Bird Band Size Guide
Search the reference list, compare metric sizes, and use USGS codes as diameter references. Rows marked "No USGS code" have no matching USGS Bird Banding Lab code on file and may need confirmation. Final band size, width, thickness, and closure style still need to be confirmed for the project.
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USGS conversion codes
Please confirm your size before ordering. Many of the sizes in this guide come from lists written for metal bands, and leg sizes vary with the bird, the season and the study. Tell us about your bird and we will confirm the best band, or order a few samples to try first. We generally do not make bands smaller than 4 mm; those entries are marked.
Larger birds and neck collars. This guide lists leg (tarsal) bands, and its size scale ends at 28.58 mm. We also make larger leg bands, and neck collars, which fit around the neck instead of the leg, for large birds such as swans and geese. Collars come in 1/16" or 1/8" material depending on the bird; the collars we have made are listed below under “Neck collars” with their inside diameters. Tell us the bird and whether you need a leg band or a collar, and we will size it: request a large band or collar.
| Species | Size | Inches | USGS | Category |
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North American species and their recommended band sizes come from the U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory's public Species Table and Recommended Band Sizes (retrieved October 1, 2026). For those species the size shown is the span of the inside diameters of the USGS-recommended sizes (the USGS column lists them, preferred size first). Where we have supplied a different size for the same bird in the past, it is shown as “also made”. Pro-Touch makes plastic bands: use this guide as a starting point and tell us about your birds and study, and we will confirm the best band.