Mallard Duck Regulations

[NatJ]

Asking because I was considering purchasing some baby ducklings, I also don’t want any issues and do right thing, but don’t want to open can of worms asking wrong agency or whatever, When I was a kid many years ago , things were lot simpler, everyone had all kinds of pets, and I don’t remember one issue

This is an old thread, but I did a bit of googling and turned up pretty much the same information that has already been discussed.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/50/21.45
This looks like almost the same text that was being discussed elsewhere.
If I am correctly reading the notes near the bottom, it was last ammended in 2022, so fairly recent.
It covers the same points that were already discussed in the thread-- no taking them from the wild, must be permanently marked by age 6 weeks, must be marked before selling even if they are younger than 6 weeks.

A quote:

§ 21.45 Permit exceptions for captive-reared mallard ducks.

Captive-reared and properly marked mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), alive or dead, or their eggs may be acquired, possessed, sold, traded, donated, transported, and disposed of by any person without a permit, subject to the following conditions, restrictions, and requirements:

(a) Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the taking of live mallard ducks or their eggs from the wild.

(b) All mallard ducks possessed in captivity, without a permit, shall have been physically marked by at least one of the following methods prior to 6 weeks of age and all such ducks hatched, reared, and retained in captivity thereafter shall be so marked prior to reaching 6 weeks of age.

(1) Removal of the hind toe from the right foot.

(2) Pinioning of a wing: Provided, That this method shall be the removal of the metacarpal bones of one wing or a portion of the metacarpal bones which renders the bird permanently incapable of flight.

(3) Banding of one metatarsus with a seamless metal band.

(4) Tattooing of a readily discernible number or letter or combination thereof on the web of one foot.

(c) When so marked, such live birds may be disposed of to, or acquired from, any person and possessed and transferred in any number at any time or place: Provided, That all such birds shall be physically marked prior to sale or disposal regardless of whether or not they have attained 6 weeks of age.

If the quote only shows part of it, there should be a line that says "click to expand" so you can see the rest.

There is no real definition of a mallard duck in this section. They do mention the scientific name.

I followed a few links, and found this list of the birds covered:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/50/10.13
They have two long alphabetical lists of birds, once with common name first and once with scientific name first.
Mallards are "Anas platyrhynchos"

They do not give any description of any of the birds, but do say:

Taxonomy and nomenclature generally follow the 7th edition of the American Ornithologists' Union's (AOU, now recognized as American Ornithological Society (AOS)) Check-list of North American birds (1998, as amended through 2019). For species not treated by the AOS Check-list, we generally follow Clements Checklist of Birds of the World (Clements et al. 2017).

Points I would suggest for avoiding problems for yourself:
--If you are in the USA, check your state laws too (because this is a federal law).

--it is the seller's responsibility to be sure the ducklings are marked before selling them, no matter how young the ducklings are. So if the seller does the right thing, you should be in the clear as regards this law.

--if you buy ducklings that cannot be mallards (for example, because of other coloring), then this law should not be a problem for you.