Shipping a Bird with Delta Cargo
My primary goal here is to provide an instructive post on how to ship a bird via airline and share that information.
I think it’s important info to share for multiple reasons:
This allows breeders to share more with pet owners and other aviculturists.
This can facilitate even individuals rehoming their birds.
This can help someone looking to purchase a bird to understand what goes into shipping a bird and avoid scams.
Please note: These instructions are written in accordance with IATA regulations—what is referenced by Delta Airlines—as of November 4th, 2024. Always be sure to reach out to Delta customer support if you are unsure. If you’re so inclined, please also contact me if you notice a need for an update here. Please also be aware that every cargo terminal is slightly different. You may be able to “get away with” omitting some things. I ship out of SeaTac and they are extremely by-the-book, and most places will be if they’re not super familiar with shipping animals or birds.
Shipping requirements:
Bird must be able to stand up and turn around.
Bird must have a perch.
Floor must have an absorbent substrate.
Fresh food and water must be available and be accessible to refill (this can include them being able to pour food and water through mesh; it doesn’t have to be a hatch or door).
Plastic crates must be IATA-spec. Wood crates must be built to IATA specifications, which is one thing I do not cover here.
Crates may not have openings on surfaces parallel to the floor (to prevent debris falling into the crate).
Openings must not allow the bird to get its entire beak through; essentially the bird must not be able to bite through any openings in the crate.
Shipping Supplies:
Crate - The Walmart pet crates are my preferred model. They are rugged, durable, and don’t have weird extra features that might cause problems at the shipping counter. Choose one that the bird, when perched, can stand up and turn around in.
Mesh - Use screen door mesh for smaller birds. For larger species, hardware cloth is appropriate. It must be a size that the bird essentially cannot inflict a bite through as the crate is being handled.
Pet travel bowls. There are many many options out there. This is what I use as of this writing.
Optional: Dish sponge (make sure it is a natural type with no cleaning additives; for instance, don’t use a Magic Eraser)
4" zip ties (25 to 30 should be enough; you can find these at places like Lowe's, Home Depot, or Amazon - longer is also fine)
Absorbent material - unscented puppy pads, pine shavings, layers of newspaper all work
Duct tape or blue painter’s tape
Dowel rod and 1/2" wood screws OR a solid perch of some kind
Dark permanent marker (blue or black are preferable)
Drill
Saw or dremel to cut the dowel rod if you choose to use a dowel
Crate setup:
Start with the crate disassembled. Drill a hole (or holes) for the dowel rod or perch halfway back and halfway up the lower half piece of the crate (the black part). Attach the perch or dowel rod. If using a dowel rod, pre-drill holes to prevent the dowel from splitting.
On the door and the vent holes of the top half of the crate, zip tie the mesh to it. (NOTE: ALL mesh goes on the outside of the crate.)
Tape the loose edges of the mesh down on the top half of the crate.
Fold over and zip tie or tape the edges of the mesh on the door down. Make sure to cut and tie the mesh so that the latch mechanism is still accessible and workable.
Put the absorbent material of choice down in the crate.
Assemble the crate per manufacturer instructions.
Put the food bowl brackets on the door. Just punch right through the mesh to do this.
Water dish: Cover the top ENTIRELY with duct tape. Using a craft knife or other sharp object, cut an X shape in the tape. Do not cut all the way to the edge of the bowl; center the cut and leave about an inch from the edge to the cuts. Fold back the "points" created by your cut. You should end up with a square hole in the middle of the tape. This design helps keep water from sloshing.
Optional for water dish (recommended for hotter weather): cut up the dish sponge and stack it in the bowl, about 2/3rds of the depth of the dish. If the water should get spilled, there will be moisture still in the sponges.
Food dish: put in pellets and other dry foods to about 1/2 the depth of the bowl. I recommend including richer foods than usual (extra seeds or nuts) to help provide energy for the trip.
Day of the trip: Cut up some pieces of orange and apple (or fresh foods of choice as long as they're high moisture). I usually leave the peels on. I scatter them around the crate in case the passenger isn't comfortable approaching the door. They usually chow down and enjoy their snacks through the flight!
Once the bird is in the crate, ZIP TIE IT SHUT. There are "tamper proof" holes on the top and bottom pieces near the door. These are places for you to loop the zip tie through the door, mesh, and crate all together. This insures no one can easily accidentally (or purposefully) open the crate in transit.
I always recommend bringing all your crating supplies and tools with you to the airport in case they decide you need to alter the crate somehow. Delta recommends showing up three hours before the flight's "cutoff time" so there's time to get birds checked in and make any necessary changes.
Booking Requirements:
Delta has implemented new rules that make booking processes harder than they have been. Current restrictions:
Layovers may not exceed 6 hours, but must be at least 3 hours.
