Wild Bird Conservation Act; Receipt of Permit Applications

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2026-1717; FXIA16710900000-267-FF09A30000] Wild Bird Conservation Act; Receipt of Permit Applications AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the public to comment on applications for the approval of a Cooperative Breeding Program under the Wild Bird Conservation Act (WBCA). With some exceptions, the WBCA prohibits certain activities with exotic bird species without Federal authorization. The regulations implementing WBCA also require that we invite public comment on each application requesting approval of a cooperative breeding program. DATES: Comments will be accepted on or before August 10, 2026. Comments submitted electronically using the Federal eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES , below) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. To ensure your comment is received and considered, you must submit it using one of the methods identified in the ADDRESSES section of this document. Comments submitted through any method not authorized in this document, or sent to an address not listed here, will not be considered. ADDRESSES: Comment submission: All submissions must include the docket number FWS-HQ-IA-2026-1717 for this document. You must submit comments using one of the following methods: • Electronic submission: Federal eRulemaking Portal at: https://www.regulations.gov . In the Search box, enter FWS-HQ-IA-2026-1717, which is the docket number for this action. Then click the Search button. On the resulting page, you may submit a comment by clicking on “Comment.” Please ensure that you have found the correct document before submitting your comments. • U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2026-1717, Policy and Regulations Branch, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803. Comments submitted through any method not authorized in this document, or sent to an address not listed here, will not be considered. We will not accept comments via email, fax, or hand delivery. We are not required to consider comments that are submitted after the comment period ends or that are submitted via a method outside of these instructions. Comments containing profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate content will not be considered. We will post all comments at https://www.regulations.gov . You may request that we withhold personal identifying information from public review; however, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-2185 or via email at DMAFR@fws.gov . Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Public Comment Procedures A. How do I comment on submitted applications? We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period. You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in ADDRESSES . We will not consider comments sent by email, or to an address not in ADDRESSES . We will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see DATES ). When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations. B. May I review comments submitted by others? You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). C. Who will see my comments? If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety. II. Background To help the Service carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected species, and in consideration of section 112(4) of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 4901-4916), we invite public comments on certain permit applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, the WBCA prohibits certain activities with exotic bird species without Federal authorization. Service regulations regarding permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the WBCA with respect to any wild birds are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 15. III. Permit Applications We invite comments on the following applications. Wild Bird Conservation Act Applicant: Vernon Padgett, Sandy Springs, GA; Permit No. PER27085074. The applicant wishes to renew the Cooperative Breeding Program CB046 that was established to approve the import of 20 male and 20 female Yellow-bibbed lory ( Lorius chlorocercus ), 20 male and 20 female Red lory ( Eos rubra ), 20 male 20 female Chattering lory ( Lorius garrulus ), 20 male and 20 female Dusky lory ( Pseudeos fuscata ), 20 male and 20 female Cardinal lory ( Chalcopsitta cardinalis ), 20 male and 20 female Black lory ( Chalcopsitta atra ), 20 male and 20 female Yellow-streaked lory ( Chalcopsitta sintillaya ), 20 male and 20 female Black-winged lory ( Eos cyanogenia ), 20 male and 20 female Blue-streaked lory (Eos reticulata), 20 male and 20 female Violet-necked lory ( Eos squamata ), 20 male and 20 female Stella's lorikeet ( Charmosyna papou ), 20 male and 20 female Ornate lorikeet ( Trichoglossus ornatus ), and 20 male and 20 female Coconut lorikeet ( Trichoglossus haematodus) and amend it to add 20 male and 20 female Pesquet's Parrot ( Psittrichas fulgidus ), 20 male and 20 female Fairy Lorikeet ( Charmosyna pulchella ), 20 male and 20 female Goldie's Lorikeet ( Psitteuteles goldiei ), and remove 20 male and 20 female Black Lory ( Chalcopsitta atra ) and 20 male and 20 female Violet Necked Lory ( Eos squamata ). Applicant: Vernon Padgett, Sandy Springs, GA; Permit No. PER26823331. The applicant wishes to renew the Cooperative Breeding Program CB045 that was established to approve the import of 20 male and 20 female Toco toucan ( Ramphastos toco ), 20 male and 20 female Channel-billed toucan ( Ramphastos vitellinus ), 20 male and 20 female Red-billed toucan ( Ramphastos tucanus ), 20 male and 20 female Green-billed toucan ( Ramphastos vitellinus ), 20 male and 20 female Green aracari ( Pteroglossus viridis ), 20 male and 20 female Saffron toucanet ( Baillonius bailloni ), 15 male and 15 female Rufous hornbill ( Buceros hydrocorax ), 15 male and 15 female Papuan hornbill ( Rhyticeros plicatus ), Wreathed hornbill ( Rhyticeros undulatus ), and 15 male and 15 female Knobbed hornbill ( Aceros cassidix ) and to amend it to add 15 male and 15 female Rhinoceros Hornbill ( Buceros rhinoceros ), 15 male and 15 female Black Hornbill ( Anthracoceros Malayanus ), 15 male and 15 female Oriental Pied Hornbill ( Anthracoceros albirostris ) and 15 male and 15 female Wrinkled Hornbill ( Aceros corrugatus ) and to remove 20 male and 20 female Green Aracari ( Pteroglossus viridis ) and 20 male and 20 female Saffron Toucanet ( Baillonius bailloni ), along with adding a new member Robert Yoshida. If the amendment is approved, the program will include Robert Yoshida as a member of CB045. IV. Next Steps After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register . You may locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for “12345A”. V. Authority We issue this notice under the authority of the implementing regulations and under the authority of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 4901-4916). This notice is provided pursuant to section 112(4) of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992, 50 CFR 15.26(c). Scott Carleton, Acting Branch Chief, Branch of Permits, Division of Management Authority. [FR Doc. 2026-13948 Filed 7-9-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333-15-P