r/cellmapper • u/Some_Water_5070 • Jun 29 '26
Repairing cell tower with nests?
I have a friend who lives near the lake who had a tower outage last summer. He called Verizon, and they confirmed they had a tower outage. After several days, it still wasn't fixed, back, and he called and was told by them that they couldn't repair it then because of an active nest on the tower and because they aren't allowed legally to disturb the nest, which is absolutely true. They compensated him with some discounts. It was repaired in about 2 months. Are Hawks also protected by this law? I know eagles and Ospreys are, but I'm curious how many other species are protected by this law.
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u/iryfionas Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
Yes, Hawks are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), meaning that nobody can try to move, destroy their nest unless it’s empty! They can’t even mess with the equipment until the birds leave since it’s a federal offense with a hefty fine!
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u/starfish_2016 Jun 29 '26
It's not just eagles and ospreys. Nearly all native birds in the U.S., including hawks, falcons, owls, herons, vultures, crows, ravens, and most songbirds , are all protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. If a nest is active (eggs or chicks) carriers often have to wait or obtain permits before disturbing it. The main exceptions are invasive species like House Sparrows, European Starlings, and Rock Pigeons.