Okay first...the LAWS in place are as follows...
The Lacey Act
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act
The Endangered Species Act
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918:
The federal protection of migratory birds has a long history in the U.S. dating back to 1916 when a treaty was signed between the United States and Great Britain, on behalf of Canada, for the protection of most migratory birds. This treaty resulted in the enactment of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) in 1918, which is the basic law in effect today.
Although raptors such as hawks and owls were not protected by the original Act, they were later included as an amendment in 1972. The bald eagle has been protected since the enactment of the Eagle Act in 1940 and the golden eagle, also under the Eagle Act, since 1962. State laws and regulations today likewise protect all migratory birds.
Jarhead quoted the contents of that law to you. Penalties for violations of the MBTA can go up to $15,000 and 6 months imprisonment for common violations. The sale or barter of migratory birds is a felony with penalties up to $500,000 and 2 years imprisonment. Some raptors, such as the bald eagle, are
also protected under the Endangered Species Act, and
both the bald and
golden eagles are also protected under the Eagle Act.
The Lacey Act:
The Lacey Act of 1900, or more commonly The Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C. § 33713378, is a conservation law introduced by Iowa Rep. John F. Lacey. It was signed into law by President William McKinley on May 25th, 1900. The Lacey Act has been amended several times. The most significant times were in 1969, 1981, and in 1989.
At the turn of the century, illegal commercial hunting threatened many game species in the United States. The law prohibited the transportation of illegally captured or prohibited animals across state lines. It was the first federal law protecting wildlife, and is still in effect, though it has been revised several times. Today the law is primarily used to prevent the importation or spread of potentially dangerous non-native species.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. § 136, 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) or ESA:
The ESA only protects species which are officially listed as "endangered" or "threatened". A species can be listed in two ways. The first is for the FWS or NOAA Fisheries to take the initiative and directly list the species. The second is via individual or organizational petition which prompts FWS or NMFS to conduct a scientific review. There are two categories on the list, endangered and threatened. Endangered species are closer to extinction than threatened species. A third status is that of "candidate species". Under this status, the FWS has concluded that listing is warranted but immediate listing is precluded due to other priorities.
Penalties: There are different degrees of violation with the law. The most punishable offense is enforced upon those who knowingly break the law through acts of importing or exporting, taking, possessing, selling, delivering, carrying, transporting, or shippingessentially trafficking endangered species without permission from the Secretary.[2] Any act of knowingly "taking" (which includes harming, wounding, or killing) an endangered species is also subject to the same penalty. The penalties for these violations can be a maximum fine of up to $50,000 or imprisonment for one year, or both, and civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, may be assessed. Also note that as your violation history accumulates, you are subject to larger fines and penalties.
Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940
Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 (16 U.S.C. 668-668d, 54 Stat. 250) as amended -- Approved June 8, 1940, and amended by P.L 86-70 (73 Stat. 143) June 25, 1959; P.L. 87-884 (76 Stat. 1346) October 24, 1962; P.L. 92-535 (86 Stat. 1064) October 23, 1972; and P.L. 95-616 (92 Stat. 3114) November 8, 1978.
This law provides for the protection of the bald eagle (the national emblem) and the golden eagle by prohibiting, except under certain specified conditions, the taking, possession and commerce of such birds. The 1972 amendments increased penalties for violating provisions of the Act or regulations issued pursuant thereto and strengthened other enforcement measures. Rewards are provided for information leading to arrest and conviction for violation of the Act.
The 1978 amendment authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to permit the taking of golden eagle nests that interfere with resource development or recovery operations. (See also the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act.)
A 1994 Memorandum (59 F.R. 22953, April 29, 1994) from President William J. Clinton to the heads of Executive Agencies and Departments sets out the policy concerning collection and distribution of eagle feathers for Native American religious purposes. This became commonly known as:
the Eagle Feather law:
In the United States, there are a number of federal wildlife laws pertaining to eagles and their feathers however the "eagle feather law" in its most common usage refers to Title 50 Part 22 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations (50 CFR 22), the federal law governing the use and possession of eagle (and other migratory bird species) feathers as religious objects.
The eagle feather law provides certain exceptions to federal wildlife laws regarding eagles and other migratory birds to enable Native Americans to continue to practice traditional indigenous religious and spiritual customs, of which the use and possession of eagle feathers is central.
Under the current language of the eagle feather law, only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers. Non-natives who are caught with an eagle feather in their possession can be fined up to $25,000.
Obtaining an eagle permit under the eagle feather law can be complicated. To legally possess eagle feathers for use in Native American spiritual practices, citizens must first be able to legally prove their ethnicity. This is generally accomplished by providing documentation of Native American ancestry officially recorded in the original Dawes Rolls (or Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes, or the Dawes Commission of Final Rolls) and documentation of current membership in a federally recognized tribe.
Tribal membership often requires a minimum blood quantum of ¼ Native American ancestry (having at least one grandparent who was full blood Native American), although blood quantum requirements for tribal membership vary widely.
While the eagle feather law allows for individuals who are adopted members of federally recognized tribes to obtain eagle feathers and eagle feather permits, all applicants for eagle permits must submit an application to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for religious use of eagle feathers.
This has also been amended to include a whole host of other requirements such as numbering of individual feathers and etc etc etc.
The only exceptions to possessing a raptor/bird of prey/migratory bird (hawks migrate), is to be a licensed rehabilitation specialist or a licensed falconer.
The only thing to do is cover the run, do not leave the door open, keep the feathered kids protected from flying predators as well as climbing and digging ones.
Sorry about your RIR.
It's illegal to kill them, but is it different if they are carrying off your pet? He dropped her, but she wasn't in good shape. We took her to the vet and he said it'd be best to euthanize her... Mom says we can get another, but it's not the same. What can I do, we plan to build a larger run now. It was only like 2 minutes. I knew they were around, I've seen then standing on the coop before, but I looked around before I walked away and didn't see any of them. 
