Reading Your Bird’s Leg Band

 

Your bird has a ring (leg band) on its leg with letters and numbers on it. What is it for?

Purpose and History of the Leg Band

The ring is called a leg band and it is intended as a means to identify your bird’s place of origin as well as some other information.

The practice of banding began in North America a couple of hundred years ago by field researchers in an effort to keep track of the populations of wild migratory birds and local flocks.

In later years, as parrots became popular pets in North America, their importation (as well as all other bird species) began being carefully tracked by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Imported birds often bring with them the diseases that are prevalent in their native habitats and following an outbreak of psittacosis in the early 1900s, the US clamped down on bird importation and finally set a ban on it in 1992.

Types of Leg Bands

There are two kinds of leg bands that are relative to us as parrot owners:

  • The closed leg bands that we see on parrots indicate that it has been captive bred. This band is an unbroken ring that is slid onto the small leg of hatchling and becomes a permanent fixture once the bird has reached maturity.
  • The open band, a rounded split ring that is placed on the leg of an adult bird, indicates that it was at one point detained in an importation station. A bird with an open band was either brought into the country as a wild caught bird prior to the importation ban, or was transported as a pet from another country and stayed in the importation station during a period of quarantine.

Is the Information Included on Leg Bands Consistent? 

Because there are so many leg bands on so many birds for so many different reasons, it makes sense that each should bear markings that make them distinguishable from all others.

Eventually, early in the leg band’s history, a much needed system began to develop using numbers and letters that revealed information about the wearer’s origins.

Unfortunately the system is not yet a universal one within the breeding community. 

Included Information on Closed Bands 

The closed bands we see on most companion birds do not always carry the same information. The breeder’s ID code, the year of hatching and an ID# assigned to the bird may or may not all appear on a band.

 

Unless the bands were supplied to the breeder through a parrot society, such as the AFA (American Federation of Aviculture), there are no standards for the information that is contained on them.

There are many breeders out there doing things in their own ways because there isn’t a system to follow that has been set in stone.

Usually, there are letters that identify the breeder’s state that can give you a starting point for investigation. But this is not always the case. 

Included Information on Open Bands

The open band is by far the easier to track. Importation stations are either USDA owned (most are closed now) or privately owned (but supervised by the USDA), meaning that there are only two band code systems to consider and each relates to a limited number of importation stations throughout the country (less than 100 compared to the thousands of breeders using closed bands.)

A USDA band will always carry the letter USDA followed by 2 or 3 letters that identify the state, and city if more than one station exists in that state. It will be followed by 3 or 4 identifying numbers, for example: USDAM 1234. This traces back to a station in Miami.

A quarantine band from a privately owned station will always have three letters followed by three numbers, such as CRO 123. The first letter indicates the state is California, the second letter IDs the station and the third letter and the following three numbers identify the bird.

Will Having a Leg Band Help me get my Parrot Back if Lost? 

Leg bands can be a way to identify a lost parrot if you have documented the information on the leg band. This should include pictures of the leg band and also writing down all the letters and numbers on the band so that you can use this to prove ownership to the person who has found your bird. 

If you happen to be the one who has found a lost bird it is important not to publicly share the information on the band but ask for anyone claiming to be the owner to provide the information from the band as a way to prove ownership. Unfortunately scammers and thieves will come out of the woodwork to try and claim parrots because of their monetary value. 

The Downsides of Leg Bands


Leg Bands are not Permanent 

A leg band is limited to only being a identifier of the bird if the bird is still wearing it. Just like a description of what a missing person is wearing the last time they were seen, it can be changed. Leg bands can easily be removed by a finder if they are trying to hide this evidence of ownership for the purpose of keeping the bird or reselling it. 

Leg Bands do not Lead a Finder to the Owner

Unlike a dog tag that contains information to contact the owner of the lost dog, leg bands don't have any of this information nor is there any way to register the information of the leg band in a data base the way you can a microchip

Leg Bands can Cause Serious Injuries to Your Bird

Generally speaking closed leg bands (if applied correctly and of the correct size) are pretty safe for birds and they can wear them their entire lives without incident. But, accidents do happen and there is always a risk of injury for a bird wearing a band.

Some of the injuries that can happen are: 

  • The band can get caught on toys or cages and cause sprains, abrasions, cuts, dislocations and breaks. 
  • If your bird is injured on the leg that the band is on and there is swelling the band can cause circulation issues making the original injury much more serious and making removal of the band more difficult. 
  • If the band is not sized correctly or not applied correctly it can rub and cause irritation or even impede movement leading to more permanent injuries to the joint near the leg band. 
  • A bird can swallow a band that has been broken (more likely with open bands). 

Deciding to Remove the Band or Not?

If your bird has an open band, removing it should be highly considered as they pose the greatest risk and are just not worth exposing the bird to these dangers. 

