Prior to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, the harvest of wild game birds in the United States was largely unregulated, aside from some state-level restrictions. Wild birds such as ducks, geese, woodcock, snipe, plover, and herons were widely hunted both for local subsistence and for commercial sale to urban markets.
Restaurants, particularly those catering to wealthy patrons in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, commonly featured game dishes such as wild duck, canvasback, plover, and shorebirds. The absence of effective federal protection led to intensive commercial hunting, with methods such as night-lighting and market-gunning causing significant declines in bird populations.
The passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) in 1918, based on a 1916 treaty between the United States and Great Britain (on behalf of Canada), made it illegal to hunt, capture, kill, sell, or possess migratory birds or their parts, including feathers, eggs, and nests, except as permitted by regulations. Enforcement of the MBTA ended the commercial market in wild game birds.
Restaurants were no longer able to legally offer wild migratory birds on their menus, leading to a transformation in high-end dining practices and the disappearance of certain traditional dishes. The act marked the end of the era of "game suppers" for the upper class, with subsequent menus shifting toward domestic poultry and alternative meats.
Following the MBTA, there was modest but notable development in the farming and domestication of waterfowl and some game birds to supply demand for such dishes. While poultry such as chicken and domesticated duck were already widely farmed, the loss of access to wild game birds spurred some interest in breeding game species, such as pheasant and mallard, specifically for regulated hunting preserves or gourmet dining. However, most restaurants transitioned toward domestic meats, and large-scale farming of traditionally wild American migratory birds did not become widespread. The MBTA thus contributed to lasting shifts in culinary sourcing and practices while establishing a foundation for modern wildlife conservation policy.