Hawaiis Premiere Parrot & Bird Education, Rescue & Support Organization
Not every parrot species can legally be kept or imported into Hawaiʻi. This page lists every psittacine bird genus and species approved under Hawaiʻi state law — drawn directly from the official Conditionally Approved Animals list (HAR § 4-71-6.5, November 2006).
Hawaiʻi has some of the most stringent animal import regulations in the United States, and for good reason. Our islands are home to dozens of endangered native bird species and unique ecosystems that are extraordinarily vulnerable to introduced animals. The state’s list of Conditionally Approved Animals — established under Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules § 4-71-6.5 — defines exactly which species may be legally kept and imported.
For psittacine birds, the conditional approval list is generous — covering the vast majority of parrot and cockatoo species commonly kept in aviculture. However, a species not on this list is effectively prohibited. Bringing a prohibited bird into Hawaiʻi can result in the bird being seized and euthanized, as well as significant fines for the owner. This is not a technicality — it is enforced at the airport.
HFFN strongly encourages every member and prospective bird owner to verify that any bird they currently keep or plan to acquire is on the approved list before taking any action. If you are moving to Hawaiʻi with a bird, or purchasing a bird from the mainland or overseas, check this list first.
The HAR § 4-71-6.5 Conditionally Approved Animals list reproduced here was published November 28, 2006. While this list has remained largely stable, regulations can change. HFFN strongly recommends verifying current requirements directly with the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture, Plant and Animal Division before importing any bird.
Contact: Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture · Plant and Animal Division · (808) 483-7161 · hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi
Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules § 4-71-6.5, List of Conditionally Approved Animals (November 28, 2006) · Published by the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Industry · View the full PDF
Even for conditionally approved species, bringing a bird to Hawaiʻi requires meeting specific health and documentation requirements. These requirements apply to birds being relocated to Hawaiʻi as well as birds visiting temporarily. Failure to comply at any step can result in the bird being turned away or quarantined at the owner’s expense.
Confirm your bird’s species is on the Conditionally Approved list (HAR § 4-71-6.5). If it is not listed, it is prohibited. There are no exceptions or waivers for prohibited species.
All birds except canaries, finches, budgerigars, lovebirds, cockatiels, and doves must have a legible leg band or a microchip scannable by an AVID brand scanner. No exceptions.
The bird must be quarantined at a licensed veterinary facility under mosquito-proof conditions for 168 hours (7 days) immediately before departure. This quarantine must be documented.
The bird must arrive in Hawaiʻi within 36 hours of leaving its pre-departure quarantine facility. The travel window is strictly enforced.
All birds must enter through Honolulu International Airport (HNL) regardless of final destination. There are no other authorized ports of entry for birds in Hawaiʻi.
If traveling to a neighbor island, the bird must first clear the agricultural inspection station at Honolulu Airport before any inter-island flight. No direct entry to neighbor islands.
An import permit from the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture is required. Applications and fees (approximately $20) must be submitted in advance of arrival.
The bird’s travel carrier must be mosquito-proof. If the carrier is damaged or has any gap that could allow mosquito entry, the bird may be denied entry. Inspect your carrier carefully before travel.
Hawaiʻi’s native bird species — many of which are endangered or critically threatened — have no natural immunity to avian malaria, which is transmitted by introduced Culex mosquitoes. Introduced birds can carry avian diseases without showing symptoms. The mosquito-proof quarantine and carrier requirements exist specifically to prevent disease-carrying mosquitoes from entering the state alongside bird imports — protecting both native wildlife and your own bird’s new community.
The following table reproduces the complete psittacine section of the HAR § 4-71-6.5 Conditionally Approved Animals list — Order Psittaciformes, Family Psittacidae — exactly as it appears in the official document. Genera marked “all species in genus” cover every recognized species within that genus. Individual species are listed where only specific species are approved.
Species and genera with dedicated HFFN species pages are marked for easy reference. A note on Bourke’s Parrot appears in the Australasian section regarding a recent taxonomic reclassification.
