See a band? or...I found a band, now what?????
If you find a band or have a picture of a banded bird you would like to report, please go to the Bird Banding Laboratory's (BBL) website to report the band: reportband.gov​. Note: The BBL is the federal entity that regulates and issues permits and bands for bird banding of federally protected species. Please refer to their website for general inquiries about permits-->Bird Banding Lab Website.
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What do the bands look like? Most bands will have a 9 digit unique code (4 number prefix and 5 numbers suffix).
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The species below are the ones we are especially interested in if you observe a banded individual email Emma Rhodes at emma@bandingcoalition.org. Regardless of species, report to the BBL website as they are the authority although feel free to email Emma also if you need help interpreting the bands and reading color bands.
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Species we color band and receive public reports - See example pictures below
Scaly-breasted Munia
Purple Martin
American Kestrel
Any Hummingbird Species
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What about Racing Pigeon bands?? Do I report those too?
Of course, if you are not sure what species the banded bird is or what kind of band you found, always feel free to contact us to inquire.
No, there is no need to report to the BBL or to bird banders pigeon racing bands as these are not federally regulated or tracked bands so the BBL will not be able to give you any input on them nor any banders. You can try tracking the pigeon owner down by googling the band information but that is about all you can try for those.
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