A ringed partridge or pheasant recovered in Indre only tells its story if the ring number is reported, and that takes a minute. Reports are useful to the ACCAs (approved communal hunting associations) and federations that organise releases; the public only ever sees totals per department. Part of the Centre-Val de Loire region, which has six departments, the department is administered from Châteauroux.
Ring tracking in Indre
The Indre hunters' federation (FDC 36) 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 36.
From photo to report
- Photograph the ring, on the leg or once removed; if the number runs all the way round, take several shots.
- Choose the municipality where the bird was taken, from the 241 in Indre: it locates the recovery but is never published.
- Pick the species from the list (pheasant, red-legged partridge, 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.
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 Without a match, the report stays on file for Indre, unpublished, until a federation can validate it.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.
Indre and its neighbours
Its neighbours are Indre-et-Loire to the north-west, Loir-et-Cher to the north, Cher to the north-east, Vienne to the west, Haute-Vienne to the south and Creuse to the south-east. Beyond the regional boundary lies the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Among its neighbours, the share of agricultural areas ranges from 62% (Loir-et-Cher) to 79% (Vienne), against 80% here (CORINE Land Cover 2018). None of these neighbours tracks its rings on RingFollow; the nearest registered federation is in Haute-Loire, about 250 km to the south-east (centre to centre). Next come Ain (about 300 km) and Isère (about 350 km).
Land and population
According to CORINE Land Cover, agricultural areas covered 80% of the department in 2018, forests and semi-natural areas 16%. The rest is shared between artificial surfaces (2%) and water bodies (1%). About 6,900 km², 241 municipalities and 216,069 inhabitants in 2022: those are the orders of magnitude. At 80%, the share of agricultural areas here is the highest among the department and its six neighbours. Its arrondissements are administered from Châteauroux (prefecture), Issoudun, La Châtre and Le Blanc.
Sources: INSEE (official geographic code 2025, 2022 population counts), OFB / EEA (CORINE Land Cover 2018), geo.api.gouv.fr (areas).
What the rings say in Indre
- No validated recovery has been located in Indre on RingFollow so far.
- The validation queue for Indre 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.
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.
The Centre-Val de Loire region and RingFollow
The other departments of the region are Loiret, Eure-et-Loir, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher and Cher. None of the six departments in the region has a federation tracking its rings on RingFollow at present (see the regional overview). The share of artificial surfaces (2%) is lower here than in any other department of the Centre-Val de Loire region.
The breeding side: gibis.fr
RingFollow tracks rings; breeding, species and restocking are covered on gibis.fr: game birds for restocking and red-legged and grey partridges.
Frequently asked questions
Can I report a ring without a mobile signal in Indre?
Yes. The form keeps the report on the phone and sends it as soon as coverage returns, wherever you are in Indre.
Do I have to give my name to report a ring in Indre?
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 Haute-Loire, about 250 km away between department centres.
Does GIBIS validate reports from Indre?
No, never. Recoveries are validated by the federation of the department where the bird was released, if it is registered on RingFollow.
How do I recognise a Gibis ring found in Indre?
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.
For federations
Hunter or ACCA official in Indre? You can raise it with your federation. All federations and their situation: Federations.
Few figures for Indre so far? See what a well-filled department page looks like (example with simulated data).