Subject: Bird Banding
Date: May 24 13:13:41 2002
From: AHOYMITE at aol.com - AHOYMITE at aol.com


A couple of folks have wondered if I had any reply to my bird banding
questions..So I am taking the liberty of posting Tom Rohrer's cogent reply
here.


"Hi - you raise some important issues about banding.
Here is a perspective from someone who bands as part
of the MAPS program (see www.birdpop.org)...

I may be a bit out of my tree here, but is capture,
handling and banding good for the birds? Don't they
have tiny joints and bones which can be injured in the
process?

Banding is not good for individual birds. There is
definite risk of injury, more likely in net capture
than in handling. I would estimate that one out of
several hundred birds captured die from things such as
injuries, weather related stress, or predation (e.g.,
hawks or cats finding a net).

Are they susceptible to human borne pathogens, e.g.
strep or staph?

I have never heard of this being an issue. But
transmission of bird diseases such as avian pox from
bird to bander (e.g., banding pliers) to another bird
is a potential problem, and banders need to be able to
recognize highly communicable bird diseases.

Is it traumatic and subsequently irritating to have a
band?

I have heard that there are studies that say a band
has virtually no impact on a bird. Often after
releasing a bird with a band, it will fly to a tree,
peck for a half minute at its new ring, then go on its
way. The bands are light and sized for each bird to
ensure that they are quite non-obtrusive.

In the process are they separated from their mate or
flock?

Yes, they are separated from mates, young and flocks,
generally for up to 40 minutes. I'm experienced only
with banding during breeding season, so I don't know
about impacts of separation from flocks in migration.
For resident or breeding birds, banders should process
birds in breeding condition (easily determined when a
bird is in the hand) as quickly as possible to
minimize separation time and stress. Released birds
are able to "find their way back".

The undeniable conclusion is that banding is harmful
to some individual birds (although it has negligible
impact on overall populations).

Can't the same data be secured by observation and
culling of bird watchers reports?

No. Banding is about the only way to monitor
individual birds. Recaptures provide information on
individual bird longevity and movement. If you see a
Song Sparrow in California and then one in Washington
5 years later, how could you know if they were the
same bird without banding? (All bands are issued by
the same government agency and all data ends up back
in a big database, so recapture information is
available.) Banding also provides information on
number of birds. If you see 2 to 5 towhees every time
you go to your favorite birding spot, are you seeing
the same ones? For many species, data such as age and
sex, can only be determined by having birds in the
hand because the plumage differences are very subtle
or non-existent.

The next logical question is: "So you get information
you couldn't get otherwise... does this information
justify the harm caused to individual birds?"

To me this is a major issue. I believe there are
banders who band without a purpose, and some data are
gathered that will never be used. However, the great
value of banding lies in its ability to provide
knowledge that will lead to policies and management
that will ultimately benefit birds.

For example, the MAPS program provides data on
population trends of song bird species throughout
North America. Its design correlates population
trends with productivity (degree to which birds here
are successful in breeding) and survivorship (degree
to which birds are successful in returning from the
tropics year after year). This data has helped to
identify species in trouble, and whether the cause of
a decline is related to North American breeding
habitat or migration/wintering habitat. This sort of
data has helped to identify and quantify the impact of
rain forest destruction on birds and has led to
important habitat protection.

There are reasons to band other than science, such as
education. Can showing birds up close to interested
young minds, and explaining banding and related
environmental issues help to foster values that will
lead to bird conservation? I think so.

This may sound cold, but to me, the benefits to birds
of knowledge gained through banding far outweighs the
"sacrifice" of some birds. But in the end... as with
issues like eating meat and using animals in
scientific experiments... whether banding is
justifiable is up to your individual values and
beliefs."

Tom Rohrer
Renton

Thanks Tom,

Bill Kesterson
ahoymite at aol.com