Reporting Banded Birds

If you have found or harvested a banded bird, please report it at  www.reportband.gov. You can also call 1/800-327-BAND. You'll need the band number, or numbers, if the bird has more than one band. Click here for information on reward bands. You'll also need to know where, when and how you recovered the bird. Your contact information will be requested in case there are any questions. The  U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Bird Banding Lab will send you a certificate of appreciation that includes information about the sex, age and species of the bird, and where and when it was banded. You can keep the band.

Please report the band even if some or all of the numbers have worn off. Someone from the Bird Banding Lab will contact you. Most bands can be etched so that the numbers can be read. The process does not destroy the band, and it will be returned to you. Thank you for helping manage migratory birds!