Researchers investigating bird movements and populations use colored bands and flags to give individual birds an identity and to make them visible to people who watch birds. You can help these researchers by taking good notes on any color banded birds you see. These notes should include the species of bird,color and order of the bands on each leg and where the bird was seen. For example Piping Plover: right leg red over blue, left leg green flag, Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary. Color banded birds should be reported to the US Bird Banding Laboratory by calling 1-800-327-Band (2263) or on their web page. Sometimes it is possible to report the sighting directly to the researcher who banded the bird. If you find a bird with a numbered aluminum band you should also report that to the Bird Banding Lab.
The Pan American Shorebird Program was created to standardize the various bird banding systems. Their website has extensive resources about bird banding and how to record the information correctly.
Current Requests for Color Banded Bird Sightings:
Hudsonian Godwits and Whimbrels: requested by Brad Andres, April, 2008
Over the last two years, we have been color-flagging Whimbrels and Hudsonian Godwits on Chiloé Island, Chile. Over 20,000 each of godwits and Whimbrels spend the boreal winter in the vicinity of Chiloé. Using a canon-net, we have marked 323 Hudsonian Godwits and 135 Whimbrels. These birds will be sporting a red flag (the color for Chile) that is engraved with a unique two-letter/number combination on their upper left leg (tibiotarsus). Flag letters/numbers are read like we read a book, from left to right. They will also have a combination of a metal band and a color ring on their upper right leg. For godwits, this combination will be yellow/metal for 2007 and orange/metal for 2008. Combinations should be read as yellow color band over a metal band. For Whimbrels, the combination will be blue/metal for 2007 and yellow/metal for 2008. Remember that anatomical directions are the way the bird is facing, not necessarily the way you are looking at the bird. Besides banding the birds, we collected blood, took measurements, assessed molt, and collected samples for Avian Influenza (taken by the Chilean agency, Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero). The blood will be used in a genetics study to determine the origin of the Hudsonian Godwits and Whimbrels wintering on Chiloé Island. Re-sighting of flagged birds will help us determine their migration routes. There are tentative plans to attached satellite transmitters to Whimbrels next year. Please report any flag and color-band observations to Jim Johnson (907-786-3423) or Brad Andres (303-275-2324). Last year we had a re-sighting of a Hudsonian Godwit in Alaska and a Whimbrel in southern California.
Colleagues in Colombia have also color-flagged Whimbrels this past spring in the Sanquianga National Park. They marked 38 individuals with the following combination: metal/orange or black on upper right leg, nothing on lower right, inscribed medium green flag/yellow flag on upper left leg, and nothing on lower left. Please report these birds to Richard Johnston (calidris@calidris.org.co or rjohnston@calidris.org.co).
Long-billed Curlews: posted September, 2006
Note by Winnie Burkett: Where do our Long-billed Curlews come from?? Most likely the Central US but you never know - one of these Nevada birds might show up here. They also have an interesting website that tracks birds with satellite transmitters.
Since 2002, we have color-banded 102 adult and 266 juvenile Long-billed Curlews in Ruby Valley, Nevada. If you see a color-banded curlew please let us know! Curlews banded in Ruby Valley have been seen in San Francisco Bay, Morro Bay and San Diego. Banded curlews will have two to three color bands and one metal band. All bands are on the tibia (upper leg). Color bands will be red, yellow, green, blue, orange, black or white In addition, some curlews banded as chicks may have one of four colors (red, yellow, green, blue) of electrical tape partially covering their metal band and some birds will have a radio transmitter attached to the metal band. Color-band combinations are read left leg (top-to-bottom) then right leg (top-to-bottom).
Please report any color-banded Long-billed Curlew sightings to:
Alex Hartman
University of Nevada-Reno
1000 Valley Road
Reno, NV 89512
775-784-1467
chartman@unr.nevada.edu
Reddish Egrets: posted August, 2006
Please be on the lookout for "color-banded" Reddish Egrets along the Texas coast. Reddish Egrets fledglings are being banded during the 2006 nesting season with orange vinyl tags that attached to the USGS aluminum band on the right leg of the bird. The orange tags have an alphanumeric code stenciled on the tag (e.g. A27). If you observe one of these "tagged" individuals, please record the location, date, and alphanumeric code (if possible) and any additional information you deem important (e.g. behavior). Additionally, 30 Reddish Egrets have had radio transmitters attached to the leg with a white plastic band that holds the transmitter. If you see any of these birds, please report the sighting(s) to Dr. Clay Green, Texas State University-San Marcos (phone: 512-245-8037) or Dr. Bart Ballard, Texas A&M-Kingsville (phone: 361-593-3954).
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Western Sandpipers: posted August, 2006
Western Sandpipers flagged with DARK GREEN color flags with WHITE 2-letter alpha-numeric codes are being marked on Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in central Kansas during the 2006 and 2007 fall migrations.
These flagged birds may show up at points south of Kansas. It is not known what migration route they take south of this point, nor is their wintering location known. Any information that sightings provide will be EXTREMELY useful in building a migration picture for this group of continental migrants. Florida and Texas may be potential sighting locations. Any SPRING sightings will also provide valuable information.
If you see a flagged bird, please contact: Samantha Franks, a graduate student at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.
Please include as much of the following information in your sighting report as possible:
- date
- location (GPS point if available, otherwise, be as specific as
possible)
- time
- flock size
- flock species composition
- individual's activity (foraging, etc.)
- individual's age and sex if possible to be determined visually
