Partnerships
Partner with BIRD
No registry can reunite birds on its own. BIRD works with the people who already band, breed, treat and rescue Australia’s birds, so a lost bird has the best chance of getting home.
How we partner
Cooperative by design
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We build on what exists
Club bands, association schemes, microchip registries and rescue networks already work. We connect them; we don’t replace them.
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Owners own their data
Nothing a partner does gives them access to owners’ details. Owners choose what verified professionals can see.
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No paid placement in results
Partners never change how BIRD matches a found bird or what a finder is told.
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Free for the bird community
Owners, finders, clubs, vets, rescues and shelters never pay to use BIRD.
Clubs, societies & associations
Already band your birds? We’d love to work with you.
Your members can register birds wearing your bands exactly as you issue them. Tell your members about BIRD, share how your bands are made up so we can recognise them, and we’ll point finders of your bands to you as well as to the owner. No fees, no exclusivity, and we never ask for your membership list.
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State and national avicultural societies
Mixed collections, parrots, finches and softbills
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Species societies and councils
Budgerigars, canaries, cockatiels, lovebirds, finches
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Pigeon federations and clubs
Racing, show and fancy pigeons
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Poultry and waterfowl clubs
Show poultry, bantams and ducks
Band manufacturers
Make bands that lead home
We’re developing an optional band format with manufacturers: a unique, traceable inscription for every band, for breeders who don’t already belong to a scheme. Manufacturers whose bands meet it become BIRD-recommended, and when owners, breeders and clubs ask us where to buy bands, we point them to the recommended list first.
Manufacturer partnerships will also help fund BIRD, which keeps it free for everyone else.
Illustration only. Format in development.
What a recommended manufacturer agrees to
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Unique inscriptions
No two bands share an inscription. Where a club already has a code, the band uses it.
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Issue records
Keep a record of which batches went to which club or breeder, so a band can be traced back.
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Durable, readable marking
Inscriptions that stay legible for the bird’s life, at every band size.
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Point people to BIRD
Mention BIRD where bands are sold, and on bands large enough to carry a web address.
Veterinary clinics
BIRD partner vets
Finders often don’t know where to take a bird. Many vets already accept found birds at no cost; we’d like to show finders which ones, by location, as BIRD partner vets.
Any verified clinic can look up bands and microchips on BIRD today, and report a bird in their care so its owner is told straight away.
A partner vet would:
- Accept found birds for a check and safe keeping, at no cost to the finder
- Scan for a microchip and look up bands on BIRD
- Report the bird on BIRD so its owner is alerted
Rescues, shelters, carers & councils
You see the birds that need us most
Verified rescues, shelters, wildlife carers and council animal officers can look up any registered band or microchip, see whether a bird is reported lost or stolen, and contact its owner through BIRD. It’s free, and every organisation is checked before it’s given access.
How professional access worksOther ways to work together
- Share your lost-and-found groups and contacts so the found-bird helper can suggest them in your area.
- Tell us what would help with surrendered and seized birds.
- Help us improve the care advice we give finders.
Get in touch
Something else in mind?
Pet shops, avian suppliers, researchers, insurers or anyone else who cares about Australia’s birds: tell us what you have in mind.
BIRD is independent and privately operated. It isn’t a charity or a government agency, and it isn’t endorsed by any government.