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Bird Banding Laboratory

The Bird Banding Laboratory (Est. 1920), an integrated scientific program, supports the collection, curation, archiving, and dissemination of data from banded and marked birds. These data allow for developing effective bird science, management, and conservation. The lab, in collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Service Bird Banding Office, administer the North American Bird Banding Program. 

Flying, banded Greater White-fronted geese in northern Alaska
Banded and color marked Greater White-fronted geese flying in northern Alaska. 

Waterfowl banding in conservation and management 

One very important application of banding data is the annual calculation of waterfowl harvest rates. The North American Bird Banding Program receives over 60,000 band encounter reports from hunters each year, data essential for detecting changes in waterfowl populations and for the development of appropriate hunting regulations. Banding data from bird banders and encounter data from hunters help to improve scientific understanding of waterfowl populations and inform their management. With sustainable harvest of migratory game birds and healthy bird populations, the waterfowl hunting tradition can be enjoyed by many generations to come. 

News

Banding Together: The significance of waterfowl bands to hunters and scientists alike

Banding Together: The significance of waterfowl bands to hunters and scientists alike

Fall Migration Station 2024 Wrap-up

Fall Migration Station 2024 Wrap-up

Notes from the Field: Eastern Mallard Project

Notes from the Field: Eastern Mallard Project

Publications

Full-service hotels, convenience stores, or fire escapes? Evaluating the functional role of stopover sites for Neotropical migrants following passage across the Gulf of Mexico in autumn

Nearctic Neotropical migratory songbirds incur the highest mortality during migration. En-route, songbirds rely on a network of stopover sites to rest, refuel, and/or seek refuge during poor weather. Conservation strategies prioritize protection of sites that best meet these needs. However, the specific function of a stopover site is expected to vary in relation to factors, such as...
Authors
Lauren E. Solomon, Antonio Celis-Murillo, Michael P. Ward, Jill L. Deppe

Decision-support framework for linking regional-scale management actions to continental-scale conservation of wide-ranging species

Anas acuta (Northern pintail; hereafter pintail) was selected as a model species on which to base a decision-support framework linking regional actions to continental-scale population and harvest objectives. This framework was then used to engage stakeholders, such as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives’ (LCCs’) habitat management partners within areas of importance to pintails, while...
Authors
Erik E. Osnas, G. Scott Boomer, James H. Devries, Michael C. Runge

Evaluation of a two-season banding program to estimate and model migratory bird survival

The management of North American waterfowl is predicated on long-term, continental scale banding implemented prior to the hunting season (i.e., July–September) and subsequent reporting of bands recovered by hunters. However, single-season banding and encounter operations have a number of characteristics that limit their application to estimating demographic rates and evaluating...
Authors
Patrick K. Devers, Robert L. Emmet, G. Scott Boomer, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, J. Andrew Royle
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