Section 250-RICR-60-00-7.7 - DefinitionsA. "Anklet(s)" means the leather strap which goes around the bird's leg. The jesses are attached to this. Sometimes also called a bracelet.B. "Bal-chatri trap" means a hemispherical cage on which many nooses are tied and which is baited with a bird or mammal and placed in view of a wild raptor.C. "Bow net trap" means a circular hoop hinged in the middle and covered with netting which is usually attached to the ground so one side can swing freely.D. "Captive bred" means raptors (including eggs) raised in captivity and which are imprinted to humans.E. "Department" means the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.F. "Director" means the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, or his/her duly authorized agent or agents.G. "Dho-gazza trap" means a square or rectangular net of various dimensions suspended vertically next to a bait.H. "Eyas" means a young raptor not yet capable of flight.I. "Falconer" means a person who engages in the sport of falconry.J. "Falconry" means the sport of taking, or attempting to take wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor and includes all associated acts including, but not limited to the act(s) of capturing, transporting, training, housing, caring for and maintaining (a) raptor(s) held for falconry. It shall also include the secondary practice of using a raptor for conducting conservation and education programs for the general public.K. "Falconry license" means issued by the Director, or the duly authorized agent of another State with a Federally-recognized falconry program, or the Federal Government, in recognition of an individual's attainment of a "Class" of falconer, and therefore the privilege to take, possess, train, care for, maintain, and transport certain eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons, and hybrids thereof, for falconry purposes.L. "Falconry capture permit" means a special Scientific Collector's Permit for falconry capture (R.I. Gen. § Laws 20-1-18) issued by the Director to allow a licensed falconer to take certain hawks, owls, and falcons from the wild.M. "Hacking" means the temporary release of a raptor held for falconry to the wild so that it must survive on its own.N. "Harness trap" means a light leather or cloth saddle covered with nooses which is placed on tethered bait.O. "Hood" means the leather head covering used on hawks and falcons.P. "Hybrid" means any bird that results from a cross of genetic material between two (2) separate taxa when one (1) or both are included in the list of migratory birds in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, 16 U.S.C. §§ 703-712, as amended, and any progeny of those birds.Q. "Imping" means the process of grafting new feathers onto the wing or tail of a bird to repair damage or to increase flying capacity.R. "Import" means to bring a raptor into the State and house for more than thirty (30) days per calendar year (need not be consecutive).S. "Imprint" means a bird that is hand-raised in isolation from the sight of other raptors from two (2) weeks of age until it has fledged. An imprinted bird is considered to be so for its entire lifetime.T. "Indigenous" means those species occurring naturally, either presently or historically within the boundaries of the State of Rhode Island.U. "Jesses" means leather strips which go through the anklets so the falconer can hold the bird or attach the leash.V. "Leash" means attaches the bird to the perch or falconer's glove.W. "Lure" means a fake quarry used to train a bird.X. "Mews and weathering facilities" means for housing raptors. Mews are indoor facilities; a weathering facility would be outdoors.Y. "Pigeon harness" means a rig which fits snugly around a live bird allowing for complete freedom of movement including flight or total immobilization.Z. "Possess/possession" means the exercise of dominion or control over a raptor starting when the decision is made not to immediately return the raptor to the immediate vicinity from which it was taken, and lasting up until the raptor's ultimate disposition. The short-term handling, such as letting another hold or practice flying a raptor possessed by a licensed falconer is not considered "possession" if the falconer is present and the person is under the falconer's supervision.AA. "Raptor" means a live migratory bird of the order Falconiformes, Strigiformes, Accipitriformes, or listed in in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, 16 U.S.C. §§ 703-712, as amended. This includes the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), and the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus).BB. "Swedish goshawk trap" means a humane, predator-safe, stationary box trap.CC. "State Endangered/State Threatened" means those species identified as State Endangered or State Threatened in the Rhode Island Natural History Survey's Program's list of "Rare Native Animals of Rhode Island (2006 edition)." incorporated above at § 7.3(E).DD. "Take" means to trap or capture, or attempt to trap or capture.EE. "Wild" means any raptor taken from the wild at any stage of its life. Once a raptor is taken from the wild it shall always be considered "wild" and treated accordingly.250 R.I. Code R. 250-RICR-60-00-7.7
Amended effective 7/31/2019
Amended effective 7/31/2020
Amended effective 7/31/2021
Amended effective 8/8/2024