Softbills are the colorful, fruit-and-insect-eating birds of advanced aviculture - turacos, toucans, mynahs, tanagers. Non-native captive-bred species are generally legal; native songbirds are protected. Here is the full guide.
'Softbill' is not a scientific category - it is an aviculture term. It covers the passerines and near-passerines that are not seed-eating finches: birds that live on fruit, nectar, insects, and other soft foods. The group sweeps in turacos, toucans, mynahs and starlings, tanagers, leafbirds, fairy-bluebirds, and more. They are the colorful, animated specialty birds of experienced aviculturists.
The legal picture follows the pattern that runs through this entire guide. Non-native, captive-bred softbills are generally legal to keep, with no federal permit for most species - turacos, hill mynahs, leafbirds, and the like are kept by aviculturists as ordinary exotic birds. Native softbill-type birds are protected. America's native tanagers, orioles, thrushes, bluebirds, and other native passerines are migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and cannot be kept.
Two further wrinkles: a small number of softbills are CITES-listed - the toucans are CITES II, and the Bali Mynah is CITES Appendix I - and the European Starling and Common Mynah occupy an unusual niche as non-native, unprotected, even invasive birds. Softbills are an advanced field, demanding in husbandry; this guide covers the law and the major groups.
The federal framework for softbills turns on the same native/non-native distinction as the rest of the passerine world.
Native passerines are protected. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act covers America's native softbill-type birds - the Scarlet, Summer, and Western Tanagers, the native orioles, thrushes, bluebirds, warblers, and the rest. They cannot be taken from the wild or kept without a federal permit. The colorful native tanager in your yard is not, and cannot be, an aviary bird.
Non-native softbills are generally legal. The turacos of Africa, the hill mynahs of Asia, the leafbirds, the tropical tanagers and honeycreepers kept in aviculture - none is native to North America, so the MBTA does not reach them, and they are kept as captive-bred exotic birds without a federal permit in most cases.
CITES reaches some softbills. The toucans and toucanets are CITES Appendix II, adding documentation to their trade. The Bali Mynah is CITES Appendix I - a critically endangered species confined to documented, specialist breeding. Several other softbills carry CITES listings, so the exact species must always be checked.
The unprotected non-natives. The European Starling and the Common (Indian) Mynah were introduced to North America and have become invasive; as non-native birds they are not MBTA-protected. They are unusual in being legal to possess essentially because the law does not protect them - but they are also birds responsible aviculture generally discourages spreading.
The mynahs and starlings (family Sturnidae) are intelligent, vocal softbills, and the group spans the full legal range.
The Common Hill Mynah (Gracula religiosa) is the celebrated talking mynah, widely regarded as one of the best vocal mimics in the bird world - arguably rivaling parrots. It is a non-native species kept as a captive-bred aviary and companion bird, legal in most of the country, and a classic softbill.
At the opposite end of the legal spectrum sits the Bali Mynah, or Bali Starling (Leucopsar rothschildi) - a stunning white bird that is one of the rarest in the world. It is CITES Appendix I and critically endangered, the subject of intensive conservation breeding; it is kept only by serious, documented breeders and institutions within strict legal channels.
The starling group also includes spectacular African species - the iridescent Superb Starling and the Golden-breasted Starling among them - kept as captive-bred exotics. And it includes the European Starling, the introduced, invasive, unprotected species that is legal to keep mainly by default. The mynah group, in short, runs from the freely kept hill mynah to the conservation-icon Bali Mynah - confirm the species.
The turacos (family Musophagidae) are among the most prized softbills in all of aviculture, and for good reason. These African birds are large, long-tailed, and spectacularly colored - and uniquely so: turacos are the only birds with true green and red pigments in their feathers (turacoverdin and turacin), rather than the structural color most 'green' birds rely on.
A range of turaco species is kept by softbill aviculturists - the Guinea, Livingstone's, White-cheeked, Red-crested, and Violet Turacos among them, along with the imposing Great Blue Turaco. They are non-native birds, kept as captive-bred stock, and generally legal without a federal permit, though as always the state exotic-wildlife list should be checked.
Turacos are active, fruit-eating aviary birds that need spacious, planted flights and a diet built around fruit. They are considered one of the more rewarding and achievable softbills for a dedicated keeper - hardy by softbill standards, long-lived, and visually unmatched. For many aviculturists, a pair of turacos is the gateway into serious softbill keeping.
Beyond the mynahs and turacos, the softbill world is vast.
The toucans, toucanets, and aracaris (family Ramphastidae) are the iconic big-billed birds of the American tropics. They are kept by experienced softbill specialists and are CITES Appendix II, so their trade carries documentation. Toucans are demanding - they need large flights, a carefully managed low-iron fruit diet (they are prone to a serious condition called iron storage disease), and real expertise - but they are among the most charismatic of all aviary birds.
The tanagers and honeycreepers kept in aviculture are dazzling small fruit-and-nectar birds - the Paradise Tanager, the green honeycreepers, and many more tropical species (distinct from the MBTA-protected native US tanagers). The leafbirds and fairy-bluebirds of Asia, the bulbuls, the laughingthrushes, and the Pekin Robin round out a group that also reaches toward the hornbills and other large specialty softbills.
What unites them legally is the familiar rule: non-native and captive-bred means generally legal, native means protected, and a CITES listing means documentation. What unites them practically is that softbills are an advanced field - demanding diets, planted flights, and experience.
Softbills are rewarding but genuinely advanced birds, and their husbandry is a real step beyond finches or parrots.
Diet is the defining challenge. Softbills eat fruit, nectar, insects, and specialized soft foods rather than seed, and the diet must be fresh, varied, and species-appropriate. Toucans and other frugivores need low-iron diets to avoid iron storage disease, a frequently fatal condition; nectar-feeders need correctly formulated nectar; insectivores need live food. A softbill diet is daily, perishable work.
Housing means spacious, well-planted flight aviaries - softbills are active birds that need room to move and natural cover. Many are best kept as single pairs, and because their fruit-rich diet produces copious, messy droppings, easy-clean design and good drainage matter.
Climate is a constraint: many softbills are tropical and need heated indoor space in cold regions. They are also often long-lived. None of this is beyond a committed keeper, but softbills reward research and experience - they are the field a keeper grows into after mastering hardier birds, not a starting point.
Softbills are a specialist acquisition, and finding good birds takes considerably more effort than buying chickens, ducks, or even most parrots.
They are sold almost entirely through specialist softbill breeders, dedicated exotic-bird dealers, and the established softbill-aviculture community rather than through general pet shops or poultry sources. Turacos and hill mynahs are the most consistently available; toucans, exotic tanagers, honeycreepers, leafbirds, and the rarer species turn up far less often and frequently involve a waiting list. Joining a softbill or avicultural society is one of the most reliable ways to find healthy, well-bred stock and to learn directly from keepers who already run these birds successfully.
Buy captive-bred birds with documented provenance. For CITES-listed species - the toucans and toucanets at Appendix II especially - insist on full CITES paperwork, and walk away from any seller who cannot produce it. Captive-bred softbills are healthier, better adjusted to aviary life, and legally cleaner than wild-caught birds, and a reputable breeder will be transparent about a bird's age, parentage, diet, and health history. The Bali Mynah, as a CITES Appendix I species, moves only within documented conservation channels and is not a bird a private keeper sources casually.
Before the bird arrives, the order of work matters. Confirm the species is non-native and legal in your state, check its CITES status, and have the planted flight aviary, the heated indoor space if the species needs it, and the perishable specialist diet all in place and tested. Softbills do not tolerate a slow, improvised setup - their fresh-food diets are demanding from the first day, and a toucan in particular needs its low-iron regimen ready before it ever steps into the aviary. Done in the right order, with documented stock from a specialist, a planted flight of turacos or a talking hill mynah rewards the effort for many years.
Softbills - the turacos, mynahs, toucans, tanagers, leafbirds, and the rest of the fruit-and-insect-eating specialty birds - follow the legality pattern that governs the whole passerine world. Non-native, captive-bred softbills are generally legal to keep with no federal permit; turacos and hill mynahs are classic, accessible examples for the dedicated keeper. Native softbill-type birds - America's native tanagers, orioles, thrushes, and bluebirds - are MBTA-protected and cannot be kept.
Two groups need extra care. The toucans and toucanets are CITES Appendix II, so their trade requires documentation. The Bali Mynah is CITES Appendix I, a critically endangered conservation-program bird beyond casual keeping. And the European Starling and Common Mynah are the curious case of legal-by-default invasive non-natives.
