Proper arrangements should be made to ensure that birds arrive at destinations during normal working hours rather than on weekends or holidays. Coordinating date and time of capture to facilitate the timing of both shipping and arrival may be necessary. Back to top B. Air Transport Wild birds may be shipped by commercial airlines. Regulations are complex and vary from carrier to carrier. Some airlines will allow birds as carry-on baggage, whereas other airlines will not ship wild birds at all.
Local agents are often unfamiliar with the necessary procedures.
Thus, air shipment by common carrier requires careful advance arrangements. IATA Live Animals Regulations contain all the necessary information for both domestic and international air shipment and should be consulted by anyone contemplating shipping birds by air. In motor vehicles, containers of birds should be placed in a well-ventilated area, protected from direct sunlight, and visually isolated from passengers and views through windows. Long trips should be broken up by rest periods during which the birds may feed and drink uninterrupted. If possible, transport diurnally active species at night when they can be kept in darkness, will be inactive, and when ambient temperatures may be more favorable.