Reporting Banded Birds

If you have found or harvested a banded bird, please report it at  www.reportband.gov. 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 note: Even if the band you recover is inscribed with a 1-800 telephone number, as of July 2, 2017, you can only report it at  www.reportband.gov.

If some or all of the numbers have worn off, making the band unreadable, please email the BBL at bandreports@usgs.gov or  find out on how to send the band for chemical etching. Most bands can be chemically 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 conserve and manage migratory birds!