Does banding hurt birds?
No, banding does not hurt birds. When proper techniques and equipment are carefully employed, it’s a safe procedure for birds. Trained banders, who apply their expertise and thoughtfulness towards the health and well-being of the birds, follow strict procedures based on the Bander’s ethic code.
Related Content
What functions are available in the Bander Portal for bird banders?
How can I get bird banding and encounter data from the Bird Banding Laboratory?
How do I submit bird banding and/or bird recapture data?
I have a federal permit to band birds. How do I order bands?
How do I renew or modify my existing federal bird banding permit?
How do I obtain a federal bird banding permit?
What are the ethics and responsibilities of Bird Banders?
How do I get a certificate of appreciation after reporting a banded bird?
I found (or killed) a bird with a band or color marker around its leg. What do I do?
Who can band birds?
The U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory: an integrated scientific program supporting research and conservation of North American birds
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) was established in 1920 after ratification of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act with the United Kingdom in 1918. During World War II, the BBL was moved from Washington, D.C., to what is now the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC). The BBL issues permits and bands to permittees...
Smith, Gregory J.
USGS Celebrates 100 Years of Bird Banding Lab
Birds bring joy merely by their presence, from their bold colors and majestic songs to their grace as they glide through the sky. Birds contribute more than beauty to the environment and society. Many plants depend on hummingbirds and other species to pollinate them. Hawks and owls prey on rodents and other pests. Fruit- and grain-eating birds help spread plants’ seeds.
Iiwi banding 2
Measuring the wing length of a banded Iiwi
Banding waterfowl
The captured waterfowl are gently banded with a unique number that can be read if and when it is captured again.
Whooping crane with freshwater mussel
The image was taken August 11, 2012 at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. The bird is 26-09 (female) making her 3 years old when the image was taken. She is an Operation Migration bird raised at Patuxent from an International Crane Foundtion egg. Her mate 27-06 is a Direct Autumn Release bird.
The bird is foraging in a flowage (Rynearson Flowage) that’s water levels
...
A whooping crane mother and her two chicks in Louisiana, 2016
Female whooping crane L6-12 and chicks LW1-16 and LW2-16, April 13, 2016. These are the first wild-hatched whooper chicks in Louisiana since 1939. Their parents, a four-year-old female and a three-year-old male, were raised at USGS’ Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, where researchers work to rebuild free-flying populations of the bugle-voiced, endangered birds
PubTalk 10/2011 — Migratory Connectivity in a Changing Climate
by Susan Haig, Wildlife Ecologist
- Scientists are studying global migratory animal movements throughout their annual cycles to improve conservation efforts
- Changing climate conditions have accentuated this need, as species movements and their ranges are fluctuating every year
- Technology being used to study the
A color banded plover in the hand of a scientist.
A color banded plover in the hand of a scientist.
Banding a Northern Parula
Placing a federal band in a Northern Parula
Banded Brown Pelican legs
Aluminum band and one plastic colored leg bands in a Brown Pelican