People who sell protected wild birds such as peregrine falcons would be fined up to NT$1.5 million (US$51,396), Tainan Agriculture Bureau official Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) said, amid reports of people selling peregrine chicks online.
Under the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), people trading, displaying or exhibiting with the intent to sell protected wildlife and its products without government approval could be sentenced from six months to five years in prison, and fined NT$300,000 to NT$1.5 million, he said.
Bird Photography Club president Huang Shu-ting (黃蜀婷) said she has also received reports of people setting up private groups on social media to sell wild birds, including peregrine falcons, a raptor listed as a protected species by the government.
Photo courtesy of Wang Kuo-yan
Although artificially rearing or breeding peregrine falcons is not prohibited, it requires a permit, she said.
Sales of wild birds on the Internet has become rampant, Huang said, adding that other animals such as snakes have also been sold online.
The illegal wildlife trade harms birds, she said.
Peregrine falcons are widely distributed around the world and categorized as an uncommon winter migrant in Taiwan, with documented reproduction activities around the northern coast, she said.
Peregrine falcons can dive at high speeds and have become popular among bird watchers, as the birds’ flying posture and streamlined body shape is reminiscent of the US-made B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, she said.
The bird species is known for its high speeds, which is believed to exceed 320kph when it dives, making it possibly one of the fastest animals on Earth, Huang said.
A National Geographic program suggested that peregrine falcons can dive as fast as 389kph, faster than trains running on the high-speed rail, she added.
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