Birds

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Services

• Birds: licence to catch them on food premises (CL03)

  Get a licence to catch certain birds trapped on food premises.

• Wild birds: record your non-lethal actions

  Find out the requirements for recording non-lethal actions for wild bird control licences, and download the record of non-lethal actions template.

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Guidance and regulation

• Report dead wild birds
  • Detailed guide
  • 17 May 2024
  • Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
• Removing and disposing of dead wild birds
  • Detailed guide
  • 13 December 2022
  • Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
• Wild birds: protection and licences
  • Detailed guide
  • 29 March 2015
  • Natural England and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Apply for an individual licence to kill, take or disturb wild birds (A08 or A09)
  • Detailed guide
  • 3 August 2026
  • Natural England
• Wild birds: licence to kill or take for public health or safety (GL41)
  • Statutory guidance
  • 1 January 2026
  • Natural England

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News and communications

• Norfolk heath restored after decade of nature recovery work
  • 18 June 2026
  • Natural England
  • Press release
• Natural England marks the 250th anniversary of Constable’s birth
  • 15 June 2026
  • Natural England
  • Press release
• Gamebirds: decision to not issue the GL45 gamebird general licence for 2025
  • 27 June 2025
  • Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
  • Decision
• Outcome of Natural England’s review of bird of prey ‘wild take’ licensing for falconry and aviculture
  • 6 March 2025
  • Natural England
  • News story
• Tracking technology used to help rare wading bird in UK first 
  • 20 December 2024
  • Natural England
  • News story

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Research and statistics

• Hen harriers: tracking programme update
  • 16 June 2026
  • Natural England
  • Research
• Surveillance collection thresholds for dead wild birds
  • 27 May 2026
  • Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
  • Research
• Statistics on Waterbirds in the UK (2024 publication; includes data up to 2023)
  • 25 April 2024
  • Joint Nature Conservation Committee
  • Official statistics
• Population trends for Turtle Dove in the UK and England, to 2023
  • 7 December 2023
  • Joint Nature Conservation Committee
  • Official statistics
• Population trends of Breeding Birds in the countries of the UK, to 2022
  • 25 May 2023
  • Joint Nature Conservation Committee
  • Official statistics

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Policy papers and consultations

• Improving protection for huntable wild birds
  • 23 March 2026
  • Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
  • Closed consultation
  • Date closed 17 May 2026
• General licences for wild birds: survey on management measures in England
  • 16 March 2021
  • Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
  • Consultation outcome
  • Date closed 05 December 2019
• Vaccination of birds against high pathogenicity avian influenza (bird flu) joint statement
  • 7 March 2025
  • Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Animal and Plant Health Agency, and Veterinary Medicines Directorate
  • Policy paper
• Taking birds of prey from the wild for falconry and aviculture: outcome of review
  • 6 March 2025
  • Natural England
  • Policy paper
• Gamebirds: decision to issue the modified GL45 gamebird general licence for 2024 to 2025
  • 18 July 2024
  • Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
  • Policy paper

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Organisations

• Department
  for Environment,
  Food & Rural Affairs
• Animal &
  Plant Health
  Agency
• Ministry
  of Defence
• Veterinary
  Medicines
  Directorate

• Natural England

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• Environment Agency
• Defence Infrastructure Organisation