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Lovebirds & Small Parrots | ||
| Agapornis | Lovebird (all lovebird species) | All species |
| Bolborhynchus lineola | Barred parakeet | Single species |
| Melopsittacus undulatus | Budgerigar (parakeet) | Single species |
| Neophema | Grass parakeets (Turquoise, Scarlet-chested, Elegant, Blue-winged, etc.) | All species |
| Conures & Patagonian Parakeets | ||
| Aratinga (except A. nana astec) | Conures / parakeets (Sun, Jenday, Blue-crowned, etc.) | All except one subspecies |
| Cyanoliseus patagonus | Patagonian conure (burrowing parakeet) | Single species |
| Enicognathus | Slender-billed conures | All species |
| Pyrrhura | Pyrrhura parakeets (Green-cheeked, Maroon-bellied, Black-capped, etc.) | All species |
| Macaws | ||
| Anodorhynchus | Macaw (Hyacinth, Lear’s, Glaucous) HFFN page | All species |
| Ara | Macaw (Blue-and-Gold, Green-Winged, Scarlet, Military, etc.) HFFN page | All species |
| Leptosittaca branickii | Golden-plumed parakeet | Single species |
| Amazon Parrots | ||
| Amazona | Amazon parrot (Yellow-nape, Blue-fronted, Orange-winged, etc.) HFFN page | All species |
| African Parrots | ||
| Psittacus erithacus | African Grey Parrot (Congo & Timneh) HFFN page | Single species |
| Poicephalus | Poicephalus parrots (Senegal, Meyers, Jardine’s, Red-bellied, etc.) HFFN page | All species |
| Eclectus | ||
| Eclectus roratus | Eclectus parrot HFFN page | Single species |
| Hawk-Headed Parrot | ||
| Deroptyus accipitrinus | Hawk-headed (Red-fan) Parrot HFFN page | Single species |
| Pionus Parrots | ||
| Pionus | Pionus parrots (Blue-headed, Maximilian’s, White-capped, Bronze-winged, etc.) HFFN page | All species |
| Asiatic Parrots (Psittacula) | ||
| Psittacula alexandri | Moustache (red-breasted) parakeet HFFN page | Single species |
| Psittacula cyanocephala | Plum-headed parakeet HFFN page | Single species |
| Psittacula derbiana | Lord Derby’s (Derbyan) parakeet | Single species |
| Psittacula eupatria | Alexandrine parakeet HFFN page | Single species |
| Psittacula himalayana | Slaty-headed parakeet | Single species |
| Psittacula roseata | Rose-headed (Blossom-headed) parakeet HFFN page | Single species |
| Australasian Parrots — Rosellas, King Parrots & Relatives | ||
| Alisterus | King parrot (Australian, Papuan, Moluccan) | All species |
| Aprosmictus | Crimson-winged & Red-winged parrots | All species |
| Cyanoramphus | Kakariki / New Zealand parakeets (Red-fronted, Yellow-fronted, etc.) | All species |
| Eunymphicus cornutus | Horned (Uvean) parakeet | Single species |
| Neopsephotus bourkii | Bourke’s Parrot — recently reclassified from Neophema to Neopsephotus; conditionally approved as it was covered under the Neophema listing at the time this regulation was written Reclassified | Single species |
| Platycercus | Rosellas (Eastern, Crimson, Western, Green, Northern, etc.) | All species |
| Polytelis | Regent, Superb, and Princess parrots | All species |
| Psephotus | Mulga, Red-rumped, Hooded, Blue Bonnet parrots | All species |
| Purpureicephalus spurius | Red-capped parrot (Western Australia) | Single species |
| Tanygnathus | Great-billed, Blue-backed, Blue-naped, and Müller’s parrots | All species |
| Cockatoos — Family Cacatuidae | ||
| Cacatua | White cockatoos (Umbrella, Moluccan, Sulphur-crested, Little Corella, etc.) HFFN page | All species |
| Callocephalon fimbriatum | Gang-gang Cockatoo | Single species |
| Calyptorhynchus | Black cockatoos (Red-tailed, Yellow-tailed, Baudin’s, Carnaby’s, Glossy) | All species |
| Eolophus roseicapillus | Galah (Rose-breasted Cockatoo) HFFN page | Single species |
| Nymphicus hollandicus | Cockatiel HFFN page | Single species |
| Probosciger aterrimus | Palm Cockatoo | Single species |
While the approved list is broad, there are some notable psittacine genera and species that do not appear on the conditionally approved list and are therefore not permitted in Hawaiʻi. The most significant omissions relevant to the aviculture community include:
Indian Ring-necked Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) are kept by many people across the Hawaiian Islands — and they are wonderful birds who make devoted and engaging companions. HFFN is happy to help place them in good homes. But their status under Hawaiʻi law creates a situation that every current and prospective owner must fully understand before acquiring one.
