Is It Legal to Own an African Grey Parrot? CITES Appendix I Explained
African grey parrots hold the strictest CITES protection level there is, Appendix I, since 2017. That sounds like an ownership ban. It isn't, and understanding why comes down to one exemption written specifically for captive breeding.
Is It Legal to Own an African Grey Parrot? CITES Appendix I Explained
African grey parrots carry the strictest protection level CITES has, Appendix I, the same tier as species like the giant panda. On paper that sounds like it should make ownership impossible. In practice, a specific exemption written for captive breeding means African greys remain a completely legal, commonly kept pet in the US, as long as the bird you're buying is genuinely captive-bred.
Why the Uplisting Happened
At CoP17 in Johannesburg, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species voted on October 2, 2016 to move the African grey from Appendix II to Appendix I, a two-thirds majority secret ballot that passed 95 in favor, 35 opposed, with 5 abstentions. The proposal came from Gabon and other African range states, co-sponsored by the United States and the European Union. The listing became effective January 2, 2017, 90 days after the session closed, and the species remains on Appendix I as of 2026.
The reasoning was a documented population collapse. Gross exports reported from 1975 to 2013 totaled 1,550,197 birds according to the UNEP-WCMC Trade Database, and wild populations had declined in 14 of 18 range countries. Then-USFWS Director Dan Ashe, leading the US delegation, put it directly in the agency's own press release: more than 1.5 million wild African greys had been taken from their native habitats over the preceding 25 years, making them one of the most heavily traded CITES-listed parrots in the world.
The Exemption That Makes Ownership Legal
This is the detail that matters most for anyone considering this species. Under CITES Article VII(4) and its US implementing regulation, 50 CFR 23.46, an Appendix I specimen bred in captivity for commercial purposes at an operation registered with the CITES Secretariat can be traded internationally under Appendix II rules instead, with an export permit and individual closed-ring identification. The bird remains legally Appendix I, but the trade restriction that would otherwise apply to a wild-caught animal doesn't apply to it in the same way.
Some conservation groups, including the Animal Welfare Institute, have argued this captive-breeding exemption creates a real laundering risk, wild-caught birds passed off as captive-bred through weak documentation. That's exactly why buying from a breeder who can provide real CITES certificate and closed-ring provenance matters in practice, not just as a formality.
US Domestic Status: Legal, No State Bans
The US banned commercial import of wild-caught African greys back in 1992 under the Wild Bird Conservation Act, well before the 2017 CITES uplisting. Owning a captive-bred African grey is legal under federal law, and effectively all greys sold legally in the US today are domestically bred, not imported. No US state imposes a species-specific ban on private ownership, though general exotic-pet permit rules and local ordinances can still apply in some cities and counties, worth checking the way you would for any less-common pet.
A Recent Test Case: The Denied 2019 Import Application
In November 2019, a Miami-based breeder applied under the Wild Bird Conservation Act to import 4,000 grey parrots, roughly half of them wild-caught, intending to establish a Florida breeding program. USFWS opened public comment through December 20, 2019. The application drew strong, organized opposition from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, World Parrot Trust, Animal Welfare Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, and other groups. It was not approved, a real, recent example of how seriously the wild-caught import restriction is still enforced even for a species that's otherwise easy to legally own in its captive-bred form.
The Broader Lesson: CITES Listing Isn't an Ownership Ban
Worth generalizing beyond this one species: a CITES Appendix I listing restricts international trade, it does not by itself make owning an animal illegal in the US. Whether you can legally keep a given exotic pet comes down to federal import law and your own state and local rules, not the CITES appendix number alone. For a broader look at how this plays out across the other species covered on this site, see our exotic pet legal hub.
For everything else about keeping this species, see our cost guide, our handling guide, our health issues guide, or our cage setup guide. Browse the rest of our Birds care guide category.
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Written by Mike
Mike is the founder of Beastly Facts and a lifelong reptile enthusiast. He shares his home with Dex, a bearded dragon with strong opinions about crickets and basking schedules. Mike writes in-depth care guides, animal facts, and the occasional short story about life with exotic pets.
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