I've been looking online and can't seem to find any laws on owning Birds of Prey.. as pets, not as Falconry birds. More specifically, I'm looking into some kind of owl.. I mean, is it completely against the law? Do I need a liscense/where do I get one? Or would it be more of a county/city law? I wouldn't be taking it from the wild or anything though, purchasing it.
Update:Yea, that's what I thought, but I've been looking at my DNR, State Restrictions/Laws, and the Animal Health thinger, can't find a single thing. And yes, I am a HP fan, but not quite where I got the idea from. LOL, Owls are just beautiful, nocturnal(like me, haha.), and are just usually alot more peaceful than the average hawk that will attempt clawing your eyes out if you mess with it too much... but I doubt I'd use my owl to send a letter to Dumbledore, or keep it in a cramped sonbird cage in my room. lolz
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Verified answer
Owls are protected by law in the US, and you can not own one as a pet. In order to keep an owl, you must have a permit. They are not issued for the purpose of keeping owls as pets. You can get a falconers license, after completing the appropriate training. You can get a wildlife rehabilitators license but then the owl would have to be released when ready (unless it was a PC - permanent cripple - and then you could keep it for "educational purposes" with yet another license)
Edit - found some info online that suports my answer, and gives more info:
"In the United States, keeping owls as pets is illegal under most circumstances due to their protection under various federal, state, and local laws, such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. " http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/11...
"In the U.S., keeping owls for pets is always against the law. In the U.S., owls and all other native birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and cannot be possessed by anyone who doesn't have legal permits for research or education, or in the case of an injured owl, legal rehabilitation permits. I have permits to keep one Eastern Screech-Owl for education. I first needed to prove that I have a good reason to use an owl for educational programs, and that I could provide healthy, safe, and comfortable housing and good food, in order to apply for a permit from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. I needed a permit from my state in order to apply for a federal permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. After I had both permits, I was allowed to keep one screech owl, but wasn't allowed to take it from the wild. I had to find a rehabilitation center that had an owl that had recovered but couldn't be released into the wild."
http://www.lauraerickson.com/bird/Species/Owls/Har...
Your best bet would be to talk to a falconer. I know you don't want to fly it but they could still point you in the right direction. However a local falconer will probably tell you the same as me. Keeping an owl in an aviary is all well and good but they really do need to be flown otherwise they can suffer from obesity and heart conditions. Owls need to be hand reared in order to be personable otherwise they can get agressive and scared. They can also get stressed whenever they see people. But hand reared owls need to be flown otherwise they batter themselves against the aviary walls trying to fly to you and could hurt themselves.
We have a european eagle owl and his aviary is ten foot square, so you will need a lot of space for them, also you really need a backup aviary or learn how to teather a bird correctly, and teach the owls they can be teatherd from a young age. This is for when you clean out the aviary or if it need repair, re-painting, ect. Owls are very smelly and noisy so be sure your neighbors approve.
You may find that falconers breeding owls will not sell a bird to someone just wanting it as a pet.
I'd check with your state Game & Wildlife Commission. In most states it is illegal to own wildlife without a permit or license and with raptors the rules tend to be more strict. Not a Harry Potter fan are you? LOL In any case, good luck and make sure to obey the laws, the fines can be pretty strict and it would be a shame to lose an owl that you've become close to.
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My dad is in to falconry. You have to go to school( I think its in Canada) to get the proper licsence and training in order to get the bird. I think they train you with all the birds before you get to pick one though.