Question about trapping

[DanteD716]

Hello! I'm currently in Puerto Rico where there are many species of finches that colonize here and are considered invasive species because most were brought and released here. (Many Pintail whydahs, spice finches and other mannikin/munia species) anyway, a friend of my uncles captures iguanas (another invasive species here) and sells them to places in America and people who trap birds supply him with finches to sell. Okay back on track, he currently isn't planning on getting in more finches anytime soon but if I was able to catch them I would have a way to safely ship them back to me. Now first, is it morally wrong to capture them even though they don't belong here? And secondly how do you even catch them?! I can't think of anything that would work, a drop trap maybe but should I use millet as bait? My uncle said people net them but they are too small and fast for that even though even though most don't mind if you get within a few feet of them. Opinions?

[DanteD716]

This is a dove I caught yesterday (yes it was released shortly afterward) they are many prettier doves. They are huge and are purples and greens

[monotwine]

Dante most of the waxbills and African finches on the market are wild caught. Quotas are agreed to by countries. Whether or not they can support such numbers are sometimes irrelevant depending on the amount of cash involved/educated research behind the permit. Some countries are quite jacked and others not so much.
I'm not going to get into a debate about the right or wrong of wild caught as there are some strong opinions about them. In the end though it boils down to the legality of it.

If it is legal to capture, trade and move them (with permitting, quarantine etc if you need it), then you could. If not legal, then you shouldn't support non-legal trade.

[DanteD716]

monotwine thanks! It is legal to trap and buy/sell/transport any non-native species here

[wilkifam]

As kids, we used to use a drop trap (box with stick and string) to catch birds, it worked great. We would always release the birds right away. It kept us busy for hours.......

[Sally]

The only video I've seen of trapping was about African Grey parrots. They were lured with food, and then huge nets were dropped over them. As monotwine said, the morality of trapping is a personal decision, as long as it is done legally. It is the illegal activity of poachers that cause problems for all wild creatures.

In the U.S., unless I know the breeder and can trust him/her, I assume that any unbanded African bird is wild-caught. Australian species are domestic, since Australia banned exports years ago. Asian species are assumed to be domestic, since imports of birds from Asia aren't permitted (bird flu). South American birds are allowed as long as they don't naturally migrate into the U.S. I don't know about European birds. It is illegal for us to keep any native songbirds, but non-native invasive species are allowed to be kept in captivity.

[DanteD716]

wilkifam Lori I've caught a few different doves. They are used to eating in the front of the house because they eat when we feed the chickens but they finches here won't come close enough.

@Sally I have rigged up something that I think might work. These birds won't let me get a net over them. There are mostly African waxbills and mannikins here, though if I am able to find these evasive strawberries you can have them

[monotwine]

Don't know what it is like on your side of the globe. Here an imported bird needs to go through quarantine in both countries. Of origin and post import before they can be sold. Legal requirement. So its not always about just catching, but that side of things too. Very costly here because all imports must bear veterinary certificate etc. It doesn't matter where they come from, wild or breeder, here you need the vet certificate to even get them in. I looked into importing Peking Robins from Europe a few years back. Way too costly for me to even consider.


Usually large volumes of little birds are caught in mist nets. The nets need to be manned all the time and the birds released asap as the way a mist net works is to tangle them up. One needs to know how to do it properly or the birds suffer. Unless one knows how to do this / been trained how to do it, I don't think its a good idea to try.
Old stick under cage version works for the odd one or two.

I would say catch wild birds (if you must) only in the off breeding season. You can imagine what would happen should you catch a parent feeding etc. Even if they non-natives poor babies did nothing but get born in a country not of their origin.

[DanteD716]

monotwine I'm in Puerto Rico and they would be sent to my home in NY so technically it's the same country. The guy who would shipping them ships reptiles and birds all the time so he knows what to do. I'm not sure what a mist net is so I won't do that but as for the breeding season I think it's year round here so hmm

[Rox]

Dante, imagine a fishing trawler net and how it catches the fish in it. Similar netting for the birds and they get just as much caught up in it, which is why you need to know what you are doing to release them without injury.

Honestly, even if you can get all the legalities of it worked out, the cost probably won't be worth it.

Why don't you try trap as many different birds as you can and just start a photo journal of them? Each time you go back for holiday's, you can see how many specie's you can add to your list. A cool hobby to keep you busy on holiday without the stress of actually shipping the birds back home.

[DanteD716]

Rox that sounds stressful for the birds. I think I'm going to give up on the idea. Shipping is only about 100 but it's not worth it unless I have a decent amount of birds

[debbie276]

Shipping is only about 100 but it's not worth it unless I have a decent amount of birds

I'm very surprised you don't have to quarantine them when they land here

[MiaCarter]

I'm also very surprised that there's no mandatory quarantine. It is technically the same country, but it's a different region. (Just as there are quarantine requirements for some animal imports/exports in/out of Hawaii.)

Personally, I will not purchase birds that I know are wild-caught.
My personal opinion is that it's morally wrong. I loathe the thought of taking a bird from the wild, where the world is its cage, and placing it inside a small cage to live out the rest of its days. It breaks my heart.

They're wild animals and I believe they should remain as such unless there's a compelling reason for captivity (e.g. a disability, injury, etc.) But that's just my opinion.

The only thing I would possibly support would be capture for breeding purposes, followed by release of the parents, assuming they were provided with a sizable aviary in a quiet location, out of the way of humans and other stressful stimuli.

There would also be the matter of treating them for the various parasites that are common to wild species. Dewormer, feather mites, etc. That could get costly with a large quantity. Just another point to consider.

[DanteD716]

debbie276 me too actually. I'm not sure how the guy ships his birds but it seems legal

[DanteD716]

MiaCarter I see your points but the birds here are a big business. Many people release them for being purposes and catch more to sell