The US Fish and Wildlife Service will not apply a key protection rule to captive macaws

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has decided not to apply a specific protection rule to captive scarlet macaws. This means that people who own or trade these birds will not face the same strict regulations as those dealing with wild, endangered populations.

The Endangered Species Act has a rule that lets the government protect animals that look like an endangered species, even if they are not. This prevents people from selling illegal wild animals by claiming they are legal, captive ones. The Service has now decided not to use this rule for a specific group of scarlet macaws, which could make it harder to enforce protections for wild macaws.