Coloured ring on the leg, number clearly legible: if you have recovered a farm-reared bird in Gironde, 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 Gironde hunters' federation (FDC 33): it shows what is published and what never is. Part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, which has 12 departments, the department is administered from Bordeaux.
Validating recoveries in Gironde
The Gironde hunters' federation (FDC 33) is not among the federations registered on RingFollow. A ring found in Gironde 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 Gironde.
Reporting a ring found in Gironde
- Open bagues.gibis.fr on your phone and photograph the ring close up, in good light.
- Choose the municipality where the bird was taken, from the 534 in Gironde: it locates the recovery but is never published.
- State the species, red-legged partridge or pheasant 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.
What next?
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 33 and stays out of the public totals. Reports are kept for five hunting seasons after the recovery, then retained only in anonymised form for statistics (see the privacy policy).
Further reading
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.
One ring, one data point
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.
Land and population
Land cover in 2018 (CORINE Land Cover): forests and semi-natural areas lead with 51%, followed by agricultural areas (37%). The rest is shared between artificial surfaces (9%), water bodies (2%) and wetlands (1%). About 10,380 km², 534 municipalities and 1,690,493 inhabitants in 2022: those are the orders of magnitude. The share of artificial surfaces (9%) is higher here than in any of its four neighbours. Its arrondissements are administered from Bordeaux (prefecture), Arcachon, Blaye, Langon, Lesparre-Médoc and Libourne.
Sources: INSEE (official geographic code 2025, 2022 population counts), OFB / EEA (CORINE Land Cover 2018), geo.api.gouv.fr (areas).
RingFollow figures for Gironde
- So far, RingFollow has no validated recovery taken in Gironde.
- 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.
The regional picture
Besides Gironde, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region comprises Landes, Haute-Vienne, Charente, Creuse, Deux-Sèvres, Lot-et-Garonne, Corrèze, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Charente-Maritime, Dordogne and Vienne. None of the 12 departments in the region has a federation tracking its rings on RingFollow at present (see the regional overview). At about 163 inhabitants per km², population density here is the highest among the 12 departments of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
Across the borders
Four departments border it: Lot-et-Garonne to the south-east, Charente-Maritime to the north, Landes to the south and Dordogne to the east. All its neighbours belong, like the department itself, to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Among its neighbours, the share of forests and semi-natural areas ranges from 16% (Charente-Maritime) to 64% (Landes), against 51% here (CORINE Land Cover 2018). None of these neighbours tracks its rings on RingFollow; the nearest registered federation is in Haute-Loire, about 345 km to the east (centre to centre).
Frequently asked questions
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.
Where do I report a pheasant ring found in Gironde?
On bagues.gibis.fr, from a phone: a photo of the ring, the species and the municipality where the bird was taken are enough. No account is needed.
Who validates a recovery reported in Gironde?
A hunters' federation: the one for the department where the bird was originally released, if it is registered on RingFollow. The Gironde hunters' federation (FDC 33) does not use RingFollow at present, and GIBIS never validates.
Which neighbouring departments track their rings on RingFollow?
None of its direct neighbours. The nearest registered federation is in Haute-Loire, about 345 km away between department centres.
How long is a report from Gironde 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.
Registering a federation
Hunter or ACCA official in Gironde? 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).