Microchip Implants as an Official Form of Identification for Pet Birds

We are amending the regulations to allow the use of microchip implants as an acceptable form of identification for pet birds of U.S. origin returning to this country after being outside the United States. The regulations have previously provided only for the use of leg bands or tattoos to identify such birds, but microchips have become the preferred method of identification used by avian veterinary practitioners. This action provides for the use of an additional means of identifying certain U.S. origin pet birds while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of communicable poultry diseases into the United States.