The closed ring, a breeding bird's proof of identity
A closed ring is a single-piece band with no opening and no join, fitted during the first days of a bird's life and impossible to remove once the adult leg has formed: that is what makes it proof of captive breeding rather than just a number.
Why it goes on so early
The principle comes down to a mechanical constraint. A closed ring has no slit and no join: it can only be slipped on while the young bird’s leg is still soft enough to let it pass. A few days later, it is too late.
That detail explains everything else. A band that could not have been fitted afterwards, and that cannot be removed without cutting it, cannot have been added to a bird taken from the wild. This is what makes it, for authorities and show judges alike, a presumption of captive breeding.
Past that window, an open ring remains possible, but it does not carry the same weight: it serves as a replacement when a closed ring has been broken, has become unreadable or has been lost.
What changes from one breeder to another
The principle is shared. The rest is not.
The coding of the inscriptions, the body issuing the rings, the species concerned and the records to be kept depend on the country and the federation. A breeder does not read the same number on their birds’ legs depending on whether they ring in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy or elsewhere, and their obligations are not the same either.
There is therefore no universal ring number format. To know what applies where you are, the only source worth relying on is your own federation.
What this changes in AviarySoft
The ring field is deliberately free-form. An application that imposed a format would become unusable the moment it crossed a border. So you enter the number exactly as it is engraved on the band.
Only one piece of information is extracted from it: the ringing year, which is used to filter and sort your birds. Each species can be given its own format, under Configuration then Species, telling the application where to read that year in your numbering. That is the only place where the format matters, and it is set once and for all.
How do I add a bird?
From the Birds page, click the add button. Fill in the species, breed, gender, ring number, status and birth date: these are the mandatory fields. If you only know the birth year, which is common for a bird bought as an adult, switch the field to 'Year only': that is enough. You can also fill in the name, colour, aviary and notes.
Can I add multiple birds at once?
Yes! The bulk add form lets you create several birds at once by setting shared parameters (species, breed, gender…), then customizing each bird individually (ring number, name…). You can also duplicate an existing bird to create a new one pre-filled with the same information.
How do I set a bird's sex after a hatching?
While a bird is of unknown sex, its sheet offers 'Male' and 'Female' as quick actions: one click is enough, without opening the form. This is especially handy after a hatching, when the sex only shows later. The action can be undone for a few seconds, and the sex can then be changed like any other field.
How does the ring number work?
The ring number is the primary identifier for each bird. The field is entirely free: enter it exactly as engraved on the ring, in your own federation's format ('J1234', 'ABS-KJ-24-042', '2345/26', 'AZ 12345 05 001'…). It must be unique per species in your farm, and the app warns you in real time if the number is already taken. Search ignores spaces and punctuation: typing 'A152 24' finds 'A152/24'. Sorting by year does not rely on the ring but on the birth date, which is mandatory. In Configuration then Species, edit a species to find two settings there: automatically end the number with the year, and show the number on the colour of the birth year, as on the actual ring.
What species are available?
AviarySoft offers default species (chicken, duck, goose, pigeon, racing pigeon, etc.) but you can create your own species from the settings. Each species has its own configurable breeds and colors.
How do I configure breeds and colors/mutations?
In the configuration, you can add breeds for each species and colors/mutations with a visual color code. These configurations are specific to your account and then appear in forms.
How do I track a bird's origin (purchase, gift, trade…)?
In each bird's record, you can indicate its acquisition source: born on the farm, purchased, gifted, loaned or traded. Depending on the source, additional fields appear: purchase price, seller/donor/lender name, address, and trade description where applicable. The acquisition price of a purchased bird counts automatically in the acquisition costs on the dashboard and in the financial statistics: there is no need to also create an expense for the purchase, it would be counted twice.
How do I manage selling, loaning or gifting a bird?
Simply change the bird's status. Switching to 'Sold' reveals fields for sale price, date and buyer details. The 'Loaned' status adds an expected return date and recipient details. The 'Given' status lets you record the recipient and gift date. From the bird's menu (right-click or three-dot menu), 'Status' then 'Sold…', 'Loaned…' or 'Given…' opens its form directly on that status.
What happens when a bird dies?
Change its status to 'Deceased'. The bird is kept in your database for history and genealogy purposes but no longer appears in your active bird count. The quickest way: the bird's menu (right-click or three-dot menu), 'Status', then 'Deceased'. The date of death is today's; in the form you can correct it and note the cause of death, which the Premium statistics group together.
Can I create my own custom statuses?
Yes, in the Configuration page, Statuses tab (“Bird statuses” in “Filter by type”), you can create custom statuses with a colour and icon of your choice, in addition to the default statuses: active, inactive, sold, loaned, given, deceased and lost. Bear in mind that a custom status is read as “active” by the app: only sold, loaned, given, deceased and lost remove a bird from the flock. A bird you move to “in quarantine” or “reserved” therefore keeps counting among the birds you hold.
