Waterfowl Banding

Please Report Bird Bands

Bird banding programs provide valuable information on a wide variety of migratory game birds. Bands recovered and reported by hunters provide valuable information about survival, migration, harvest rates, and distribution.

To report band numbers from all types of birds (except pigeons), go on-line at www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl.

The information needed is:

The band number

Hunter’s name and address

Date of harvest

Location (nearest town) of harvest

You can also report bands by calling 1-800-327-BAND (2263). You will receive a certificate of appreciation and information about the bird you reported. The band is yours to keep!

Migratory game bird violations and related issues may be reported to the Law Enforcement Division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 410-573-4514 (Annapolis) or 410-228-2475 (Cambridge).

Band Recovery Reports

Recoveries of American Black Ducks and Wood Ducks
Banded Preseason in Maryland
(Acrobat PDF File-Open with Acrobat Reader)

Preseason Banding Locations of
Waterfowl Recovered by Maryland Hunters
(Acrobat PDF File-Open with Acrobat Reader)

Search Waterfowl Banding Records 

Using the Bands Across America search tools found at http://www.flyways.us, you can query and map waterfowl banding data all the way back to 1914.

Your search of more than 3.1 million banding records can be narrowed or expanded using multiple criteria to easily see banding and recovery locations.

The dynamic search interface allows you to:

• Search for banding or recovery locations within a specific state, province, or flyway
• See results for all years that data have been collected or select a single year
• Select the species you’re interested in from a categorized listing

All results are plotted on a scalable map, offering critical information for waterfowl biologists monitoring populations across the continent.

Search the Map