Birds

Services

Wild birds: licence to kill, take or disturb (A08)

Apply to control wild birds for air safety, conservation, public health and safety or to prevent disease or agricultural damage.
Wild birds: licence to kill or take for conservation or public health and safety (A09)

Apply to control wild birds, including the lesser black-backed gull and herring gull, to conserve plants and animals or protect public health and safety.
Birds: licence to catch them on food premises (CL03)

Get a licence to catch certain birds trapped on food premises.

Report dead wild birds
- Detailed guide
- 17 May 2024
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
Register a captive bird of prey
- Detailed guide
- 23 May 2023
- Animal and Plant Health Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Removing and disposing of dead wild birds
- Detailed guide
- 13 December 2022
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
Wild birds: protection and licences
- Detailed guide
- 29 March 2015
- Natural England and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Wild birds: licence to kill or take for public health or safety (GL41)
- Statutory guidance
- 1 January 2024
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Birds of a feather - restoring habitats for seabirds
- 13 November 2024
- Natural England
- Press release
Three new wetlands created in Evenlode Valley
- 16 July 2024
- Environment Agency
- Press release
Bird flu found in mammals in the sub-Antarctic for the first time
- 11 January 2024
- Animal and Plant Health Agency
- Press release
Ramsgate to Whitstable King Charles III England Coast Path opens
- 25 October 2023
- Natural England
- Press release
Military training exercise in Cornwall boosts biodiversity
- 25 October 2023
- Defence Infrastructure Organisation
- News story

Hen harriers: tracking programme update
- 6 September 2024
- Natural England
- Research
Surveillance collection thresholds for dead wild birds
- 14 May 2024
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
- Research
Statistics on Waterbirds in the UK (2024 publication; includes data up to 2023)
- 25 April 2024
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee
- Official statistics
Population trends for Turtle Dove in the UK and England, to 2023
- 7 December 2023
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee
- Official statistics
Population trends of Breeding Birds in the countries of the UK, to 2022
- 25 May 2023
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee
- Official statistics

General licences for wild birds: survey on management measures in England
- 16 March 2021
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
- Consultation outcome
- Date closed 05 December 2019
Gamebirds: decision to issue the modified GL45 gamebird general licence for 2024 to 2025
- 18 July 2024
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
- Policy paper
Changes to the Habitats Regulations 2017
- 1 January 2021
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
- Policy paper
Use of general licences for the management of certain wild birds: a call for evidence
- 11 July 2019
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England
- Call for evidence outcome