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

• Birds: licence to show them without the correct rings (A21 and LR21)
  • 14 April 2015
  • Form
• Birds: licence to keep them in show cages for training (GL16)
  • 1 January 2019
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to show captive bred birds competitively (GL14)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form

Kill, take or disturb birds

• Birds: licence to catch them on food premises (CL03)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Birds: licence to kill or take them for air safety purposes (CL12)
  • 13 February 2020
  • Form
• Canada geese: licence to kill or take them for public health and safety (GL28)
  • 1 August 2020
  • Form
• Carrion crows: licence to kill or take them to prevent serious damage to livestock (GL26)
  • 1 August 2020
  • Form
• Gulls: report actions taken under licence A36 (LR36)
  • 30 January 2020
  • Form
• Hen harriers: licence to feed them on grouse moors (CL25)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Mallard ducks: licence to take eggs and rear and release chicks (GL13)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Ruddy ducks: licence to kill or take them (GL21)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds: apply for a licence to disturb them for photography (A28)
  • 17 July 2015
  • Form
• Wild birds: apply for a licence to disturb them for science (A27)
  • 17 July 2015
  • Form
• Wild birds: apply for a licence to kill wild birds for falconry (A41 and LR41)
  • 14 April 2015
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to disturb, kill or take for science (A33 and LR33)
  • 17 July 2015
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to kill or take for conservation purposes (GL34)
  • 1 August 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to kill or take for public health or safety (GL35)
  • 1 August 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to kill or take to prevent serious damage (GL36)
  • 1 August 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to kill, take or disturb to prevent disease or agricultural damage, for conservation, or public health and safety (A08)
  • 30 April 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to remove abandoned or unsuccessful eggs (GL12)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds: report actions taken for science or photography
  • 6 February 2018
  • Form
• Woodpigeons: licence to kill or take them to prevent serious damage to crops (GL31)
  • 1 August 2020
  • Form

Protect fisheries

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

Sell birds and eggs

• Black-headed gulls: licence for retailers and restaurateurs to sell eggs (GL23)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Black-headed gulls: licence to sell eggs for human consumption (A22 and LR22)
  • 14 April 2015
  • Form
• Mealy redpoll: licence to sell and exhibit ringed mealy redpoll (GL15)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to sell captive bred live wild birds (GL18)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to sell dead wild birds (GL17)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to sell them without the correct rings (A20 and LR20)
  • 14 April 2015
  • Form

Treat and rehabilitate birds

• Wild birds: licence for vets to rehabilitate certain species (GL08)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to keep certain species for rehabilitation (GL07)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form

Other licences

• Barn owls: licence to survey them to guide future development work (CL29)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• Non-native (alien) species: apply for a licence to release them (A03 and LR03)
  • 15 November 2019
  • Form
• Wild birds: licence to rear chicks of certain captive-bred species (GL11)
  • 6 January 2020
  • Form
• Wild birds and animals: licence to possess samples (GL10)
  • 1 January 2020
  • Form
• 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.