Bald eagles are beautiful, majestic birds.  Their feathers have been used in Native American traditions such as healing, naming ceremonies and marriages for many years.  In addition to having a ritual purpose, bald eagle feathers are beautiful and rare.  Should you try to collect any for your own use, however, you may find yourself faced with staggering fines of up to $100,000 and even prison time. 

This punishment is legalized through the Bald Eagle Protection Act, which was enacted in 1940 to help preserve the species after poaching and other issues caused a steep decline in the bald eagle population.  Under this Act, it is illegal to take, transport, sell, barter, trade, import, export, and possess eagles or their parts without a permit.

This does not mean you can never own your own eagle feathers, however.  In the 1970s, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service established the National Eagle Repository to allow Native Americans from federally recognized tribes to obtain eagle feathers for religious uses.  The permit will actually qualify you to receive the equivalent of a whole bird, even if it is pieced together from several birds.   Don’t expect to get your bird parts very quickly, though.  The current wait is about 2-2.5 years.

Once you receive your feathers, you may keep or gift them, but only to other Native Americans.  The law specifically prohibits giving feathers or any other bald eagle parts to a non-Native American.

It is sad that the greed of generations before us have led to this strict prohibitions, but without these regulations the bald eagle would likely be extinct by now.