Subject: Band Codes
Date: May 2 15:36:12 2000
From: Jerry Blinn - avisys at mindspring.com


BUGU, of EVSC, complained about the use of four letter codes for bird names
in Tweeters messages.

I agree.

However, Diane Bagues' request for the rules is rational because, whether
we like it or not, we will be plagued with those codes in messages and
might want to understand them a little bit. (Yes, they are useful for field
notes.)

The problem with the code scheme (developed by the Bird Banding Laboratory)
is that there are many "collisions." Ex: Barn Swallow, Bank Swallow, Bahama
Swallow, all competing for "basw" when the standard "rules" are followed.

The Lab was then forced into a tortured scheme of special rules for
collision cases -- which nobody except experienced banders can remember,
and they tend to remember the individual codes rather than the rules.

But, for the basic stuff, the five "simple" rules apply:

NOTE! NOTE! Set your reader to fixed-pitch font (such as Courier New or
FixedSys) or the formatting will be all screwed up:

If the bird name is a single word, the code consists of the first four
letters of the word:

Merlin = merl
merl

If the bird name is two words, use the first two letters of the first word,
followed by the first two letters of the second word:

Boreal Chickadee = boch
bo ch

If the bird name is three words, use the first letter of the first word,
the first letter of the second word, and the first two letters of the third
word:

Cape May Warbler = cmwa
c m wa

If the bird name is three words, and two of the words are a hyphenated
pair, you use the first letters of each of the hyphenated words, and the
first two letters of the unhyphenated word:

Red-shouldered Hawk = rsha
r s ha

Eastern Screech-Owl = easo
ea s o

How do you know if a name has hyphenated words? If there is an adjective
describing a feature of a bird, there is invariably a hyphen joining those
two words, such as: Yellow-bellied, Black-headed, Rough-legged,
Fork-tailed. The second example, Eastern Screech-Owl, above, is restricted
to those unusual species that have a hyphenated common genus name, such as:
Night-Heron.

If the bird name is four words, use the first letter of each word:

Great Black-backed Gull = gbbg
g b b g


Jerry Blinn
Silverdale
<jerry at avisys.net>
Web site: <www.avisys.net>