For the keeper drawn to softbills, the path is clear: choose a non-native captive-bred species, confirm its CITES status and your state's exotic-wildlife rules, buy documented stock from a specialist, and - above all - be ready for the demanding, perishable, daily diet work these birds require. Softbills are the advanced tier of aviculture, and a planted flight of turacos or a talking hill mynah is a reward earned through experience.
| Turacos | Non-native, captive-bred. Generally legal; among the most rewarding softbills. |
|---|---|
| Hill Mynah & exotic starlings | Non-native, captive-bred. Generally legal as aviary/companion birds. |
| Toucans, toucanets, aracaris | CITES Appendix II. Specialist birds; trade requires documentation; demanding diet. |
| Bali Mynah | CITES Appendix I, critically endangered. Documented specialist breeding only. |
| Tanagers, leafbirds, honeycreepers (non-native) | Non-native, captive-bred. Generally legal; advanced husbandry. |
| Native tanagers, orioles, thrushes, bluebirds | MBTA-protected. Cannot be kept without a federal permit. |
Non-native, captive-bred softbills - turacos, hill mynahs, leafbirds, tropical tanagers and others - are generally legal to keep with no federal permit. Native US softbill-type birds such as native tanagers and orioles are MBTA-protected and cannot be kept.
'Softbill' is an aviculture term, not a scientific one. It covers passerines and near-passerines that eat fruit, nectar, and insects rather than seed - turacos, toucans, mynahs, tanagers, leafbirds and more.
Toucans and toucanets are CITES Appendix II, so their trade requires CITES documentation. They are not generally banned, but they are demanding specialist birds and you should buy captive-bred stock with full paperwork.
Yes. The Common Hill Mynah is a non-native species kept as a captive-bred aviary and companion bird, legal in most of the country. It is one of the finest vocal mimics in the bird world.
The Bali Mynah is CITES Appendix I and critically endangered. It is kept only by serious, documented breeders and institutions within strict legal channels as part of conservation efforts - not as a casual aviary bird.
Turacos are widely considered among the most rewarding and achievable softbills - hardy by softbill standards, long-lived, and spectacular. Even so, softbills are an advanced field; build experience on hardier birds first.
Toucans and many frugivorous softbills are prone to iron storage disease, a serious and often fatal condition. They require carefully managed low-iron fruit diets - one of the main reasons softbills are advanced birds.
No. America's native tanagers, orioles, thrushes, and bluebirds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The tanagers kept in aviculture are non-native tropical species, not the native US birds.
The European Starling is a non-native, introduced, invasive species, so it is not protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is legal to possess essentially by default - though responsible aviculture discourages spreading invasive birds.
No. Softbills require fresh, perishable, species-specific diets, planted flight aviaries, and often heated housing. They are an advanced tier of aviculture - a field to grow into after mastering finches, canaries, or parrots.
Many do. A large share of softbills are tropical birds that need heated indoor space in cold climates. Climate tolerance varies by species, so research the specific bird's needs before acquiring it.
Confirm the species is non-native and captive-bred, check its CITES status, and review your state's exotic-wildlife list. The four strictest states - California, Hawaii, New York, and Florida - warrant extra care.
Through specialist softbill breeders, dedicated exotic-bird dealers, and the softbill-aviculture community rather than general pet shops. Turacos and hill mynahs are the most available; toucans and rarer species often involve a waiting list.
Always captive-bred. Captive-bred softbills are healthier, better adjusted to aviary life, and legally cleaner. For CITES-listed species such as toucans, insist on full documentation and refuse any bird without it.
Many softbills are long-lived - turacos, toucans, and mynahs can all live well over a decade, and often two, in good conditions. Keeping softbills is a long-term commitment as well as an advanced one.
Some non-native softbills can share large planted aviaries with compatible species, but it must be done carefully - softbills vary widely in temperament and size, and their messy fruit diet and specific needs make single-species or single-pair housing the safer default.
The Common Hill Mynah is one of the finest vocal mimics in the bird world, often rivaling parrots. Most other softbills are valued for color and activity rather than speech - the talking mynah is the notable exception.
This guide is general educational information, not legal advice. Wildlife, agriculture, and zoning law varies by state, county, and municipality and changes frequently. Verify current requirements with your state wildlife agency, USDA APHIS, the USFWS, and your local government before acquiring, breeding, selling, releasing, or transporting any bird.