Bloomington, IL Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

Bloomington City Code § 8-105 makes it illegal for any person to be cruel to any animal or bird within the city, a general cruelty prohibition enforced alongside the more detailed dog and cat provisions in Chapter 8. Section 8-106 goes further for birds and squirrels specifically: it is illegal to kill or wound, or attempt to kill or wound, any bird or squirrel by firearm, bow and arrow, thrown stones, or any other missile, whether the animal is on private property, in a public park, square or other public property.

The section also separately criminalizes entering private or public property for the purpose of committing that act, closing off the defense that a shooter merely trespassed to reach the target. Each of these protections applies citywide, unlike the narrower feeding restriction in the adjoining § 8-107, which is limited to a defined downtown territory. Enforcement runs through the Bloomington Police Department, and violations are prosecuted the same way as other Chapter 8 animal offenses, with each act treated as a separate offense subject to its own fine.