Follow-Ups to Answer from Expert Chrys Meatyard

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Toni wrote at 2008-02-05 16:19:08
Open-banded / Imported Birds:



USDA-owned and operated quarantine stations use bands with letters and three or four numbers.



There were 85 quarantine stations, located in the following states:



California - 40 - First letter C or O



Hawaii - 2 - First letter H



Florida - 20 - First letter F



Illinois - 7 - First letter I



Louisiana - 6 - First letter L



Michigan - 2 - First letter M



New York - 6 - First letter N



Texas - 2 - First letter T



A quarantine band always had 3 letters and 3 numbers For example FAB 123



The first letter stands for the state, Florida, California, New York, Illinois, Hawaii, Louisiana and O's were also used in California because they had more than 24 stations.



The second letter stands for the specific quarantine station.



The third letter is part of the number code so with 24 letters and 3 digits you have 24,000 possible combinations. The bands were manufactured and issued to the quarantine station owners. Numbers used in each quarantine lot were reported to USDA. If a station imported thousands of birds each year the sequence would be repeated frequently - for example-maybe conures or other small birds imported in large numbers. If for larger birds the sequence would not be repeated so often. (Author Unknown )



For additional information regarding the numbers and letters on a bird's import band, contact the USDA Administration Office Department of Agriculture, Fish, & Wildlife in your area.  

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