Taxidermist permit

A Taxidermist permit authorises the permit holder to possess a migratory bird for the purpose of providing taxidermy services for profit.

Application and record keeping forms

• Instruction sheet
• Permit application form
• Taxidermist permit record keeping form instructions
• Taxidermist permit record keeping form

The service standard for Taxidermist permit applications is that 90% of decisions are made within 35 calendar days.

Taxidermist permits require a $10 application fee. They are valid until the expiration date stated on the permit, or, if no date is indicated on the permit, on December 31 of the year in which it was issued.

Taxidermist permit applications must be submitted  to the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) office in the region where the activity will take place. Contact information for regional CWS offices is found below.

Who can apply

Taxidermists wishing to engage in the practice of preserving and/or mounting migratory birds or their eggs for profit can apply for a Taxidermist permit. There are no specific qualifications required to obtain a Taxidermist permit.

Individuals who are preserving and/or mounting migratory birds they have legally acquired, for instance through a Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit, for personal use do not require a Taxidermist permit.

Reporting and record keeping requirements

Every Taxidermist permit holder must keep records showing, in respect of the migratory birds and eggs they have received,

• the name of each species and the number of birds and eggs belonging to each species
• the date, place and other circumstances of the killing or taking of the birds and the taking of the eggs
• the date on which the birds and eggs were received; and
• the full names and contact information of the owners of the birds and eggs, the permit numbers under which they were killed or taken and the persons from whom they were received by the taxidermist

A Taxidermist permit holder must submit an annual report on the report date indicated on the permit.

Accepting migratory birds

Taxidermists may only accept migratory bird carcasses and/or eggs from the following individuals:

• Migratory game bird hunting (MGBH) permit holders
• Damage or danger provincial killing permit holders and federal scaring or killing permit holders
• Persons to whom birds have been given by:
  • MGBH permit holders or
  • damage or danger provincial killing permit holders and federal scaring or killing permit holders
• Scientific permit holders who are authorized to possess specimens for mounting and preservation
• Indigenous peoples may have migratory birds mounted without a permit

Taxidermist permit holders may not accept migratory birds or eggs from Eiderdown, Aviculture, Airport and Damage or danger permit holders (except for damage or danger provincial killing or federal scaring or killing permit holders). Taxidermist permit holders may not accept migratory birds or eggs from individuals who have illegally taken migratory bird carcasses or eggs from the wild.

Note: Taxidermists may charge for their taxidermy services but cannot sell mounted birds/specimens or preserved eggs.

Labelling migratory birds

A Taxidermist permit holder who possesses migratory game birds or murres must ensure that the birds have been previously labelled or preserved. If a person possesses an unpreserved migratory bird that was taken under a MGBH permit or as an exercise of right referred to in the Migratory Bird Regulations (MBR), they must ensure that it has been labelled, unless that person took the bird themselves.

A bird is considered labelled if a label, signed by the individual who took the bird, is attached to it indicating:

• the full name and contact information of the owner
• the number of the MBR permit under which the bird or egg was taken
• the date and place where the bird or egg was taken
• the circumstances under which the migratory bird was killed or the egg was taken

Migratory birds can also be labelled as a group. If unlabeled birds are packaged together, the package or a single bird within it must be labelled with the relevant information indicated above in respect of each bird.

Contact information for Canadian Wildlife Service offices (by region)

Atlantic region (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island)
17 Waterfowl Lane
P.O. Box 6227
Sackville, NB E4L 1G6

Telephone: 506-364-5068
Fax: 506-364-5062
Email: Permi.Atl@ec.gc.ca

Quebec region
801-1550 Avenue d'Estimauville
Quebec, QC G1J 0C3

Telephone: 418-649-6129
Fax: 418-648-4871
Email: PermisSCFQuebec-CWSQuebecPermit@ec.gc.ca

Ontario region
335 River Road
Ottawa, ON K1V 1C7

Telephone: 613-990-8355
Fax: 613-990-8400
Email: wildlifeontario@ec.gc.ca

Prairie region (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba)
115 Perimeter Road
Saskatoon, SK S7N 0X4

Telephone: 306-975-6794
Fax: 306-975-4089
Email: prpermisscf-cwspermitpr@ec.gc.ca

Pacific region (British Columbia)
60 Front Street L3
Nanaimo, BC V9R 5H7

Telephone: 250-327-4101
Email: scfpacpermitscwspacpermits@ec.gc.ca

Northern region (Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon)
PO Box 1870
Suite 301, 933 Mivvik St.
Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0

Telephone: 867-975-4636
Fax: 867-975-4645
Email: CWSPermitNorth@ec.gc.ca

Related links

• Note to all applicants: Service standards for migratory bird permits can be found online. Please note that when incomplete applications are received, Environment and Climate Change Canada will notify the applicant and the time limit will be “paused” or “suspended” until all the missing information is received
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the appropriate provincial/territorial wildlife agency and municipal office for information about possible additional permits required for the planned activity