05 Oct Round Up: The Migratory Bird Treaty Act Turns 100

In 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was designed, according the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to “make it illegal for anyone to take, possess, import, export, transport, sell, purchase, barter, or offer for sale, purchase, or barter, any migratory bird, or the parts, nests, or eggs of such a bird except under the terms of a valid permit issued pursuant to Federal regulations.” In simpler terms, it prohibits harming of native birds, their eggs, and nests. The act, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, is said to have saved the lives of millions of birds each year, along with saving many species from extinction, such as the snowy egret, wood duck, and sandhill crane, according to the Audubon Society.