Natural England
Details
To apply for a licence to control wild birds for conservation or health and safety purposes that are no longer covered by a general licence, you need to submit a screening form. These birds are:
- herring gull
- jackdaws
- jays
- lesser black-backed gull
- rooks
- other wild birds to conserve green-listed species
- other wild birds for public health or safety reasons, such as woodpigeon, Egyptian goose, magpie or carrion crow
Criteria you must meet to get a licence
Natural England will only issue you with a licence if you can show that:
- actual damage or a problem is occurring, or likely to occur and the target species is causing it
- you have tried non-lethal solutions or you can show that they would not be effective or practical
- there are no suitable alternative methods of control
- action you take under the licence will contribute to preventing damage or resolving the problem
- action you take under the licence will not negatively affect the conservation status of the wild bird
If your application does not meet all these criteria, Natural England will reject your application.
Using the licence
You can use this licence to control wild birds, their nests and eggs by:
- killing them
- taking them
- using a prohibited method of control on them
If you use a trap or decoy bird, you must follow the standard licence conditions in WML-GL33.
Before you apply
Before you apply for a licence, check if your circumstances are covered by one of Defras general licences for birds. The general licences do not cover the lesser black-backed gull or herring gull because of their poor conservation status.You may be able to control wild birds using alternative non-lethal measures. Read about the legal methods you can use to deter certain wild birds without a licence (GU01).
Control birds at an airfield
If you need to control birds at an airfield, check if the air safety class licence CL12 covers your circumstances.
If the air safety class licence CL12 does not cover your circumstances, submit an A08 application form to control wild birds for air safety purposes.
Control wild birds to prevent disease or serious damage
To apply for a licence to control wild birds to prevent disease or serious damage that are no longer cov