How do I add photos to a bird?
In the bird form, you can upload photos (JPG, PNG or WebP). Images are automatically optimized. You can also add a photo directly from the top of a bird's record if no photo has been added yet.
How do I share a bird as an image?
From the bird's sheet, you can create a portrait card, ready to send to a friend or to publish on social media. Three layouts are offered, each with its own cropping of the photo, and you decide what appears: you can hide the name or the ring number before sharing. The same card can be created from the bird's menu (right-click or three-dot menu), 'Share the card'.
How does searching and filtering birds work?
The Birds page offers a search bar, by name, ring number, breed or microchip, and combinable filters: species, breed, colour, status, tag and sex, plus the year and favourites. A cross at the end of the search field clears it in one click. For more precise sorting, use the table view with its dynamic columns.
How do I mark a bird as a favorite?
Click the star on the bird's record or card. You can also do this via the three-dot menu or by right-clicking to use the context menu. Favorites can be quickly accessed using the 'Favorites only' filter.
How do I assign a bird to an aviary?
In the bird form, select the aviary from the dropdown menu. You can also manage assignments from the aviary dashboard. Quicker: in the bird's menu (right-click or three-dot menu), 'Aviary' lists your aviaries; one click places it there, 'No aviary' removes it.
How do I delete a bird?
From the three-dot menu, the context menu (right-click) or the bird's record, or several at once with “Select”, in all three views. The bird goes to the trash without asking for confirmation, and a message offers “Undo”; it can then be restored from the trash for 30 days.
Does the app remind me when to band my young birds?
Yes! You configure the number of days after hatching for each species, and AviarySoft sends you banding reminders at the right time from the dashboard.
What statistics are available for my birds?
The dashboard shows the total number of active birds, breakdown by species, gender and status. You also see sales revenue and acquisition costs to track your finances. Even more detailed statistics are available on the Statistics page, reserved for the Premium and Pro plans.
How do I generate a sale certificate?
When a bird has the 'Sold' status, an 'Export certificate' button appears in its detail card. The generated document, titled 'Sale Certificate', is downloadable as a PDF and contains the seller's information (name, farm, location), the buyer's details, the bird's information (species, breed, color, ring number, birth date) as well as the price and sale date. It's ready to print and hand over to the buyer.
How do I print a bird's record?
Open the three-dot menu of the bird's record, or right-click the bird in the list, and choose 'Export this record as a PDF'. On a phone, 'PDF record' is among the bird's actions. A window lets you choose the sections to include, such as genealogy, exhibitions, health, notes or history, as well as the photos. The resulting document is ready to print. Like the other exports, it is reserved for the Premium and Pro plans.
What are tags for?
Tags are your own keywords, each with a colour, to find and follow your birds: 'For sale', 'To watch', 'To keep', or whatever you like. They show as chips on the record and in the list, work as a filter, can be applied to a whole selection at once, and give you a breakdown in your statistics. They also appear on PDF exports.
What is the difference between a tag and a status?
A bird has only one status at a time (active, sold, deceased...), and that status has consequences throughout the software. It can however carry several tags, up to twenty, and those change nothing about how it is tracked: they are markers for you. This is the right place for what used to end up in the notes, or in a custom status created for the occasion.
How do I create a tag?
In Configuration, Tags section, or straight from a bird’s record: the Tags field works like the color and breed fields. Type a few letters to find an existing tag; if the name does not exist yet, “New” appears and Enter creates the tag and applies it at once. No tags exist to begin with, the vocabulary is entirely yours, up to one hundred tags per account. From the list, the bird's menu (right-click or three-dot menu) also offers 'Edit tags…'.
Can I tag several birds at once?
Yes. In the list, click “Select”, tick the birds, then “Add a tag” or “Remove a tag”, up to two hundred birds per operation. This works in all three views: grid, list and table. The tag is chosen in the same field as on the record: type a few letters, then click the one you need or press Enter. If it does not exist yet, Enter creates it and applies it in a single move. When removing, only the tags carried by the ticked birds are offered.
What happens if I delete a tag that is in use?
It is removed from the birds carrying it, and the confirmation tells you how many they are before you approve. The birds themselves are untouched. Unlike a colour or a breed, a tag stays deletable even when used: it is meant to come and go.
Can I change the status of several birds at once?
Yes, with the same multiple selection: “Change status” offers your statuses, and the switch applies to the whole batch in one go. Three statuses are deliberately missing, sold, loaned and given, because they call for a buyer, a price and a date specific to each bird: those are entered bird by bird in the form. Switching to “deceased” is accepted, and today's date is set on the birds that did not carry one.