Is It Legal to Own an African Grey Parrot? CITES Appendix I Explained
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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 concern sits with international shipments. A grey bred and sold inside the US moves under no CITES controls at all, so the document to ask a domestic breeder for is not a CITES certificate but proof of captive birth: a closed leg band that could only have gone on in the bird's first week.
US Domestic Status: Legal Almost Everywhere, With a Few Permits
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. One state gets close to one anyway, and by an entirely different route.
Vermont runs an inverted list system. 10 V.S.A. § 4709 bars bringing in, transporting or possessing any live wild bird without authorization, and the state's Unrestricted Wild Animal List closes the loop by providing that a species found on none of the Restricted, Unrestricted or Domestic lists is considered Restricted. The African grey is on none of the three. Vermont's Domestic Species List clears psittacines one binomial at a time, the budgerigar, the cockatiel, the masked lovebird, the Alexandrine parakeet and a handful more, all marked Captive Bred Only, and Psittacus erithacus is not among them. Regulation 881 then lets the Commissioner issue a possession permit outside science and education only on a finding that the bird "does not conflict with the purpose of this regulation", a discretionary call with no published standard.
So Vermont has never decided anything about African greys. The bird needs a permit there because it was never added to a list, which is a very different thing from a species-specific prohibition, and whether that permit issues is the Commissioner's call.
Maine and Massachusetts also require a permit, Hawaii allows the bird through a conditional import process, and New Jersey is unresolved. Everywhere else, 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. How that same split plays out across other exotic species is the subject of the exotic pet legal hub.
The African Grey Parrot encyclopedia profile covers the species itself, beyond keeping one.
To see this at a glance, our interactive map of african grey parrot laws shades every state that restricts one, and clicking a state gives you the rule it comes from.
Sources & Further Reading
Last reviewed 8 Oct 2026 · 4 sources
- Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Domestic Species List, August 2010 (official PDF)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: CITES Permits and Certificates fact sheet (2024)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Strongest CITES Protections Signal Hopeful Future for African Grey Parrots
- Federal Register: Foreign Endangered Species; Wild Bird Conservation Act; Receipt of Permit Applications
- CITES CoP17 Proposal 19 (Gabon et al.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to own an African grey parrot in the US?
No. Owning a captive-bred African grey is legal under federal law, and effectively every grey sold legally in the US today is domestically captive-bred. No US state imposes a species-specific ban on private ownership, though Vermont restricts the bird anyway: its inverted list treats any species on none of its three lists as restricted, the African grey is on none of them, and a permit to keep one is at the Commissioner's discretion. Maine and Massachusetts require a permit and Hawaii runs a conditional import process.
What does the CITES Appendix I listing restrict?
International commercial trade in wild-caught birds. CoP17 voted on October 2, 2016 to move the African grey from Appendix II to Appendix I, effective January 2, 2017, in response to a documented population collapse driven by pet-trade trapping. It does not touch domestic ownership of a bird you already legally have.
How can captive-bred African greys still be sold if the species is Appendix I?
A specific exemption. CITES Article VII(4) and 50 CFR 23.46 let a captive-bred Appendix I bird from an operation registered with the CITES Secretariat move under Appendix II rules, with an export permit and closed-ring identification. That exemption is why captive-bred greys remain legally tradable despite the Appendix I listing.
What documentation should I look for when buying one?
For a bird bred and sold inside the US, a closed leg band, not a CITES certificate. The Appendix I listing governs birds crossing international borders, and CITES imposes no controls on moving a bird between US states, so a domestic bird carries no CITES paperwork. The band, a solid ring slipped over the foot in the first week after hatching, is the evidence of captive birth. CITES permits come into play only if the bird is imported or taken abroad, which is where the laundering concern conservation groups have raised about this exemption applies.
Has the US ever restricted importing wild African greys?
Yes, since 1992, well before the CITES uplisting. The Wild Bird Conservation Act banned commercial import of wild-caught African greys into the US. A 2019 to 2020 application by a Florida breeder to import 4,000 greys, roughly half wild-caught, drew strong opposition from major conservation and welfare organizations and was not approved.
Does a CITES Appendix I listing mean a species is generally illegal to own?
No, and this is worth understanding for any exotic pet, not just this one. A CITES listing governs international trade, not domestic possession. Whether you can own a given species comes down to federal import law and your own state's rules, not the CITES appendix number alone.
More on the African Grey Parrot
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🦜 How to Handle an African Grey Parrot
🦜 Common African Grey Parrot Health Issues and What Causes Them
🦜 African Grey Parrot Cage Setup: Size, Placement, and Enrichment Done Right
🦜 African Grey Parrot Feeding: Schedule, Diet, and Why They Stop Eating
Written by Michael Ryan
Mike keeps two rescued bearded dragons, Dex and Cera, and writes the care guides on BeastlyFacts from his own research and mistakes. He is not a veterinarian.
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