A ringed partridge or pheasant recovered in Bouches-du-Rhône only tells its story if the ring number is reported, and that takes a minute. The page is also meant for the ACCAs, France's approved communal hunting associations, and for the Bouches-du-Rhône hunters' federation (FDC 13): it shows what is published and what never is. Bouches-du-Rhône is one of the six departments of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, with Marseille as its prefecture.
Who validates recoveries in Bouches-du-Rhône?
For department 13, no federation uses RingFollow at present. A ring found in Bouches-du-Rhône can still be reported: the report is recorded, and it will be validated by a federation, never by GIBIS. If the bird comes from a release in a department whose federation is registered, that federation validates the recovery; otherwise the report stays on file for Bouches-du-Rhône.
Found a ring: what to do
- Open bagues.gibis.fr on your phone and photograph the ring close up, in good light.
- Say where the bird was taken: the municipality is used for validation and never appears in public.
- State the species, grey partridge or hare for example, and if you know them, the sex and circumstances of the recovery.
- Send the report; name, phone and e-mail are optional, but an e-mail address gets you an acknowledgement.
Breeding and restocking
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 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region and RingFollow
The other departments of the region are Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Vaucluse, Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. None of the six departments in the region has a federation tracking its rings on RingFollow at present (see the Federations page). At 16%, the share of artificial surfaces here is the highest among the six departments of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.
From report to validation
The report is recorded as soon as it arrives, with the photo and the municipality given. 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. If no release matches, the report is kept under department 13 and stays out of the public totals. The public only sees totals per department; points on the national map are rounded to about 1 km.
Around Bouches-du-Rhône
Its neighbours are Gard to the north-west, Vaucluse to the north and Var to the east. Beyond the regional boundary lies the region of Occitania. Among its neighbours, the share of forests and semi-natural areas ranges from 39% (Vaucluse) to 69% (Var), against 36% here (CORINE Land Cover 2018). None of these neighbours tracks its rings on RingFollow; the nearest registered federation is in Isère, about 195 km to the north (centre to centre). Next come Haute-Loire (about 205 km) and Ain (about 285 km).
Why report a recovery
ACCAs and federations fund releases; rings are the only way to know what they yield in the field. Consolidated figures are public on the Statistics page, by department.
What the rings say in Bouches-du-Rhône
- No validated recovery has been located in Bouches-du-Rhône on RingFollow so far.
- 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.
Land and population
The European CORINE Land Cover inventory (2018) puts forests and semi-natural areas at 36% of the area and agricultural areas at 35%. The rest is shared between artificial surfaces (16%), wetlands (7%) and water bodies (7%). INSEE counts 119 municipalities and 2,087,658 inhabitants (2022 population count) over about 5,080 km². With the population at 2,087,658 inhabitants in 2022, the department is in the top five of the 96 departments of metropolitan France. Besides Marseille, the prefecture, the department has three sub-prefectures: Aix-en-Provence, Arles and Istres.
Sources: INSEE (official geographic code 2025, 2022 population counts), OFB / EEA (CORINE Land Cover 2018), geo.api.gouv.fr (areas).
Your questions about Bouches-du-Rhône
How do I recognise a Gibis ring found in Bouches-du-Rhône?
A coloured, numbered leg ring, or a numbered coloured plastic wing tag, with no address. A ring engraved with an address belongs to another scheme: the guide explains where to report it.
Does GIBIS validate reports from Bouches-du-Rhône?
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 Bouches-du-Rhône?
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.
Which neighbouring departments track their rings on RingFollow?
None of its direct neighbours. The nearest registered federation is in Isère, about 195 km away between department centres.
How do I report a ringed partridge taken in Bouches-du-Rhône?
Just as for a pheasant: photo of the ring, number checked, species “red-legged partridge” or “grey partridge”, and the municipality. Nothing differs in Bouches-du-Rhône.
For federations
The situation of every federation is on the Federations page. A federation that would like to track its recoveries can write to gibis@gibis.fr.
Few figures for Bouches-du-Rhône so far? See what a well-filled department page looks like (example with simulated data).