Collection

Bird licences

Licences for activities affecting birds.

Published 13 October 2014
Last updated 14 June 2019 — see all updates

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England

Natural England withdrew general licences GL04, GL05 and GL06 for controlling wild birds on 25 April 2019. It has issued general licences to:

• kill or take Canada geese to preserve public health and safety (GL28)
• kill or take carrion crows to prevent serious damage to livestock (GL26)
• kill or take woodpigeons to prevent serious damage to crops (GL31)

Defra has issued general licences to :

• kill or take wild birds to conserve wild birds and to conserve flora and fauna (GL34)
• kill or take wild birds to preserve public health or public safety (GL35)
• kill or take wild birds to prevent serious damage to livestock, foodstuffs for livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit, growing timber, fisheries or inland waters (GL36)

If your circumstances are not covered by these general licences you must apply for an individual licence.

Keep and exhibit birds

1. Birds: licence to show them without the correct rings (A21 and LR21)
   • 14 April 2015
   • Form
2. Birds: licence to keep them in show cages for training (GL16)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
3. Wild birds: licence to show captive bred birds competitively (GL14)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form

Kill, take or disturb birds

1. Birds: licence to catch them on food premises (CL03)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
2. Birds: licence to kill or take them for air safety purposes (CL12)
   • 3 January 2019
   • Form
3. Canada geese: licence to kill or take them for public health and safety (GL28)
   • 13 May 2019
   • Form
4. Carrion crows: licence to kill or take them to prevent serious damage to livestock (GL26)
   • 13 May 2019
   • Form
5. Gulls: licence to control them to conserve other birds (A36 and LR36)
   • 15 April 2015
   • Form
6. Hen harriers: licence to feed them on grouse moors (CL25)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
7. Mallard ducks: licence to take eggs and rear and release chicks (GL13)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
8. Ruddy ducks: licence to kill or take them (GL21)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
9. Wild birds: apply for a licence to disturb them for photography (A28)
   • 17 July 2015
   • Form
10. Wild birds: apply for a licence to disturb them for science (A27)
    • 17 July 2015
    • Form
11. Wild birds: apply for a licence to kill wild birds for falconry (A41 and LR41)
    • 14 April 2015
    • Form
12. Wild birds: licence to disturb, kill or take for science (A33 and LR33)
    • 17 July 2015
    • Form
13. Wild birds: licence to kill or take for conservation purposes (GL34)
    • 14 June 2019
    • Form
14. Wild birds: licence to kill or take for public health or safety (GL35)
    • 14 June 2019
    • Form
15. Wild birds: licence to kill or take to prevent serious damage (GL36)
    • 14 June 2019
    • Form
16. Wild birds: licence to kill, take or disturb to prevent disease or agricultural damage, for conservation, or public health and safety (A08 and LR08)
    • 25 April 2019
    • Form
17. Wild birds: licence to remove abandoned or unsuccessful eggs (GL12)
    • 1 January 2019
    • Form
18. Wild birds: report actions taken for science or photography
    • 6 February 2018
    • Form
19. Woodpigeons: licence to kill or take them to prevent serious damage to crops (GL31)
    • 13 May 2019
    • Form

Protect fisheries

1. Cormorants: group licence to kill or take them to prevent damage to fisheries
   • 11 July 2017
   • Form
2. Licence for an individual to protect their fishery from fish-eating birds (A06 and A07)
   • 16 July 2015
   • Form

Sell birds and eggs

1. Black headed gulls: licence for retailers and restaurateurs to sell eggs (GL23)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
2. Black-headed gulls: licence to sell eggs for human consumption (A22 and LR22)
   • 14 April 2015
   • Form
3. Mealy redpoll: licence to sell and exhibit ringed mealy redpoll (GL15)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
4. Wild birds: licence to sell captive bred live wild birds (GL18)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
5. Wild birds: licence to sell dead wild birds (GL17)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
6. Wild birds: licence to sell them without the correct rings (A20 and LR20)
   • 14 April 2015
   • Form

Treat and rehabilitate birds

1. Wild birds: licence for vets to rehabilitate them (GL08)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
2. Wild birds: licence to keep them for rehabilitation (GL07)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form

Other licences

1. Barn owls: licence to survey them to guide future development work (CL29)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
2. Non-native species: apply for a licence to release them (A03 and LR03)
   • 8 December 2017
   • Form
3. Wild birds: licence to incubate and rear their eggs and chicks (GL11)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
4. Wild birds and animals: licence to possess samples (GL10)
   • 1 January 2019
   • Form
5. Wild birds and animals: licence to release certain schedule 9 species (GL22)
   • 30 April 2019
   • Form

Published 13 October 2014
Last updated 14 June 2019 + show all updates

1. 14 June 2019 New Defra general licences for wild birds, GL34, GL35 and GL36 added.
2. 26 April 2019 Added the general licence (GL26) for killing or taking carrion crows.
3. 25 April 2019 Added 'Wild birds: licence to control certain species'. Removed licences GL04, GL05 and GL06.
4. 13 October 2014 First published.