Ring-necked Parakeets cannot be transported between Hawaiian Islands. A bird on Maui stays on Maui. A bird on Oʻahu cannot travel to the Big Island. A bird on Kauaʻi cannot come to Oʻahu. There are no exceptions and no permits that change this. The bird’s island is, effectively, the bird’s permanent home.
Ring-necked Parakeets cannot be brought back to Hawaiʻi once they leave. If you move to the continental United States, you may legally take your bird with you. But if you later move back to Hawaiʻi — or even visit for an extended stay — your bird cannot come home with you. The return trip is prohibited.
The transport prohibition extends to veterinary care. Oʻahu has significantly more advanced avian veterinary hospitals than the neighbor islands. If a Ring-necked Parakeet on Maui, Kauaʻi, or Hawaiʻi Island becomes seriously ill and needs specialist care that is only available on Oʻahu, the law prohibits transporting the bird there to receive it. That is a heartbreaking limitation that has affected members of our community.
This is not an abstract policy concern. HFFN has seen these situations play out for real people with real birds they love. A military family relocated off-island and could not bring their bird back. A student moved to the mainland for school and returned without their companion of seven years. A family on a neighbor island watched their bird decline while the specialist care they needed was just a short flight away — unreachable.
Birds are family. Leaving someone behind is unimaginable — and yet it happens, to people who simply did not know the rules when they made their choice.
HFFN’s position: We love Ring-necked Parakeets and we are glad to help place them in loving homes — they are wonderful birds. What we cannot do is assist with transport between islands or help bring a bird back from the mainland, because the law does not permit it. If you move frequently — military, government service, academic appointments, or any lifestyle that takes you between islands or between Hawaiʻi and the mainland — please think very carefully before acquiring a Ring-necked Parakeet. These birds can live 25–30 years. Over that lifetime, the odds that your circumstances will change are very high. Your bird deserves a home that can move with them. If you are unsure whether your lifestyle is compatible with a Ring-necked Parakeet, come talk to us at an HFFN meeting. We will give you an honest answer.
A bird species not appearing on the Conditionally Approved list is effectively prohibited from being kept or imported in Hawaiʻi. If you currently own a non-approved species in Hawaiʻi, or are planning to move to Hawaiʻi with one, contact the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture immediately for guidance. HFFN cannot assist with the transport of prohibited species — but we can help point you in the right direction.
Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture · Plant & Animal Division: (808) 483-7161 · hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi
This page is provided as an educational resource for HFFN members and the broader Hawaiʻi parrot-keeping community. It reproduces information from an official government document as accurately as possible, but HFFN is not a legal or regulatory authority. Regulations can be amended, species classifications can change, and individual circumstances vary.
Before importing any bird to Hawaiʻi, purchasing a bird from out of state, or making any decision based on this list, please verify current requirements directly with the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture. HFFN members are always welcome to bring questions to our monthly meetings — and between meetings, our Hawaiʻi Parrot Forum Facebook group is an excellent resource for practical, community-sourced guidance from experienced island bird owners.
Full Conditionally Approved Animals List (HAR § 4-71-6.5):
dab.hawaii.gov — Conditionally Approved Animals PDF
Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture — Animal Import Information:
hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi · Phone: (808) 483-7161
How to Import Birds to Hawaiʻi (community guide):
Practical guide from an experienced Hawaiʻi bird importer