can some one tell me about leg bands

why do most birds in the pet stores have leg bands? Is this law that all birds need to be banded or is this just breeder ID of the birds. thanks.

Mainly a breeder ID so if the bird got lost and someone found it they can probably look up the letters and numbers on the band to see who the breeder was etc...

Also in some states yes it is a law to have specific birds banded such as Quaker Parrots.

It depends on what kind of band is used.

Closed, seamless bands must be put on when the bird is a tiny baby, when the feet are small enough to slide the band over them. This is proof that they were hatched in captivity. As the bird grows to adult size, the band can be removed only by cutting it off. The numbers/letters are to identify the breeder and the offspring. For instance, Sammy's band has a two-letter state abbreviation, a two-letter aviary abbreviation, and a three-digit number. Basically, it means he was hatched in Florida, by a particular aviary that was assigned that two-letter abbreviation, and the three-digit number is unique for that state/aviary combination. No other band from that state with that aviary abbreviation has the same number.

There are also open bands, which are put around the lower leg of a bird at any age. These may also have a code, or may simply be different colors. In the lab where I work, the budgies each have an open band with a reference to the lab and a unique number for identification purposes, but the zebra finches are identified by the unique combination of colored plastic bands applied to one or both legs.

Neither type is proof of the birds being captive-born, but these two species (and society finches, cockatiels, peach faced lovebirds, Indian ringneck parakeets, canaries, and a few others I can't remember at the moment) are considered "domesticated" by my state's (NY) laws, and don't require a closed band to prove they were hatched in captivity. All other parrots require a closed traceable band in order to be legally sold in NY, as the sale of wild-caught parrots was prohibited back in the early 1990's. Soon after, importation of wild parrots into the US was prohibited altogether, aside from some instances of breeders applying for a special license to import a few individuals for a breeding consortium.

While I don't know if other states require a closed traceable band, parrots offered for sale that have them are showing proof that they were hatched in captivity, and not caught in the wild. And there's the added bonus of being able to contact L&M (the major manufacturer of leg bands) and having the band ID traced back to the breeder. This is valuable if you don't know who bred the bird and are unsure as to its age, or if another bird you buy to pair up with it is from the same breeder and likely related to it.

In addition to above I believe it was the USDA or FWS that required all budgies to have closed bands due to a pssitacosis (sp?) issue many many years ago. I remember many years ago when I worked in a pet store having to list the band number on the sales receipt and keep a copy for our records, didn't have to do that with any other birds just budgies.

A band can be made with anything on it, if a person wants the state code on it they can do it, or like mine they had my initials, a guy south of me had his initials, they happened to be CA so unless you know the manufacturer it can be difficult to track down where it came from, if they will release the info. The bands that are sold through major bird clubs are the easiest to track as they list the club and some have a breeder code.

I knew a guy that said he could get a closed band on any adult bird so you really never know if a bird with a closed band is wild caught or not.

You can put closed bands on older babies to Not just a few days after born
Every baby budgie I hatch get a band that says the year a random number and the initials of either RM or RF
R represents my first name the M is for a male budgie F is for a female.

reason i am asking is i am trading 4 black copper marans for 2 pairs of parrotlets and cages. They are young pairs hand raised and not yet breeding age. I dont really know if i want to breed them. I was thinking it would be fun to let them breed but hate to deal with any state office. I have lots of family who are already wanting birds free of charge of coarse. It looks like i need to research Wa state laws on bands and birds.

Thanks for all the good replies

There is no regulation in WA except for budgies

Thanks dwhite.

pandapaws,

I have a amazon parrot with RM on his band. The state on the band is WA. the number is 8. I noticed the RM in your reply and wanted to ask if you are a breeder using those letters (RM) can another breeder use the same? I am trying to locate the breeder of my Sammy to try to learn how old he is. I am not the first owner.
Thanks so much for any help you may be able to give me.

deaminsqaw said:

pandapaws,

           I have a amazon parrot with RM on his band. The state on the band is WA. the number is 8.  I noticed the RM in your reply and wanted to ask if you are a breeder using those letters (RM) can another breeder use the same? I am trying to locate the breeder of my Sammy to try to learn how old he is. I am not the first owner.
Thanks so much for any help you may be able to give me.

Click to expand...

RM in your case would be his breeders initials anyone can use RM i dont own those letters. Lol 8 i would assume is the year he was born in. But could be wrong on that though.