The American Federation of Aviculture Inc. maintains one of the largest databases of bird band information in the country. Our data is a compilation of information from over 35 years of leg band sales to our members. It is important to note that there are no federal or State leg band registries where you can simply request information on a leg band. In the United States, information is generally kept by the organizations that have issued the band. For example, bands are often sold by organizations such as, Pigeon breeders associations, Budgerigar organizations, Pheasant and Waterfowl organizations, and more. The AFA cannot supply a hatch date on your bird, but we may be able to put you in touch with the original breeder, who may have the records you are seeking.
Filing a Request for Information: If you are seeking the breeder of your bird, and the band has an AFA Logo or letters on it, you can send an email to the AFA Business Office to request the information. NOTE: The office will need as much information off of the band as you can get. See the illustration below for a breakdown of most leg band information. Send your request to; AFAOffice@AFAbirds.org Please put the words “Seeking Leg band Information” in the subject line.
The illustration below shows the typical layout of information found on many bird leg bands.
Explanation of Leg Band Layouts:
Organization: Many organizations put their logo or acronyms (letters) on the bands they sell. There are no rules about information found on bands, so this and other information may or may not be on each band.
Breeder Code: The breeder code is a set of initials (1 to 5 characters) that identifies who actually purchased the band.
State: Two letters that indicate the state from which the bird or facility originated.
Year: Some breeders put the year on their bands to help them keep records on hatches. It is not unusual for a band to not have a State code.
Identification Number: This number is assigned by the breeder and assists them in determining which bird is wearing the leg band.
Facts about leg bands (General)
Open leg bands do not indicate that a bird was imported or is a wild caught, although in the past USDA required bands on each imported bird, and open stainless bands were used to identify the station that imported the bird. Unfortunately most of the records once maintained by USDA on these bands is no longer available. USDA open bands usually contain 3 letters and 3 numbers. The first 2 letters indicate the quarantine station C= California, I= Illinois, F=Florida., N= New York. There were many quarantines in California and Florida back in the 1980s. Open bands can also be used by breeders, individuals or even bird specialty stores. Open bands are available through the American Federation of Aviculture and other and require a special tool to close them.
Closed leg bands are placed on a baby bird’s leg when they are few weeks old. In most cases the band is randomly placed on the right or left leg and are not an indication of sex.
Some breeders use colored bands. The use of difference colors is not standard and are used to for different purposes by the breeder or organizations sponsoring the bands.
State Requirements: New Jersey requires all birds bred in captivity to be banded and registered. Virginia requires all Quaker Parakeets (Monk Parakeets) to be closed banded. Other States or local municipalities may require banding or microchips.
There is not an all-inclusive registry for bird bands in the USA. The organizations that sell bands to their members usually maintain a database of all bands sold. AFA is American Federation of Aviculture and SPBE is the Society of Parrot Breeder and Exhibitors, are just two that sell leg bands. There are other organizations that issue bands. These organizations will only be able to provide the year the band was sold and the breeders. The year the band was sold does not necessary reflect the year the bird hatched, because many breeders often buy bands with no year on them in bulk.
