Bands

TRACING A BIRD'S LEG BAND

Whether imported or domestic, open or closed banded, the leg band carries letters and numbers which identify the bird. Import bands are traceable. Domestic bands purchased from bird associations and some commercial vendors are also traceable.

Imported Birds

Imported birds are open banded at the quarantine stations before release. There are two types of quarantine stations, privately owned commercial import stations and USDA-owned and operated stations. The coding on the leg bands is different for each. The following information on import bands was printed in an article from Pet Business Magazine June, 1987 and may have changed since then.

USDA-owned and operated quarantine stations use bands with letters and three or four numbers. The letters refer to the name of the station:

• Honolulu, HI - HH
  Key West, FL - T
  Miami, FL - 58A, 58B, 58C, 58D, 58E, 58F or USDA-F
  Newburgh, NY - NNY

The letters on the leg bands of USDA-regulated pet bird quarantine stations refer to location and are followed by three or four numbers:

• Brownsville, TX - USDAB
  Honolulu, HI - USDAH
  Los Angeles, CA - USDAA
  Miami, FL - USDAM
  Mission, TX - USDAX ** for confiscated birds being put up for auction.
  Newburgh, NY - USDANNY
  San Ysidro, CA - USDAN

Privately owned commercial import stations use bands with an alphanumeric code - three letters followed by three numbers. The first letter signifies the state in which the station is located:

California - C,O
Florida - F
Hawaii - H
Illinois - I
Louisiana - L
Michigan - M
New York - N
Texas - T
The second letter denotes the quarantine station, while the third letter is part of the bird's ID number. For additional information regarding the numbers and letters on a bird's import band, call the USDA Administration Office Department of Agriculture, Fish, & Wildlife.

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