# Add DNS records · AWS Route 53

<!-- external-screenshot: Route 53 → Hosted zones → example.com → Create record -->

When you add a sending domain to Bird, the domain's detail page in the Bird dashboard lists every DNS record to publish, each with a copyable host and value. Keep that page open in one tab and the AWS console in another — every value below is copied straight from Bird, never typed by hand.

![A domain's DNS Records page in the Bird dashboard, showing the verified DKIM record with copyable name and value, and the return-path and DMARC sections below](/images/docs/dashboard-email-domain-detail.png)

## The records you'll add

| Type  | Host                                | Value (copy from Bird)     |
| ----- | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| TXT   | `<selector>._domainkey.example.com` | Your DKIM key              |
| CNAME | `send.example.com`                  | `<region>.bounce.bird.com` |
| TXT   | `_dmarc.example.com`                | Your DMARC policy          |
| CNAME | `links.example.com` (optional)      | `<region>.links.bird.com`  |

The tracking CNAME (`links`) is optional — it only enables branded open and click tracking, not sending itself.

## Add the records in Route 53

1. Sign in to the [AWS console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/route53/) and open **Route 53**.
2. In the left sidebar, choose **Hosted zones**, then click the **public** hosted zone whose name matches your sending domain.
3. Click **Create record**.
4. For the DKIM record: paste the host's subdomain part from Bird (everything before your domain, for example `<selector>._domainkey`) into **Record name**, set **Record type** to **TXT**, and paste the DKIM value from Bird into **Value**. Keep **Routing policy** on **Simple routing**. Click **Create records**.
5. Click **Create record** again. For the return-path record: enter `send` as the **Record name**, set **Record type** to **CNAME**, and paste the target from Bird (for example `<region>.bounce.bird.com`) into **Value**. Click **Create records**.
6. Click **Create record** again. For the DMARC record: enter `_dmarc` as the **Record name**, set **Record type** to **TXT**, and paste the DMARC value from Bird into **Value**. Click **Create records**.
7. If you want branded tracking, add the optional tracking record the same way as step 5: **Record name** `links`, **Record type** **CNAME**, **Value** `<region>.links.bird.com`. Click **Create records**.

## Route 53-specific gotchas

- **Don't add your own quotes to TXT values.** Route 53 wraps TXT values in double quotes automatically. Paste the value exactly as Bird shows it — if you add quotes yourself, the published record contains literal quote characters and verification fails. Route 53 also caps a single quoted string at 255 characters; if the DKIM value is longer, use the [DNS record splitter](/tools/dns-record-splitter) to break it into the multiple quoted strings a TXT record can hold.
- **Make sure the zone is actually serving the domain.** It's common to have a hosted zone that exists in Route 53 while the domain's nameservers point somewhere else (an old registrar, a second AWS account, a duplicate zone). Compare the zone's **NS** record set against the nameservers your registrar lists for the domain — if they differ, records you add here are never seen by the internet and the domain never verifies.
- **Use Simple routing.** Leave **Routing policy** on **Simple routing** for all four records; weighted, latency, or failover policies are not needed and only add ways for the lookup to go wrong.

## After you publish

Bird checks your DNS automatically — verification usually completes within minutes of the records going live, and you can trigger an immediate re-check from the domain's detail page. If the domain stays pending longer than expected, see [Verification delays](/docs/knowledge-base/dns-and-domains/verification-delays).

## Next steps

- [Sending domains](/docs/guides/email/sending-domains)
- [DKIM, SPF & DMARC](/docs/guides/email/dkim-spf-dmarc)
- [Verification delays](/docs/knowledge-base/dns-and-domains/verification-delays)