Coloured ring on the leg, number clearly legible: if you have recovered a farm-reared bird in Ariège, 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 Ariège hunters' federation (FDC 09): it shows what is published and what never is. Ariège is one of the 13 departments of the Occitania region, with Foix as its prefecture.
Who validates recoveries in Ariège?
The Ariège hunters' federation (FDC 09) does not use RingFollow at present. A ring found in Ariège can still be reported: the report is recorded, and it will be validated by a federation, never by GIBIS. 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 09.
From photo to report
- Start with a sharp photo of the ring: the number is read automatically, and you check it.
- Enter the municipality, Foix or any other in the department; no municipality is ever shown publicly.
- Pick the species from the list (red-legged partridge, pheasant, grey partridge and hare); sex and circumstances are optional.
- Send: with no signal, the report goes out on its own as soon as coverage returns.
What a reported ring is for
Every recovery reported gives a date, a distance and a species. Added together, they give an operation's recovery rate and how far the birds disperse after release: enough to adjust future releases in Ariège.
Recoveries and reports in Ariège
- No validated recovery has been located in Ariège on RingFollow so far.
- No report linked to the department is awaiting validation.
- Nationwide, RingFollow records 85 ringed releases (3,592 birds) and 16 validated recoveries, across 5 participating federations.
After you send it
Once sent, the report is kept; if you left an e-mail address, an acknowledgement follows. The ring number is then matched against known releases; if one took place in a department whose federation is registered, that federation validates the recovery. Without a match, the report stays on file for Ariège, unpublished, until a federation can validate it.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): forests and semi-natural areas lead with 67%, followed by agricultural areas (31%). The rest is mostly artificial surfaces (2%). INSEE counts 325 municipalities and 155,722 inhabitants (2022 population count) over about 4,910 km². The share of artificial surfaces (2%) is lower here than in any of its three neighbours. Besides Foix, the prefecture, the department has two sub-prefectures: Pamiers and Saint-Girons.
Sources: INSEE (official geographic code 2025, 2022 population counts), OFB / EEA (CORINE Land Cover 2018), geo.api.gouv.fr (areas).
Across the borders
Its neighbours are Haute-Garonne to the north-west, Aude to the east and Pyrénées-Orientales to the south-east. All its neighbours belong, like the department itself, to the Occitania region. Among its neighbours, the share of forests and semi-natural areas ranges from 21% (Haute-Garonne) to 66% (Pyrénées-Orientales), against 67% here (CORINE Land Cover 2018). None of these neighbours tracks its rings on RingFollow; the nearest registered federation is in Haute-Loire, about 305 km to the north-east (centre to centre).
The regional picture
The other departments of the region are Hérault, Gard, Tarn, Hautes-Pyrénées, Lot, Aude, Tarn-et-Garonne, Haute-Garonne, Pyrénées-Orientales, Lozère, Aveyron and Gers. None of the 13 departments in the region has a federation tracking its rings on RingFollow at present (see the Federations page).
Further reading
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.
Frequently asked questions
Does GIBIS validate reports from Ariège?
No, never. Recoveries are validated by the federation of the department where the bird was released, if it is registered on RingFollow.
Do I have to give my name to report a ring in Ariège?
No. Name, phone and e-mail are optional; an e-mail address only gets you an acknowledgement. Only the validating federation sees what you leave.
How do I report a ringed partridge taken in Ariège?
Just as for a pheasant: photo of the ring, number checked, species “red-legged partridge” or “grey partridge”, and the municipality. Nothing differs in Ariège.
What if the ring number is illegible?
Take several well-lit photos from different angles, then correct the suggested number if needed. The photos stay attached to the report for the validating federation.
Why are there no statistics for Ariège?
A department's statistics are only published if its federation tracks its rings on RingFollow and at least 3 releases are recorded there. The Ariège hunters' federation (FDC 09) does not use RingFollow at present.
Registering a federation
Hunter or ACCA official in Ariège? You can raise it with your federation. All federations and their situation: Federations.
To get an idea of a department page with its statistics, see the sample page (simulated data).