Have you seen or photographed a wild bird with a band, tag, or other marker? If you have, you should take a moment to report your observation online, a fast, easy and impactful way to report a banded bird.
A website managed by the USGS Bird Banding Lab (BBL), in collaboration with Canada’s Bird Banding Office, tracks all wild bird band inventory, data, and reports in North America.
When you report a band online, your report is automatically entered and tracked in the BBL’s Report to Bander database and BBL will reach out to the licensed bander who originally tagged the bird.
Not only will you receive information about the bird you saw (often immediately), but you will also help support the research project that banded the bird and provide quality data for the North American Bird Banding Program.
BBL will email you a certificate of appreciation that includes information about the bird you saw, such as when and where it was banded and how old it is.
To report a banded bird, be prepared to provide the following:
What kind of bird it was (if known).
The band number, color or type of tag.
When and where you saw the bird.
Your contact information.
If you took a photograph of the banded bird or are unsure of the band number and would like assistance, there is an option to upload photos for a biologist to review. You can also email the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) at wildlife@dec.ny.gov and a biologist will follow-up to assist you.
Learn more about birding in New York State.
Photo of banded bald eagle capturing a fish by Michael Harriff (provided by DEC).
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