By Leah McKinley
What is bird banding? Why is it important?
Bird banding is the practice of safely applying a band or tag to part of the bird, usually the leg, for data collection and individual identification. Banding birds allows researchers to learn the migration patterns, life span, breeding territory, and feeding areas of different bird species. Identifying these patterns and behaviors within bird populations plays a critical role in designing and implementing conservation programs for different species of birds. But not just anyone can place bands on birds, you must have the required permits and approvals from the Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) and any additional state permits necessary. This ensures that bird banders are qualified and will follow protocols to ensure the safety of the birds.
Protecting bird populations is vital to enhancing our ecosystems as birds serve as pollinators, insect and rodent control, and seed dispersers. Birds are also excellent indicators of environmental health because they are sensitive to habitat change – in healthy ecosystems, birds are abundant and easily observable.
Banding allows bird populations to be more efficiently monitored, enabling researchers to identify areas where populations may be in decline.
Wilson's Warbler during a Banding demonstration at the Biggest Week in American Birding, Ohio, May 16, 2015.
For example, Wilson’s Warbler is a migratory songbird that can be found in the Pacific Northwest during the breeding season. Using data collected through band reports researchers found that declining survival rates in adult Wilson’s Warblers was strongly attributed to drought in northern Mexico, where the warbler winters. This finding suggests that conservation efforts for Wilson’s Warblers should focus on drought-resilient habitat in northern Mexico.
Some of the most important data that comes from bird bands are migration patterns. Twice a year, 70 percent of bird species in North America migrate, and 80 percent of those bird species migrate at night. Monitoring data has shown that populations of North American migratory bird species have seen dramatic declines over the last 50 years due to threats they face on their migration journey.
One of these threats is light pollution, which can be disorientating and often fatal to migratory birds. Certain species of birds are attracted to light, increasing their chances of collisions with buildings. In September, the National Audubon Society partnered with the International Dark-Sky Association to help birds mitigate these threats through Lights Out programs and other solutions that reduce excess light at night.
Birds come in many varieties – bands do too!
The standard leg band is made of aluminum, placed around the leg of the bird and is engraved with unique numbers to allow researchers to keep track of individual birds. Metal bands are mainly used for terrestrial birds that spend most of their time on land instead of in the air or water. Sometimes birds are banded with colored bands or tags, which enables observers and researchers to identify individual birds in the field from a distance. Sometimes colored bands are applied in addition to the standard aluminum band to signify a specific research project. Bands are lightweight and designed to have no negative effect on the bird.
Staffers from National Audubon Society along with the Bahamas National Trust, and the Virginia Tech Shorebird Program, band Piping Plovers in the Bahamas to help track their migration between their wintering and breeding areas, March, 2017. Piping Plover tag. Andros Island, Bahamas.
Trumpeter Swan with a neck band. Photo by Martha Jordan.
Neck bands, always used in conjunction with USFWS approved leg bands, are made of plastic and often used for geese and swans. These plastic bands are different colors based on the region where the bird is banded and are usually used on birds that spend most of their time in the water. The codes on the bands are assigned by the USFWS and are often a combination of numbers and letters, usually 3 to 5. Sometimes a symbol is used in combination with numbers. Neck bands can be read in the field using binoculars or a spotting scope. Recapture of the bird for identification is unnecessary.
Wing tags are used for birds that spend most of their time flying or swimming. In geographic areas where freezing weather and ice are common, wing tags are used instead of collars. Other birds including raptors may be wing tagged because these tags can be read in the field through binoculars and allow for identification without the need for recapture.
California Condor with a black wing tag.
What do you do if you see a banded bird?
On average, 1.2 million birds, the vast majority of which are song birds or raptors, are banded every year. However, only about 87,000 of those birds are encountered and reported. Many researchers rely on citizen scientists to report banded bird sightings.
If you encounter a live banded bird in the field, try to spot and record the following information:
Where is the band or tag? Observe if the band is on the left or right leg, or if it is above or below the ankle joint – the joint in the middle of the bird’s leg.
What is the color of the band or tag? If the writing on the band or tag is a different color, record that, too.
The code, if any, that is on the band or tag. Many birds are only equipped with a small standard aluminum band, which may make it difficult to spot and read the engraved writing. Birds with larger bands or tags should have bigger numbers or codes which are easier to read from a distance.
The location and date of your banded bird observation.
If you find a band on a deceased bird and are safely able, remove the band from the bird. If you are not able to remove the band, record all numbers and letters on the band. If possible, take a photo of the band as this may be useful for reporting purposes. Be sure to note the date and location where the banded bird was found. The banded bird can be reported three different ways to the Bird Banding Laboratory:
By phone at 1-800-327-BAND or 1-800-327-2263
Online at http://www.reportband.gov/
By mail, you can send the band to:
Bird Banding Laboratory
12100 Beech Forest Road
Laurel, MD 20708
Additionally, the Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) has a list of local projects that are seeking information on banded birds, such as Cooper’s Hawks; Sharp-shinned Hawks; American Crows; Merlins; coastal raptors such as Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and Turkey Vultures; and more. For the full list of birds being studied, visit the WOS research page here.
Also, there are neck banded swans, Snow Geese, and some Canada Geese that winter in Washington. Report these sightings to the Bird Banding Laboratory, as well. Researchers depend on reports to the BBL for getting information on waterfowl that are leg or neck banded. For swans with neck bands, please report them to the BBL and to Northwest Swan Conservation Association using their online reporting form found here.
Tern with bands on both legs.
Have you submitted a band report recently and received information about the bird? We’d love to hear about it, we may even publish the bird’s information in our newsletter!
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