physics

Migratory Bird Treaty

Migratory Bird Treaty is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Migratory Bird Treaty rather than just read about it. In short: The Migratory Bird Treaty or Convention is an environmental treaty between Canada and the United States. It was originally signed on 16 August 1916 by the United States and the United Kingdom (representing Canada), entered into force on 6 December 1916 and has since been amended several times.

Key takeaways

Migratory Bird Treaty belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Migratory Bird Treaty to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Migratory Bird Treaty from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Migratory Bird Treaty or Convention is an environmental treaty between Canada and the United States. It was originally signed on 16 August 1916 by the United States and the United Kingdom (representing Canada), entered into force on 6 December 1916 and has since been amended several times.

Whereas, many species of birds in the course of their annual migrations traverse certain parts of the Dominion of Canada and the United States; and Whereas, many of these species are of great value as a source of food or in destroying insects which are injurious to forests and forage plants on the public domain, as well as to agricultural crops, in both Canada and the United States, but are nevertheless in danger of extermination through lack of adequate protection during the nesting season or while on their way to and from their breeding grounds;

His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British dominions beyond the seas, Emperor of India, and the United States of America, being desirous of saving from indiscriminate slaughter and of insuring the preservation of such migratory birds as are either useful to man or are harmless, have resolved to adopt some uniform system of protection which shall effectively accomplish such objects ...

Implementation This treaty led to important environmental legislation being passed in each of the two countries in order to implement the terms of the treaty.

Implementation in Canada

The Migratory Birds Convention Act (also MBCA) is a Canadian law established in 1917 and significantly updated in June 1994 which contains regulations to protect migratory birds, their eggs, and their nests from hunting, trafficking and commercialization. A permit is required to engage in any of these activities. One major outcome of the act was the creation of Federal Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (MBSs).

Implementation in the United States

Under United States Code Title 16, Chapter 7, Subchapter II, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 is the United States legislation implementing the convention between the U.S. and Great Britain (for Canada). It replaced the Weeks-McLean Act, which had become effective in 1913 though faced constitutional challenges. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act was also challenged in the case Missouri v. Holland and the supremacy of ratified international treaties gave it additional protection. The United States subsequently entered into similar agreements with four other nations (Canada, Mexico, Japan and Russia) to protect migratory birds. The statute makes it unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill or sell birds listed therein ("migratory birds"). The statute does not discriminate between live or dead birds and also grants full protection to any bird parts including feathers, eggs and nests. Over 800 species are currently on the list. The statute is broken down into ten sections, 703 through 712 (16 U.S.C. 703 through 712). Note that § 709 is omitted, but § 709a Authorization of appropriations is included and active, making eleven listed sections (including § 709 Omitted).

See also Bird Day International Convention on the Protection of Birds

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Migratory Bird Treaty

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Migratory Bird Treaty claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Migratory Bird Treaty before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Migratory Bird Treaty ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Migratory Bird Treaty

In research: Migratory Bird Treaty appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Migratory Bird Treaty in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Migratory Bird Treaty is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1916 in American law, 1916 in Canadian law, 1916 in the environment, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Migratory Bird Treaty outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Migratory Bird Treaty in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Migratory Bird Treaty means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Migratory Bird Treaty out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Migratory Bird Treaty in simple terms?

Why does Migratory Bird Treaty matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Migratory Bird Treaty?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Migratory Bird Treaty.