Fort Worth man guilty of having, selling federally protected owl
A 46-year-old Fort Worth man pleaded guilty to federal wildlife violations for possessing and selling an owl, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in the eastern district of Texas.
Jorge Fernando Mercado knowingly possessed, and then sold, a live Eastern Screech-Owl to a buyer for $200, the office said.
The Eastern Screech-Owl is a “migratory bird” which is protected by federal statute and international conventions.
The robin-sized gray or reddish-brown bird roosts in holes or in dense cover during the day and becomes active at dusk, according to audubon.org. It’s common in parts of Texas and northern Mexico. Despite the name, screech-owls do not screech but whinny and make soft trills. They’re more often heard than seen, says the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website.
Mercado admitted that he knowingly possessed and sold the owl without a valid permit or authorization, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Under federal statutes, Mercado faces up to six months in federal prison at sentencing.
The owl was recovered and rehabilitated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Department and has since been released back into the wild.
