Migratory Bird Permits; Control of Purple Swamphens

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, change the regulations governing control of depredating or introduced migratory birds. The purple swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) is not native to any State, and competes with native species. However, we have added it to the list of species protected under our Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) obligations because it occurs naturally in the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, Baker and Howland Islands, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. We amend the regulations to allow removal of purple swamphens without a Federal permit in the following areas where the species is not native: the contiguous United States, Hawaii, Alaska, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This rule also requires the use of nontoxic shot or bullets if firearms are used to control purple swamphens.