When banded hawks subsequently encountered by humans are—hopefully—reported to the US Bird Banding Laboratory, the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO) receives a report of where the bird was found and what the circumstances were. Banding recoveries help us answer questions about raptor populations we are tracking in our count studies—what are their geographical ranges? How long do birds live? Recoveries also give us insight into causes of raptor injuries and deaths.

If you find a bird with a band on its leg, please report it to the Bird Banding Lab online at www.reportband.gov, or by calling 1-800-327-BAND (2263) from anywhere in Canada, the United States, and most parts of the Caribbean Sea. The operator will need to know the band number, how, when, and where the bird or band was found. Please do not use this number to call them about other matters.