Bird ringing

Bird ringing (also known as bird banding) is an aid to studying wild birds, by attaching a small individually numbered metal or plastic ring to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the bird's life can be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual later. This can include migration, longevity, mortality, population studies, feeding behaviour, and many other aspects.

Introduction

Birds are either ringed at the nest, or after being trapped in fine mist nets, Heligoland traps, duck decoys or similar.

Related Topics:
Nest - Mist net - Heligoland trap - Duck decoy

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A ring of suitable size is attached, and has on it a unique number, plus a contact address. The bird is often weighed and measured, and examined for parasites (which may then be removed) before release. The rings are very light-weight, and have no adverse affect on the birds. The individual birds can then be identified when they are re-trapped, or found dead.

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The finder can contact the address on the ring, give the unique number, and be told the known history of the bird's movements.

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The organising body, by collating many such reports, can then determine patterns of bird movements for large populations.

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The first organised schemes for bird ringing were started (in 1909) by Arthur Landsborough Thomson in Aberdeen and Harry Witherby in England, though smaller individual marking tests had began some years earlier in Denmark and Germany.

Related Topics:
1909 - Arthur Landsborough Thomson - Harry Witherby

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