Speaking with the kid / family it would have been apparent that there was no ill intent (compared to someone who had killed the bird and had it stuffed) and a gentle admonishment that the bird should be released ASAP would have sufficed.

But I think the point is that there’s something wrong with a system that turns merely doing the wrong thing into a federal crime.

After finding a baby bird in my driveway, I took it in and checked online with the best way to deal with it. That’s when I found it is a federal crime to hold wild birds as pets. It’s primarily because young birds need constant attention and care. After trying to find (and failing) a Wildlife department close to my house, I did the next best thing. I looked around where I found it, found the nest, and put it back inside. That’s pretty much the only thing I could do.

The red flag shot up when I heard they took the woodpecker into Lowe’s. Why are you moving it from where you found it? Lady, you turn it over to a vet, release it, or hand it over to the nice Fisheries lady. But, you don’t hold onto it for several days.

Most states as well as the federal government heavily regulate fish and wildlife.

If this family was worried about the bird being injured, they could have inquired of a veternarian or maybe a park ranger or even looked on the internet to find out what to do. Instead, they just kept the bird for ” a day or two” maybe three or seven.

Then apparently they decided the bird was healthy enough to take along on a shopping trip.

Wild animals are not pets.