How BIRD works
A band or a description, connected to you.
BIRD links each bird’s bands, microchip, photos and description to its owner, privately. When a bird is found, that link is what gets it home.
Four steps
From registration to reunion
- 01
Register your bird
Add its species, colours, a photo, and any leg band or microchip, exactly as written. No band? A good description still makes a match possible, and photos help you recognise your bird.
- 02
Keep the record with the bird
Update photos as your bird changes, add new bands or a microchip, and transfer the record to the new owner if your bird changes hands.
- 03
If it goes missing, tell BIRD
Mark it lost or stolen in one step. BIRD checks found-bird reports against it, alerts you to possible matches, can email people nearby who’ve asked to hear about lost birds, and makes you a poster to print or share.
- 04
Someone finds it, and BIRD connects you
A finder, vet or rescue reports the bird. If the band, microchip or description matches, you’re told straight away and can message them through BIRD.
How a match is made
Every found-bird report is checked against registered birds in two ways. Bands and microchips are matched exactly, whichever club, breeder or manufacturer issued them. For birds without an ID, the description (species or size, colours, and where and when it was found) is compared with birds reported lost nearby.
A match is a suggestion, not a verdict. The owner looks at the report and photos and decides whether it could be their bird. Two clubs can issue bands that read the same, so BIRD never treats a number on its own as proof.
Who sees what
Someone who finds your bird
- Nothing about you or your bird when they report it
- A private message thread with you, only if you choose to reply
- Your phone number or email only if you decide to share them
A verified vet, rescue or shelter
- The bird’s record and whether it’s reported lost or stolen
- Only the contact details you’ve chosen to share with professionals
- A logged search, with a stated reason, that you can see on your bird’s page
More detail in Privacy & security.
Along the way
Small things that help
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Lost-bird posters
A printable poster with a QR code that takes finders straight to a report for your bird. Your details are never on it.
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Transfers
Selling or rehoming a bird? Send its record to the new owner, who accepts it with a free account.
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Family lines
Record parents and breeder. Breeders keep a view of the birds they’ve bred after they move on.
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Hatch-days and reminders
Add a hatch date to see your bird’s age, and get optional reminders to keep its record current.
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Pictures of every species
Choose the drawing that looks most like your bird, so you don’t need to know what “lutino” or “pied” means.
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Your data, your call
Download everything BIRD holds about you at any time, or delete your account.
Free, for every bird
Register before you need to.
It takes a few minutes, and it’s free. Lost reports are for birds that were registered before they went missing, so the best time to register is now.