringent now, due to avian flu.
 

fursumi

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That's something only CITES would be able to tell you. Since you're using a breeder, there is no way you could have a baby bird for 90 days before applying for a permit.
Maybe if money was exchanged something could be done from the breeders end to help you, but then you have to be 100% sure that said breeder is legitimate.
It's going to be risky and time cosuming. It's a tough one for sure.
Yeah it’s definitely a tough one. The breeder is 100% legitimate, however he unfortunately only ships within the US, so I’m not really sure what he would be able to help with importing and exporting
 
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