Wild birds: licence to show captive bred birds competitively (GL14)
Get a general licence to show certain species of captive bred birds in competition.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
This licence lets you publicly exhibit and competitively show certain wild birds that have been lawfully bred in captivity. A bird is considered to have been lawfully bred in captivity if its parents were lawfully in captivity when the egg from which it was hatched was laid. You must have documentation to prove this.
This licence does not cover the birds listed in part 1 of schedule 3 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It’s already legal to show these birds if they’ve been bred in captivity.
You do not need to apply for this licence but you must meet its conditions and follow its instructions.
Details
This licence lets you publicly exhibit and competitively show certain wild birds that have been lawfully bred in captivity. A bird is considered to have been lawfully bred in captivity if its parents were lawfully in captivity when the egg from which it was hatched was laid. You must have documentation to prove this.
This licence does not cover the birds listed in part 1 of schedule 3 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It’s already legal to show these birds if they’ve been bred in captivity.
You do not need to apply for this licence but you must meet its conditions and follow its instructions.
Updates to this page
Last updated 1 January
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Updated this licence to cover the period 1 January to 31 December 2025. Reworded several sections to make the information clearer. Updated the 'Avian influenza' information and advice note.
Update history
2026-01-01 00:01
Updated this licence to cover the period 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2030.
2025-01-01 00:01
Updated this licence to cover the period 1 January to 31 December 2025. Reworded several sections to make the information clearer. Updated the ‘Avian influenza’ information and advice note.
2024-01-01 00:01
There is an update to this licence for 1 January 2024.
2023-01-01 00:15
Annual licence update, valid from 1 January 2023.