Find out how to report birds with rings or tags, unusual plumage, nests, sick or dead birds, and suspected wildlife crime.
Report birds with rings, tags or other marks
You can report rings and tags found on live or dead birds. This contributes valuable data to our research, helping our researchers determine bird population trends and predict how populations might fare in the future.
- Learn more about the value of reporting ringed birds.
To submit information about a ringed bird, make sure you have a note of:
- The placement and colour of the rings or tags on the bird.
- The date and location of the sighting.
- Any details about the bird that you know (e.g. species, sex, age) – these are useful, but you can submit ring details without this if you’re not sure.
Nests and nest boxes
If you’ve found an occupied bird nest or nest box, please don’t disturb it. You can learn how to monitor it safely through one of our nest monitoring projects.
Bird sightings
The best way to report interesting bird sightings to us is through our BirdTrack project. Once you are signed up, it’s easy to submit your records.
Unusual plumage
Report birds with unusual colouration: melanism (dark feathers), albinism and leucism (pale feathers) or xanthochromism (yellow feathers instead of red).
Injured birds or chicks out of the nest
While BTO and its volunteers monitor birds, we don’t serve a veterinary role for wildlife.
If you have found an injured bird you can:
- Speak to your local vet
- Contact the RSPCA (England and Wales), SSPCA (Scotland) or USPCA (Northern Ireland)
- Find a rescue centre on Help Wildlife
If you have found a chick alive but out of the nest, you first need to determine whether it is a fledgling or nestling before intervening.
- Follow RSPCA’s guide about found chicks for more information.
Sick or diseased birds
Wild bird populations are currently experiencing a significant outbreak of avian influenza. Reporting sick birds helps us track the spread and impact of the virus. You can do this via BirdTrack, if you know the species.
Report a diseased bird via BirdTrack
If you’ve seen diseased birds at your garden feeders or in your garden, you can report them to the Garden Wildlife Health project.
Report a diseased bird to Garden Wildlife Health
You will need a MyBTO account to submit sightings to BirdTrack and Garden Wildlife Health. Set up a free account now.
Dead birds
Please note: experts advise that you avoid handling dead birds with bare skin.
Wild bird populations are currently experiencing a significant outbreak of avian influenza. Reporting dead birds helps us track the spread and impact of the virus.
- In England, Scotland and Wales report dead wild birds to Defra for possible testing.
- In Northern Ireland report dead wild birds to DAERA for possible testing.
- In all UK regions, also report the dead bird to BirdTrack for monitoring purposes, if you know the species.
Dead birds of prey
Submissions of dead birds of prey to the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology are temporarily suspended due to avian influenza.
Wildlife crime
If you witness a suspected wildlife crime, and it is safe to do so, you can:
- Call 999 if the suspected crime is ongoing or urgent
- Report the suspected crime to the police on 101
- Do not publish information about the incident on social media; this can hinder police investigation.
More information on reporting wildlife crime can be found on the RSPB website, with detailed instructions and useful references.