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A valid banding permit in the USA authorizes the holder to band birds with metal service bands issued by the Bird Banding Laboratory. Additional authorizations must be added to the permit to allow the banding of eagles, waterfowl, endangered species, or the collecting of blood or feather samples, or the use of any auxiliary marker.
Three types of banding permits are available to ornithologists in the U.S. who need to band or otherwise mark migratory birds. They are Master Personal, Master Station, and Subpermit. Each has advantages and disadvantages to the bander. For all three types the basic permit authorizes the trapping of birds with the most common live traps and the banding of nestlings.
Additional authorization is always necessary for use of auxiliary markers; mist nets, rocket nets, or chemicals for capturing birds; banding endangered species, eagles, waterfowl, and hummingbirds; and blood or feather sampling.
A Master Bander can request Special Provisions to allow them to do more than capture, band, and release birds. Special Provisions must be requested by the Master bander in writing prior to any use of the provision.
Federal Bird Marking and Salvage Permits indicate the states where a bander is authorized to band birds. The state of a banders residence is most often the only state listed on a permit.
Persons seeking authority to band in two or more states are asked to provide a justification to the Bird Banding Laboratory. A bander who is involved in a research project that requires working in additional states may be granted banding authority in additional states. The appropriate regional office(s) is notified of such supplemental authorizations. As always, state permits are the responsibility of the bander.
Federal Bird Banding and Salvage Permits are not valid unless banders also possess any permits or licenses required by the state(s) or province(s) involved. In most states, the possession of a valid Federal Bird Marking and Salvage Permit is the prerequisite for the issuance of a state permit.
A bander applying for a state permit should include the number of the federal permit, the expiration date, and any special provisions in the federal permit in their request to the state for a banding permit.
State Natural Resource Agency Addresses
In the U.S., as published in the U.S. Federal Register, bird banders are authorized to "...salvage, for the purpose of donating to a public scientific or education institution, birds killed or found dead as a result of the permittee's normal banding operations, and casualties from other causes...".
The authorization covers only the salvage of dead birds. It does not include collecting or holding federally protected birds, for which a federal collecting permit is required. Most states require permits for possessing, salvaging, or banding protected birds.
Once a permit is issued, it expires every two years (with the exception of some agency permits). Permits may be withdrawn by the Bird Banding Laboratory under certain circumstances.
A banding permit cannot authorize the user to collect, hold for more than 24 hours, transport, or possess birds. For more information on permits for these activities, contact your USFWS Regional Migratory Bird Office.
