Defenders Applauds Rep. Huffman for New Migratory Bird Protection Act

Defenders of Wildlife today applauds Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) for his introduction of the Migratory Bird Protection Act of 2025. This bill enshrines much needed protections for North American birds at a time when wildlife conservation laws are increasingly under threat by the Trump administration.

“For over a century, the Migratory Bird Protection Act has been a hallmark of successful, bipartisan, conservation law,” said Robert Dewey, vice president of government relations at Defenders of Wildlife. “Rep. Huffman’s update to this law would ensure that companies and organizations may be held liable for the unintentional — but not unexpected — killing of birds during industrial development. Supporting this bill should come as common sense to all those who value bipartisan solutions to wildlife protection over politically motivated attacks by the Trump administration.”

Migratory birds, ranging from greater flamingos and American white pelicans to red-winged blackbirds and bald eagles, represent some of our nation’s most iconic species. Since 1970, however, 2.9 billion birds, over a quarter of the North American population, have been lost.  

The bill’s most important provision would ensure that the unauthorized take — or killing — of migratory birds, which includes those unintentionally killed or harmed by industrialization, development and other human activity, is covered under the MBTA. The bill would also provide funding for research to better understand and prevent bird species decline.  

Dating back to 1918, the MBTA is one of the oldest and most successful conservation laws in the United States and, over the last century, can be credited with saving millions of birds ranging from the smallest hummingbirds to the largest raptors.

Importantly, the MBTA protects bird species that are not protected by other federal statutes, such as the Endangered Species Act.  

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