Birds may not be on the ground while a cargo office is closed. (Some people conflate this with overnight flights being disallowed; this is not true. There simply has to be someone at the office when the bird arrives and/or departs, and birds cannot be left at a closed office overnight. Some terminals, such as Pittsburgh, transfer live cargo to baggage claim when closed. Call cargo support with questions if you’re unsure.)
Temperature on the ground at time of arrival and/or departure of any flight in the journey must not be below 20 F or above 80 F.
Follow these steps to book:
Go to the Delta Cargo Homepage.
Select Book a New Shipment, then select Pets and Live.
Fill out the information. Most of this is self explanatory. “Breed” is the species of the bird.
Most of this is self explanatory.
Be sure to select NO regarding the household pet question!!
For “quantity” enter the number of crates in the shipment. If you enter the number of birds (and it’s more than one) they will charge you for more crates. So if you have four birds divided into two crates, you would enter 2. If you have two birds in one crate, you enter 1.
For “weight,” it is the total weight of the carrier and bird(s) together, NOT the weight of the animals themselves.
Enter your crate size manually at the bottom of the page. Due to system “upgrades” on the back end at Delta, selecting a ### Series crate size will make the system think you are shipping a pet by default and you will not be able to select a flight.
Once done, click “OK” to go back to the previous screen, then click “find flight.”
This page will show you your flight options.
Click “Details” to see information on layover length, cutoff, and pickup times.
Along with flight information, please take note of the small box at the bottom left.
This information is critical for you and your recipient. It tells you when the bird has to be finished with check in and the latest it will be available for pickup when it arrives.
The next page is mostly filling out your and the recipient’s information. However, make sure you don’t miss the declared value part!
It costs a few dollars more to declare value. DO IT.
Be honest and make sure you have documentation of what was paid for the bird the last time it was purchased, even if you’re giving it away for free. This is not how much the bird was bought for, but how much it is worth in case a claim should be filed.
Once you book the flight, you will get this screen. SAVE IT AND SEND IT TO YOUR RECIPIENT TOO.
This contains critical info which you will both need. Your client will need the Air Waybill (AWB) to retrieve their shipment. You will need the cut off time for reference.
You will also need this information (as well as information from your recipient) to fill out the Shipper’s Certification and Journey Declaration form. You will have the opportunity to download this form as you’re booking, but just in case, you can also find it here.
Okay, phew, you’re done! (Except the hours driving to and from the airport and negotiating with cargo staff.)
Tips/Other Info:
A veterinarian certificate is not required for commercial birds. Delta does not currently ship pet birds, but make sure you are clear on this distinction as well with the cargo staff. You are NOT shipping a pet bird. It is a commercial bird, regardless of how you or the recipient views the bird! This means that you do NOT need a veterinary check for the bird(s) you are shipping!
When booking, get the closest flight you can find within the restrictions. For instance, if a layover is 6 hrs 3 min, go ahead and submit a booking request if that is the best flight option. It seems like the rules are not as rigid as believed.
Know your destination office! Call the Delta help line if you need to. Some offices WILL accept after-hours animals (PIT and LAX do as of this writing) and send them over to baggage claim. Some will not. If you don’t know, call customer service and ask! They don’t publish this info for some reason.
The cutoff time is NOT when you need to show up. You need to be there at least three hours prior to that. This allows time for you to correct any issues with your crate(s), wait in line behind other shippers, sort out issues, etc.
Be NICE to cargo staff. Even if you’re frustrated! They are going to be there for you always, they will talk about you (the bird person who comes in time to time with cool animals!), and they are going to be either your best friends or your worst nightmare. Make sure it’s the former! Plus, if you’re somewhere where there is more than one bird shipper, you’re going to be a key part of their impression of all of us. Don’t embarrass us!
It's not uncommon for the personnel to not know how birds are shipped and to try and make you gather a bunch of paperwork that is not required. You are shipping a "commercial bird," NOT a pet. This means you do not need certificate of acclimation, vet checks, etc. You SHOULD fill out a security declaration with a search waiver (they can't open the crate), a sticker label, and I believe there is one other form. If they hassle you on this too much, it's best to call Delta Cargo support to help sort it out; don’t argue. The number is 1-800-352-2746.
Make sure you have some kind of invoice for your sale or a receipt for the value of the bird if you are shipping. You will need this should the unthinkable happen to your bird and you wish to file a claim. It is possible to get your money back! It takes time, persistence, and good documentation. This is another reason you want to save electronic receipts.
Use your AWB number to check on the flight at least 24 hours prior. You can do this under “manage shipment” on the cargo website. When you initially book, it’s a request, and a human has to review it. This usually happens quickly, but the emails don’t always come to you so quickly, and when they do, the print on approval or not is easy to overlook. If your request does get denied, call delta cargo for help booking over the phone to make sure you get it straightened out.
You can use the cargo website to track your shipment using the AWB number as well. Just be aware that it can often be quite slow about updating, so don’t panic if you don’t see your shipment moving immediately through the system.