Closed bands are safer and do have the advantage of adding an addtional way for an owner to prove a bird is theirs in the event the bird is lost and then found, so if it fits well and is of the correct size it can be worth keeping on a bird. An avian or exotic veterinarian can examine the band during a wellness exam to ensure it fits correctly. 

If you decide to remove the band from the bird's leg this should be done by a veterinarian only to prevent injury to the bird during the procedure. Depending on the band and the individual bird your veterinarian will advise on if they recommend removal and if it will require sedation or not. 

Microchips are a More Reliable Proof of Ownership

Microchips have so many more advantages for identifying a parrot and getting it back to it's owner: 

  • Cannot be removed easily as they are embedded under the skin. 
  • Can be scanned which will provide the owner contact information. 
  • Does not cause injury or harm to the bird by getting caught on anything. 

For more information on microchips please refer to our blog post Microchipping Your Parrot

Other Resources

I Found a Bird! Now What? (This free guide is to help anyone who has found a bird (wild or tame) and is wondering what to do with the bird.)

Recovering a Lost Bird Guide (A helpful free guide full of tips on how to recover your lost bird and what measures you can take ahead of time to mitigate risks.)

Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.

Updated and Edited by Kim Russell, Parrot Behavior and Diet Consultant, on 10/25/24

 

184 comments

Abdullah

Hi I got an African Grey , he has closed band , has the BMD 461, Can anyone please tell what does it mean? best regards

Abdullah
M'Kilee Hernandez

can you help me identify my cockatoos closed band APM TX 21

M'Kilee Hernandez
Tracy Hard

I am trying to figure out where my green check conure came from and what his hatch date is and was hoping you could help. His band is open fushia colored with CIP then 3 sets of numbers. Would you happen to know the station in California if that is what the C stands for. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

Tracy Hard
Gloria

Hi I got a new cockatoo , he has closed band , has the MLK 35 , which is machine carved on it and the other side has a hand carved 92 , can you advise please 🙏🏻

Gloria
Linda Vance

Parakeet band reads PET or FET US2 17844 any help would be appreciated.

Linda Vance
Steven

Hi I have a pet sulfur crested cockatoo with letters TLT 10 on the left ankle if you were in back I have had for 5 yrs

Steven
Jaime Castro

Can you help with my bird’s close band- FX 56

Jaime Castro
Shelly

I would highly recommend having a birds metal leg band removed. My birds band caused my bird to have her leg amputated.

Shelly
Milan

My green parrot has the Ring AE 70 29 ???

Milan
Jackie Gedye

Remove leg bands on budgies if not show birds, you can buy special tool, or see a vet. We have had 2 budgies with bad injuries from leg bands. Check regularly.Both recovered, thankfully

Jackie Gedye
Ryan.M

My birds leg band reads MV can anyone help me on what that means

Ryan.M
James Suarez

My Parakeet just passed. I cant find any info on his/hers leg band. It’s a light blue metal band with OK (16 sideways) and then 13255. Everywhere I look up The state should be sideways. Does This mean Oklahoma, birth in 2016.

James Suarez
Lori Curless

my blue fronted Amazon had a tag reading J&J FL 321 what does that mean

Lori Curless
Pj Adams

Hi My blue fronted Amazon had an open leg band FZA Where can I go to locate this station. In Florida?

Pj Adams
Tracey

My parrot just died and I’d like to no how old she was It’s says GR 6.5 14 201 . Could you give me any information please. Thank you

Tracey
Elaine Henderson

What does not 74 mean? It was on my quaker parrots leg?

Elaine Henderson
Elaine Henderson

What does not 74 mean? It was on my quaker parrots leg?

Elaine Henderson
Ame

I bought 2 parakeets yesterday and they both have blue and silver bands they both have B 8 7 and three numbers after. I started training them when i noticed them what does that mean and its on their left foot. Are they female.

Ame
Jo Harris

My cockatiels leg band is closed, gold with 31, 79X, NCS, 96. Can you tell me what the letters and numbers mean. He died last night and I want to have the proper info on his head stone. Thank you.

Jo Harris
Marti Ann Miller

How do you read leg band on Parakeets?

Marti Ann Miller
Richard Perez

HI. I am the Shelter Director for the Houston Humane Society. had a parakeet turn in with a ID band B66566 see if we can find the owner. thank you if you can help out.

Richard Perez
Leanella

My birds Leg 19 CA DJT What does it mean.

Leanella
Glynis

I have a cockatiel with an open burnt orange band, that has SP 9868 GA. We wanted to know how old and if they knew if it’s a male or female. It’s white, so it’s hard to tell. Appreciate any info you can give me. Thank you!

Glynis
Cyndie Malik

Parakeet A370154.

Cyndie Malik
Parrot guy

I have a parrot that has spent ga 1646 what does that meanl

Parrot guy

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published