Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA), codified at (although §709 is omitted), is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1916 to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain (acting on behalf of Canada). The statute makes it unlawful without a waiver to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, or sell nearly 1,100 species of birds listed therein as migratory birds. The statute does not discriminate between live or dead birds and also grants full protection to any bird parts including feathers, eggs, and nests. A March 2020 update of the list increased the number of species to 1,093.

Some exceptions to the act, including the eagle feather law, are enacted in federal regulations (), which regulate the taking, possession, and transportation of bald eagles, golden eagles, and their "parts, nests, and eggs" for "scientific, educational, and depredation control purposes; for the religious purposes of American Indian tribes; and to protect other interests in a particular locality." Enrolled members of federally recognized tribes may apply for an eagle permit for use in "bona fide tribal religious ceremonies."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issues permits for otherwise prohibited activities under the act. These include permits for taxidermy, falconry, propagation, scientific and educational use, and depredation, an example of the last being the killing of geese near an airport, where they pose a danger to aircraft.

The Act was enacted in an era when many bird species were threatened by the commercial trade in birds and bird feathers. The Act was one of the first federal environmental laws (the Lacey Act had been enacted in 1900). The Act replaced the earlier Weeks-McLean Act (1913). Since 1918, similar conventions between the United States and four other nations have been made and incorporated into the MBTA: Mexico (1936), Japan (1972) and the Soviet Union (1976, now its successor state Russia). Some of the conventions stipulate protections not only for the birds themselves, but also for habitats and environs necessary for the birds' survival.

Constitutionally this law is of interest as it is a use of the federal treaty-making power to override the provisions of state law. The principle that the federal government may do this was upheld in the case "Missouri v. Holland." In a defense of the treaty, Federal Judge Valerie Caproni on August 11, 2020 wrote in a decision, "It is not only a sin to kill a mockingbird, it is also a crime.”
Q214214
codified
Concept
Q692218
United States federal law
PER
Q6844352
the convention for the protection of migratory birds
MEDIA
Q30
United States
LOC
Q23666
Great Britain
LOC
Q16
Canada
LOC
Q216507
migratory birds
Concept
Q2582446
eagle feather law
UNK
Q127216
bald eagle
Concept
Q41181
golden eagle
Concept
Q81462263
depredation control purposes
UNK
Q49297
American Indian tribes
PER
Q4358663
federally recognized tribe
UNK
Q155736
bona fide
Concept
Q674113
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Concept
Q81025
feather
Concept
Q1955844
Lacey Act
LOC
Q7979550
Weeks-McLean Act
PER
Q96
Mexico
LOC
Q17
Japan
LOC
Q15180
Soviet Union
LOC
Q1054283
successor state
Concept
Q159
Russia
LOC
Q6879914
Missouri v. Holland
PER
Q2740106
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
PER
1918-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1918
DATE
1916-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1916
DATE
2020-03-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
March 2020
DATE
1900-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1900
DATE
1918-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1918
DATE
2020-08-11T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
August 11, 2020
DATE
+709^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
709
NUMBER
+1913^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1913
NUMBER
+1936^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1936
NUMBER
+1972^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1972
NUMBER
+1976^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1976
NUMBER
applies to jurisdiction
inception
inception
country
applies to jurisdiction
located in present-day administrative territorial entity
separated from