A ringed partridge or pheasant recovered in Corrèze 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 Corrèze hunters' federation (FDC 19): it shows what is published and what never is. Part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, which has 12 departments, the department is administered from Tulle.
The federation and RingFollow
For department 19, no federation uses RingFollow at present. A ring found in Corrèze 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 Corrèze.
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, Tulle or any other in the department; no municipality is ever shown publicly.
- State the species, red-legged partridge or grey partridge for example, and if you know them, the sex and circumstances of the recovery.
- Send: with no signal, the report goes out on its own as soon as coverage returns.
Breeding and restocking
The ringed birds tracked here come from the GIBIS game farm in Chatte (Isère). For the pheasant strain, see PUR CHASSE® pheasants; for restocking in general, restocking game birds.
The regional picture
The other departments of the region are Gironde, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Charente, Landes, Creuse, Haute-Vienne, Charente-Maritime, Vienne, Dordogne, Deux-Sèvres and Lot-et-Garonne. None of the 12 departments in the region has a federation tracking its rings on RingFollow at present (see the Federations page).
Why report a recovery
The recovery rate is the number of validated rings divided by the number of birds released. It only exists if hunters report, in Corrèze 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. 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 19 and stays out of the public totals. No hunter, ACCA or municipality is ever named: only totals per department and points rounded to about 1 km.
Around Corrèze
Six departments border it: Cantal to the south-east, Creuse to the north, Haute-Vienne to the north-west, Dordogne to the west, Lot to the south and Puy-de-Dôme to the north-east. Beyond the regional boundary lie the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitania. Among its neighbours, the share of agricultural areas ranges from 48% (Lot) to 68% (Haute-Vienne), against 49% here (CORINE Land Cover 2018). None of these neighbours tracks its rings on RingFollow; the nearest registered federation is in Haute-Loire, about 155 km to the east (centre to centre). Next come Ain (about 280 km) and Isère (about 290 km).
The department at a glance
According to CORINE Land Cover, agricultural areas covered 49% of the department in 2018, forests and semi-natural areas 48%. The rest is shared between artificial surfaces (3%) and water bodies (1%). INSEE counts 277 municipalities and 240,826 inhabitants (2022 population count) over about 5,900 km². Besides Tulle, the prefecture, the department has two sub-prefectures: Brive-la-Gaillarde and Ussel.
Sources: INSEE (official geographic code 2025, 2022 population counts), OFB / EEA (CORINE Land Cover 2018), geo.api.gouv.fr (areas).
RingFollow figures for Corrèze
- The count of validated recoveries in Corrèze still stands at zero.
- The validation queue for Corrèze is empty.
- For comparison, all of France: 3,592 ringed birds in 85 releases and 16 validated recoveries (5 participating federations); details on the Statistics page.
Your questions about Corrèze
Who validates a recovery reported in Corrèze?
A hunters' federation: the one for the department where the bird was originally released, if it is registered on RingFollow. The Corrèze hunters' federation (FDC 19) does not use RingFollow at present, and GIBIS never validates.
Can I report a ring without a mobile signal in Corrèze?
Yes. The form keeps the report on the phone and sends it as soon as coverage returns, wherever you are in Corrèze.
How long is a report from Corrèze 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.
Which neighbouring departments track their rings on RingFollow?
None of its direct neighbours. The nearest registered federation is in Haute-Loire, about 155 km away between department centres.
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.
A federation that would like to track its rings
Hunter or ACCA official in Corrèze? You can raise it with your federation. All federations and their situation: Federations.
Few figures for Corrèze so far? See what a well-filled department page looks like (example with simulated data).