United States v. Fifty-Three Eclectus Parrots

Allen (defendant), a bird trader, imported 56 eclectus parrots from Indonesia, which prohibits exporting the species; he did not know of that Indonesian law or of 19 U.S.C. Section 1527, which bars importing any wild bird whose export is prohibited in its country of origin. U.S. Customs seized the parrots and ordered them forfeited, and the government won summary judgment. Allen appealed, arguing the parrots were not 'wild' within the meaning of the statute, while the government argued a bird is wild under the statute if it is normally found in a wild state.