50 CFR § 17.7 - Raptor exemption.
(a) The prohibitions found in §§ 17.21 and 17.31 do not apply to any raptor [a live migratory bird of the Order Falconiformes or the Order Strigiformes, other than a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) or a golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)] legally held in captivity or in a controlled environment on November 10, 1978, or to any of its progeny, which is:
(1) Possessed and banded in compliance with the terms of a valid permit issued under part 21 of this chapter; and
(2) Identified in the earliest applicable annual report required to be filed by a permittee under part 21 of this chapter as in a permittee's possession on November 10, 1978, or as the progeny of such a raptor.
(b) This section does not apply to any raptor intentionally returned to the wild.