Which birds are legal to keep as pets in India?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Captive-bred exotic birds that are not in any schedule, such as budgerigars, cockatiels and peach-faced lovebirds, are legal to keep. Native Indian birds are not: mynas, munias, parakeets, sparrows and peafowl are listed in Schedule I or II of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 as amended in 2022, and keeping one is an offence.
A third group sits in between. Exotic birds listed in Schedule IV, which mirrors the CITES appendices, such as African greys, macaws, most other parrots and the Java sparrow, may be kept only if you register them with your state forest department under the Living Animal Species Rules, 2024.
What are the three groups of pet birds under Indian law?
Where a species is listed decides whether you may keep it, and on what terms.
Legal
Not listed: free to keep
Schedule IV names the budgerigar, cockatiel and peach-faced lovebird as parrots not included in the appendices. They are not native, so they are not in Schedules I or II either. Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research)
Register
Schedule IV: keep only with registration
Exotic species in the CITES appendices as reproduced in Schedule IV. Every owner must register each bird with the state's Management Authority and report births, transfers and deaths. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Not allowed
Schedules I and II: native wildlife
Indian birds listed in Part B of Schedule I or II are wild animals under the Act. Capturing, trapping or keeping them is hunting, which section 9 prohibits. MP Forest Department (copy of the Act, pre-2022 text)
Where are common birds listed?
Species people in India most often ask about, as they appear in the Gazette of 20 December 2022.
| Listed in | Can you keep it? | |
|---|---|---|
| Budgerigar, cockatiel, peach-faced lovebird Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Named as not included in the appendices | Yes |
| Other lovebird species, conures, cockatoos and most exotic parrots Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule IV, Appendix II (all parrots not named elsewhere) | With registration |
| African grey parrot, several macaws and Amazons Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule IV, Appendix I | With registration; breeding needs a licence |
| Java sparrow Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule IV, Appendix II | With registration |
| Rose-ringed, Alexandrine and plum-headed parakeets Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule II, Part B | No |
| Common myna, bank myna, jungle myna, house sparrow Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule II, Part B | No |
| Red munia (red avadavat), scaly-breasted, tricoloured and white-rumped munias Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule II, Part B | No |
| Common hill myna, southern hill myna, green munia, Indian peafowl Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research) | Schedule I, Part B | No |
We did not find the canary or the zebra finch in the schedules when we read them on 21 October 2026. Confirm any species with your state forest department before you buy.
Why are almost all Indian birds off limits?
The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 replaced the Act's six old schedules with four, and the new Schedule II, Part B lists a very large number of Indian birds by name, family by family, from babblers and bulbuls to sunbirds and starlings. The 1972 Act defines a wild animal as one specified in the schedules and found wild in nature, and its definition of hunting includes capturing, snaring and trapping, and disturbing the eggs or nests of wild birds.
So a myna or munia sold in a cage at a weekly market is still a scheduled wild bird. The Pet Shop Rules, 2018 define a pet animal as one whose ownership and trade are not prohibited by any other law, so a registered pet shop cannot lawfully sell scheduled native birds either.
Older articles and some news reports still say parakeets and munias are in 'Schedule IV'. That was the numbering before the 2022 amendment. Under the Act in force, Schedule IV is the list of CITES species, and native birds sit in Schedules I and II.
How do you register an exotic bird?
The steps in the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, G.S.R. 145(E) of 28 February 2024.
Apply within 30 days
Report the bird and apply electronically in Form I to the Management Authority or authorised officer within 30 days of getting it, with the fee set in the Gazette at one thousand rupees (as published on 28 February 2024). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Attach the papers
For a bird acquired after the 2022 amendment, the import licence and CITES export permit, or the seller's registration certificate. For one acquired before, a declaration and proof of the date. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Forest department visit
The Deputy Conservator of Forests verifies the bird and where it is kept, and reports within 30 days. The certificate is issued in Form III. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Keep it up to date
Report chicks within 7 days, any transfer within 15 days, and a death with a vet's post mortem report. A vet must check the bird at least every six months. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
How do you buy a pet bird legally?
Do
- Buy only from a pet shop that displays its certificate of registration from the State Animal Welfare Board. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
- For an imported species, ask for the import and quarantine papers. The shop must satisfy itself that imports came through legal channels. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
- For a Schedule IV bird, ask the seller for its registration certificate, which you will need for your own application. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- Plan for company. RSPCA says most birds are social and do better with other birds. RSPCA
Don’t
- Buy a native bird at a market, roadside or online, however cheap or young. Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research)
- Buy a chick without mature flight feathers. Pet shops must not sell un-weaned birds. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site)
- Let an exotic bird breed with or mix with native species, which the 2024 Rules forbid. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- Release an unwanted exotic bird. The Rules make owners liable for escapes and require a report within 24 hours. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
Is it legal to keep a myna as a pet in India?
- No. The common, bank and jungle mynas are listed in Schedule II, Part B, and the common hill myna and southern hill myna in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act as amended in 2022. Keeping any of them is an offence. If you have one, contact your state forest department.
Can I keep munias or finches in India?
- Not native munias. The red munia, scaly-breasted, tricoloured and white-rumped munias are in Schedule II and the green munia in Schedule I. The Java sparrow is an exotic in Schedule IV, so it needs registration. For any other finch, check its scientific name against the schedules first.
Do budgies and cockatiels need registration in India?
- No. Schedule IV of the Act names the budgerigar, cockatiel and peach-faced lovebird as not included in the CITES appendices, so the Living Animal Species Rules, 2024 do not apply to them. Buy them from a pet shop registered with your State Animal Welfare Board.
What happens if I do not register an exotic bird?
- Rule 11 of the Living Animal Species Rules, 2024 says a species with no registration certificate is dealt with under section 49Q of the Act. Section 49M says no one may possess, transfer or breed a Schedule IV species except in line with that section and its rules. Register as soon as you can.
Can a pet shop sell native birds if it is registered?
- No. The Pet Shop Rules, 2018 cover pet animals whose ownership and trade are not prohibited by any other law. Native birds in Schedules I and II are protected by the Wild Life (Protection) Act, so registration as a pet shop does not make their sale legal.
Keep reading
- Is it legal to keep a parrot in India?Native parakeets, budgies and exotic parrots in detail.
- Caring for a pet birdDaily care and what a sitter does for birds.
- Animal cruelty law in IndiaThe PCA Act and how to report cruelty.
- Pet travel rules in IndiaPapers for moving pets within and out of India.
Words on this page, explained
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Gazette of India (copy hosted by PRS Legislative Research): The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 (No. 18 of 2022), published 20 December 2022 (opens in a new tab)
- MP Forest Department (copy of the Act, pre-2022 text): The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024: G.S.R. 145(E), 28 February 2024 (Gazette copy) (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Gazette copy on AWBI's site): Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2018: G.S.R. 844(E), 6 September 2018 (opens in a new tab)
- RSPCA: Company: living with other birds (opens in a new tab)