A pigeon band (leg ring) identifies where a bird is from and who it belongs to. The letters and numbers on it give the country code, the year of hatching, an optional organisation code and the bird’s own ring number.
Band numbers are laid out like this:
[Country Code – Year – Organisation (optional) – Ring Number]
For example, GB-2020-F-28768, tells us:
GB – this pigeon is from Great Britain (AKA the United Kingdom)
2020 – the pigeon was born in 2020
F – this tells you which organization the pigeon belongs to (this is not used by many organizations)
28768 – the pigeon’s unique identification number
Country Code
These consist of two or more letters that tell you which country the pigeon belongs to.
Most countries have one overarching organization for the whole country to which all pigeon clubs will belong to.
Be aware that the USA has two main organizations so has two different codes:
- American Racing Pigeon Union (AU)
- International Federation of American Homing Pigeon
Fanciers (IF)
| Code | Organisation | Website |
| AU | American Racing Pigeon Union | pigeon.org (opens in new tab) |
| AUSTRIA | Österreichischer Verband Der Brieftaubenzuchter | brieftauben.at (opens in new tab) |
| BELG/BE | Royale Fédération Colombophile Belge | kbdb.be (opens in new tab) |
| CU/CRPU | Canadian Racing Pigeon Union | crpu.ca (opens in new tab) |
| CZ | Českomoravský svaz chovatelů poštovních holubů | postovniholub.cz (opens in new tab) |
| DAN | De Danske Brevdueforeninger | brevduen.dk (opens in new tab) |
| DV | Verband Deutscher Brieftaubenzüchter e.V. | brieftaube.de (opens in new tab) |
| ESP | Real Federación Colombófila Española | realfede.com (opens in new tab) |
| FIN | Suomen Viestikyyhkyliitto | viestikyyhky.fi (opens in new tab) |
| FR | Fédération Colombophile Française | colombophiliefr.com (opens in new tab) |
| RPR/GB/UK | The Royal Pigeon Racing Association | rpra.org (opens in new tab) |
| HUNG | Magyar Postagalambsport Szövetség | postagalamb.hu (opens in new tab) |
| IF | International Federation of American Homing Pigeon Fanciers | ifpigeon.com (opens in new tab) |
| ITA | Federazione Colombofila Italiana | colomboviaggiatore.it (opens in new tab) |
| LT | Lithuanian Racing Pigeon Association | – |
| LUX | Federation Colombophile Luxembourgeoise | – |
| MALTA | Federation of Pigeon Racing Clubs of Malta | maltafederationofracingpigeons.com (opens in new tab) |
| NL | Nederlandse Postduivenhouders Organisatie | duivensportbond.nl (opens in new tab) |
| NOR | Norges Brevdueforbund | brevduesport.no (opens in new tab) |
| PL | Polski Związek Hodowców Gołębi Pocztowych | pzhgp.pl (opens in new tab) |
| PORT | Federação Portuguesa de Columbofilia | fpcolumbofilia.pt (opens in new tab) |
| RO | Federatia Romana De Sport Columbofila | – |
| SK | Slovenský zväz chovateľov poštových holubov | postoveholuby.sk (opens in new tab) |
| SWE | Svenska Brevduvesport | brevduvesport.net (opens in new tab) |
Knowing which country a pigeon is from will help you narrow down which organization they belong to.
The organization can then put you in touch with the relevant club or owner.
If the bird is a racing pigeon that has stopped somewhere unexpected, what to do if you find a racing pigeon explains how to report it. Is pigeon racing cruel? looks at how often those birds fail to return.
Year
The year simply tells you what year the pigeon was born.
This can either be two numbers or four numbers long, e.g: 17, 2017.
A well-cared-for pigeon can live for 15 years or more, so in rare cases the year on a ring can be 15 to 20 years in the past.
Organization
Organization codes are not used by all federations.
Federations including Slovak, Czech, Hungarian, and German federations do use them.
In German rings, for example, a club number starting with 0 comes after the country code.
Pigeon Ring Number
28768 – This is a number that will help pigeon fanciers identify the pigeon as theirs.
The club to which the pigeon belongs will use it to identify them.
It can be as short as 2 digits or significantly longer.
Also Read: Why Do Pigeons Have Tags On Their Feet
Last updated 31 October 2026 · Racing