MINNESOTA BIRD LAWS 



The section of the Minnesota Game Laws for 1917-1918 that 

 deals with the general protection of our wild bird-life and defines 

 what is meant by Game Birds is as follows: 



"Harmless Birds Game Birds Defined. No person shall catch, take, kill, 

 ship or cause to be shipped to any person within or without the state, purchase, 

 offer or expose for sale, sell to any one, have in possession with intent to sell, or have 

 in possession or under control at any time, living or dead, any wild bird other than 

 a game bird, nor any part thereof, and for the purposes of this chapter the following 

 only shall be considered game birds: 



"The family Anatidae, commonly known as swan, geese, brant, river and sea 

 ducks; the family Rallidae, including rails, gallinules and coots; the order Limicolae, 

 commonly known as plove, snipe and woodcock; the order Gallinae, commonly 

 known as grouse, prairie chickens, pheasants, partridges and quail; the order Colum- 

 bae, or pigeons and doves; provided that blackbirds, crows, English sparrows, 

 sharp-shinned hawks, goshawks and Cooper hawks and great horned owls may be 

 killed and had in possession at any time; and provided further that any birds may 

 be killed or destroyed under authority of the Game and Fish Commissioner when 

 they are found to be destroying or injuring game birds on state game farms or state 

 game refuges, or destroying or injuring fish in state fish hatcheries; but nothing 

 herein contained shall be construed to prevent the keeping and sale of song birds 

 as domestic pets." 



The following provisions, establishing special closed seasons, 

 are incorporated in the Game Laws of 1917-1918: 



"No mourning dove, snipe (other than Wilson or jack snipe and greater and 

 lesser yellow-legs), woodcock, upland plover or golden plover shall be taken, killed 

 or had in possession before September 16, 1920." "No partridge or ruffed grouse, 

 or Chinese, ringneck or English pheasant shall be killed or had in possession before 

 the fifteenth (15th) day of October, 1920." "No wood duck shall be taken, killed 

 or had in possession before September 16, 1920." 



The following provision is made for the protection of the 

 nests and eggs of our wild birds: 



"Nests and Eggs No person shall at any time take or have in possession or 

 under control, break up or destroy or in any manner interfere with any nest, or the 

 eggs of any of the kinds of birds, the killing of which is at any or all times prohibited." 



Permission to collect for scientific purposes may be granted 

 under the following conditions: 



Paragraph 4771. * * * * "and may also grant permission under the seal 

 of said Commissioner, to any accredited representative of any incorporated society 

 of natural history, college or university, to collect for scientific purposes only, nests, 

 eggs, birds, animals or fish protected by law, and may also grant permission under 



