Flyways.us

In 1902, Dr. Paul Bartsch of the Smithsonian Institution was the first to band birds in North America - 23 black-crowned night herons near Washington, D.C. Many banders followed, and banding and recovery records have been kept since 1914.

Below is a search function for all migratory bird banding and recovery locations since 1914. To search, choose a species, a state/province or flyway, and a year in the drop-down menus, and click "GO."

The resulting map will show locations of recovery and banding that meet your criteria. Click on a red bird icon for information about the location of the recovery, and follow the link provided to see where the bird was banded. Or select a green bird icon to view banding location, following the link to find where it was recovered. Use the directional menu and zoom tool on the left to change your map view.

To search for a specific band, go to the "Search by Band Number" box below, type in the band number and click "GO." The resulting map will show the banding location and the recovery location of the bird that wore that particular band.