Coloured ring on the leg, number clearly legible: if you have recovered a farm-reared bird in Ardennes, here is where to report it and what happens to the information. The page is also meant for the ACCAs, France's approved communal hunting associations, and for the Ardennes hunters' federation (FDC 08): it shows what is published and what never is. On the administrative map, department 08 belongs to the Grand Est region; its prefecture is Charleville-Mézières.
Ring tracking in Ardennes
The Ardennes hunters' federation (FDC 08) is not among the federations registered on RingFollow. Nothing changes for the hunter: the report is made the same way, and federations, not GIBIS, validate recoveries. The ring number leads back to the original release: if the federation of the department where it took place is registered, it validates; if not, the report waits, filed under department 08.
Reporting in four steps
- Photograph the ring, on the leg or once removed; if the number runs all the way round, take several shots.
- Enter the municipality, Charleville-Mézières or any other in the department; no municipality is ever shown publicly.
- Pick the species from the list (red-legged partridge, pheasant, hare and grey partridge); sex and circumstances are optional.
- Send it. For 24 hours you can still remove or add a photo.
The breeding side: gibis.fr
Species, delivery and release planning are a matter for the breeder: see game birds for restocking and red-legged and grey partridges on gibis.fr.
The Grand Est region and RingFollow
Besides Ardennes, the Grand Est region comprises Haute-Marne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Bas-Rhin, Marne, Haut-Rhin, Moselle, Aube and Vosges. None of the ten departments in the region has a federation tracking its rings on RingFollow at present (see the list by region).
Recoveries and reports in Ardennes
- So far, RingFollow has no validated recovery taken in Ardennes.
- No report linked to the department is awaiting validation.
- For comparison, all of France: 3,592 ringed birds in 85 releases and 16 validated recoveries (5 participating federations); details on the Statistics page.
Ardennes and its neighbours
Three departments border it: Aisne to the west, Marne to the south and Meuse to the south-east. Beyond the regional boundary lies the region of Hauts-de-France. Among its neighbours, the share of agricultural areas ranges from 60% (Meuse) to 74% (Aisne), against 67% here (CORINE Land Cover 2018). None of these neighbours tracks its rings on RingFollow; the nearest registered federation is in Ain, about 395 km to the south (centre to centre).
One ring, one data point
The recovery rate is the number of validated rings divided by the number of birds released. It only exists if hunters report, in Ardennes as elsewhere. For an example, see the review of the 2025 pheasant-poult operation (Infochasse mag' no. 72, in French).
What happens to the report
Once sent, the report is kept; if you left an e-mail address, an acknowledgement follows. Next comes the matching: does the ring belong to a recorded release? If so, and if that department's federation is registered, it reviews the recovery. Without a match, the report stays on file for Ardennes, unpublished, until a federation can validate it. The public only sees totals per department; points on the national map are rounded to about 1 km.
The department at a glance
Land cover in 2018 (CORINE Land Cover): agricultural areas lead with 67%, followed by forests and semi-natural areas (29%). The rest is mostly artificial surfaces (4%). With 265,893 inhabitants (INSEE, 2022 population count) on about 5,240 km², the density is roughly 51 inhabitants per km²; the department has 447 municipalities. The number of municipalities (447) is lower here than in any of its three neighbours. Besides Charleville-Mézières, the prefecture, the department has three sub-prefectures: Rethel, Sedan and Vouziers.
Sources: INSEE (official geographic code 2025, 2022 population counts), OFB / EEA (CORINE Land Cover 2018), geo.api.gouv.fr (areas).
Frequently asked questions
Why are there no statistics for Ardennes?
A department's statistics are only published if its federation tracks its rings on RingFollow and at least 3 releases are recorded there. The Ardennes hunters' federation (FDC 08) does not use RingFollow at present.
Should a ring engraved with an address, found in Ardennes, be reported here?
No. RingFollow only covers game-farm rings, which carry no address. Rings from scientific ringing schemes are reported to those schemes; this site's guide tells you more.
Can I report a ring without a mobile signal in Ardennes?
Yes. The form keeps the report on the phone and sends it as soon as coverage returns, wherever you are in Ardennes.
How long is a report from Ardennes kept?
Five hunting seasons, the duration of the restocking study. After that it is kept only in anonymised form, without contact details or licence number.
Does GIBIS validate reports from Ardennes?
No, never. Recoveries are validated by the federation of the department where the bird was released, if it is registered on RingFollow.
For federations
A registered federation validates the recoveries in its own department and can export its data. Full list: Federations; contact: gibis@gibis.fr.
Few figures for Ardennes so far? See what a well-filled department page looks like (example with simulated data).