Has been endorsed by the Board of Directors of the American Federation of Aviculture as a viable program for inspection and certification of aviculturists.
Has the active support of several major zoos, including the San Diego Zoo, which only permits the sale of surplus zoo birds to private sector individuals who are certified MAP participants.
Was presented to the leadership of World Wildlife Fund who recognized MAP as a valuable program in the conservation of birds.
Has been presented to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Management Authority as an organization designed to improve captive breeding of birds in the United States.
Has been presented to the US Department of Agriculture as a viable means of voluntary self-regulation by the avicultural community. Australia and Canada are in the process of developing MAP programs for their countries based on the Unites States' model.
Has been designed to be flexible and responsive to the needs of the avicultural community whether the aviculturist is a beginning breeder with a very small collection of breeding pairs who hopes to raise enough youngsters to pay the birds' expenses and perhaps even make a profit, a breeder of extremely rare or unusual species who expects to sell or trade very few youngsters, or a large breeder with a bird farm designed to provide hundreds of young birds to the pet trade.
Was NOT designed only for large breeding farms. The principles that apply to exotic bird breeding and care are the same, whether or not the facility is a room or a building or outdoor pens or flights. It is important to designate separate areas for separate functions, such as Nursery Area, Food Preparation Area, etc., and following a plan regarding traffic flow between these separate areas so that potential disease contamination is avoided. It is important that specialized equipment used in the nursery be functioning correctly and that the aviculturist understands the equipment and how to monitor its performance. It is important that the aviculturist become knowledgeable about the avian species with which he/she is working. It is important that the aviculturist keep abreast of the latest developments in avian nutrition, avian diseases, and laws and regulations regarding exotic birds.
MAP, the Model Aviculture Program, is designed to do its part in upgrading and maintaining good husbandry and record keeping practices by aviculturists and, thus, to promote the advancement of aviculture and to protect the interests of aviculturists in the United States.
Preparing for MAP Certification:
Submitting Your Application:
About the Organization: