Statutory guidance

Licence to remove abandoned or unsuccessful eggs from the nests of wild birds (GL12)

Updated 1 January 2025

Applies to England

General licence GL12: to remove abandoned or unsuccessful wild birds’ eggs from nest boxes for the purpose of conserving wild birds.

Overview

This licence permits the removal of abandoned or unsuccessful wild birds’ eggs from nest boxes between 1 September and 31 January. Licence users must comply with licence terms and conditions.

Registration: Users do not need to register to use this licence.

Recording and reporting: None required.

Reference: WML – GL12.

Legislation

Statute(s) Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) (‘the 1981 Act’).

Section(s) This licence is issued under sections 16(1)(c) and 16(5).

Licence terms and conditions

Valid for the period: 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 (inclusive).

Area valid in: All counties of England (landward of the mean low water mark).

Purpose(s) for which this licence is issued: This licence can only be used to conserve wild birds by allowing the removal and immediate destruction of abandoned eggs from nest boxes before the next breeding season.

What this licence permits

Subject to all the terms and conditions of this licence and solely for the purpose stated above, this licence permits authorised persons to take and destroy the egg of a wild bird or any part of such an egg.

Who can use this licence

Only an Authorised Person* can use this licence.  

You must contact Natural England to apply for an individual licence if this licence does not cover the action you want to take.  

*see Definitions  

Who cannot use this licence  

You cannot use this licence if you have been convicted of a wildlife offence* on or after 1 January 2010, unless one or both of the following applies:  

• you have served your conviction and are a rehabilitated person under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974  

• a court has made an order discharging you of the wildlife offence  

You cannot use this licence if Natural England has withdrawn your permission to use it.   

*see Definitions

Definitions used in this licence

“Authorised Person” is as defined in section 27(1) of the 1981 Act.

“Nest box”, for the purpose of this licence, is a construction with an internal void of dimensions intended to be suitable for wild birds to nest inside with access through a hole or other opening. This definition excludes all pole-mounted and other artificially-elevated nest-platforms, nesting trays and all other open-aired, exposed shallow constructions.

“Wildlife offence” means any offence under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (‘the Habitats Regulations’), the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, the Deer Act 1991, the Hunting Act 2004, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Protection of Animals Act 1911 (all as amended) or the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019.

Licence conditions

1. Eggs (or parts of eggs) may only be removed from nest boxes during the period 1 September to 31 January, and then only if that nest box is not currently in use by birds for breeding purposes.

2. All eggs removed from nest boxes under this licence must be destroyed at the first available opportunity.

3. Nothing in this licence permits the:
   
   a. sale, hire, barter or exchange of an egg of a wild bird or any part of such an egg, or
   
   b. retention, keeping or possession of an egg of a wild bird or part of such an egg.
   
   

4. Natural England must be notified, within 5 working days, if you find any of the following at the licensed site: 

• one or more dead owl or bird of prey, such as sparrowhawk or kestrel  

• three or more dead birds of any species 

You do not need to report birds that have died due to another known or likely cause (other than avian influenza, also known as bird flu), such as legal shooting, road traffic accident or other trauma, natural predation or severe weather incident. 

You should notify Natural England by contacting wildlife@naturalengland.org.uk.  

This should also be reported to Defra. See avian influenza advice note for more information.

Important

This licence authorises acts that would otherwise be offences under the legislation referred to above. Failure to comply with its terms and conditions:

i. may be an offence against the 1981 Act or mean that the licence cannot be relied upon and an offence could therefore be committed. The maximum penalty available for an offence under the 1981 Act is, at the time of the issue of this licence, an unlimited fine and/or a six month custodial sentence;

ii. may result in your permission to use this licence being withdrawn. Natural England will inform any person or organisation whose permission to use this licence is withdrawn in writing. This sanction may be applied to other similar licences, and

iii. may mean that you are not able to rely on this licence as a defence in respect to the prohibitions within the Animal Welfare Act 2006 or the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996.

If the activity that you wish to undertake is not covered by this licence, or if you are unable to comply with any of the terms and conditions which apply to the use of this licence, then you will need to apply to Natural England for an individual licence.

This licence is not a consent for the purposes of Part II of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) in respect to SSSIs. It is your responsibility to get consent or assent if required before this licence can be used on any SSSI. See Advice (i - k) for further information.

Issued by and on behalf of Natural England on 1 January 2025.

Information and advice specific to this licence

Avian influenza

Avian influenza (bird flu) is a notifiable animal disease and if you suspect any type of avian influenza in poultry or captive birds you must report it immediately by calling the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301. If you suspect that wild birds are affected, you should use the new online reporting system or call the Defra helpline (03459 335 577). You should refer to the latest advice on Avian influenza (bird flu) that includes further information about when dead wild birds should be reported.

Removal of materials from nest boxes

The removal of any abandoned or unsuccessful egg from wild birds’ nest boxes, as permitted by this licence, should also be done in conjunction with the removal of old disused nest material from that nest box.

Nest box management for conserving wild birds

Where appropriate, nest boxes should be retained, replaced or repaired to further the conservation of wild birds. Since it is not an offence to damage or destroy the nest of a wild bird when that nest is not being built and not in use, a licence is not required to permit that activity.

The law

a. Natural England has issued this licence in exercise of the powers conferred by the 1981 Act. Visit Legislation.gov.uk to view the full text of this legislation.

b. Section 16 of the 1981 Act provides that the offences in Part 1 of the 1981 Act shall not apply to anything done under and in accordance with the terms of a licence granted by the appropriate authority, which is, in England, Natural England.

Relevant information and good practice

c. Persons acting under a licence should have regard to legislation and good practice relevant to the action(s) undertaken, including animal welfare and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. It is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal (including birds) under the control of man (section 4 of the 2006 Act). This applies to the humane dispatch of captured animals and the treatment of animals held in traps or nets, including decoy birds and non-target animals. The application of Animal Welfare Act 2006 to wildlife management activities is explained in Natural England leaflet Wildlife Management Advice Note: The Animal Welfare Act 2006: what it means for wildlife (WML-GU02).

Information and advice for all class and general licences

General information

d. Ordinarily, licences will be reissued on 1 January each year. On reissue of the licence, you should check the terms and conditions of the licence before you use it for the first time each year, in case of amendments. Note that licences can be modified or revoked at any time by Natural England or the Secretary of State, but this will not be done unless there are good reasons for doing so.

e. The common name of the species given in a licence is included by way of guidance only; in the event of any dispute or proceedings, it is the scientific name of a species only that will be taken into account.

The limits of licences

f. Licences permit action only for the purposes specified on that licence.

g. Licences do not permit actions prohibited under any other legislation, nor do they confer any right of entry upon land.

h. Unless otherwise stated the provisions of Natural England licences only apply landward of the mean low water mark in England. The Marine Management Organisation is responsible for all licensing seaward of the mean low water mark.

Protected sites

i. You can search for and view details about all SSSIs by using Natural England’s Designated Sites system. The notification documents for each SSSI contain a list of operations that require Natural England’s prior consent. Owners and occupiers of land notified as SSSIs are required to give written notice to Natural England before either beginning any of these operations, or allowing someone else to carry out those operations. SSSI consent can only be given to a SSSI owner or occupier. It may be given with or without conditions, or in some cases, consent may not be granted. A similar process applies to public bodies and statutory undertakers (as defined under Section 28G of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended)) and this obligation applies even where the operations are carried out on land outside of the SSSI.

j. Please note that as the licensee you will not be able to undertake the licensed activity on a SSSI until the owner or occupier of the SSSI has applied for, and received, Natural England’s written SSSI consent. If you do so, you may be at risk of committing an offence. As the licensee, if you wish to exercise this licence on a SSSI you must contact the relevant owners or occupiers of the SSSI and ensure they give written notice to Natural England of their proposal to permit you to carry out licensed activity on their SSSI. You should wait until a SSSI consent decision has been received by the SSSI owner/occupier before you begin to exercise this licence on a SSSI. See GOV.UK for further information on how to get SSSI consent from Natural England.

k. In considering whether to issue consent or assent for activities likely to affect a SSSI that is a European site, in other words a Special Protection Area (SPA) or Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Natural England will carry out a Habitats Regulations Assessment, as required by the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended) (‘the Habitats Regulations’) to ensure there will be no adverse effects on the European site.

Contact Natural England for licensing enquiries

Telephone: 0300 060 3900

Email: wildlife@naturalengland.org.uk

Wildlife Licensing, Operations Delivery
Natural England
Horizon House
Deanery Road
Bristol
BS1 5AH

For other enquiries use the Enquiry Service.

Telephone: 0300 060 3900

Email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk

WML-GL12 [version January 2025]