Keeping Track of Bands

[RCF]

 Thanks from me also.

[Rose]

Thank you TPC that was the info I was looking for it's another little bit of knowledge to keep me young and old age at bay

[bcbird]

This is very interesting.  Thank you for explaining these details, TPC.

[The Peregrine Chick]

I think Hurricane was thought to be a male by those doing the banding, but the band he/she was given was already the one he/she was going to get, regardless of sex.  Is that right, TPC?

I know female legs are normally bigger, is there any information on the silver bands indicating the sex of the bird or is up to bander to register what he/she thinks the sex is?

We measure leg size to sex our birds at banding.  If a bander found a silver band on a dead peregrine and couldn't tell the gender of the bird by size, then the size of the band (6 or 7A/7B) would tell them what gender the bird was banded as.

If someone submits a band or band number to the banding office, they will provide the gender as well as banding location and age of the bird.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Male and female bands are different sizes and as such have a different series of numbers - there are 22 sizes of bands used in North America, they are numbered from 0 to 9 (with letters to help differentiate intermediate sizes).  There are also bands for humming birds but they are like thin layers of aluminum foil and don't have a number.

Peregrines take sizes 6 and 7A/7B.  The males wear size 6, females wear 7A/7B.  I think all our females wear 7As, the 7Bs are probably more for use on tundrius birds, they are just that much larger in general.

Each band size has a unique prefix four digits.  Currently the first four digits for our males is 816, for our females it is 1387.  (note the 0 in 0816 is not impressed on the band, its implied).  These numbers are not geographically distinct, rather they were the next numbers in sequence as banders restock their inventory.  Radisson's chicks could also be 816/1387 as too could be birds in Nova Scotia.  Canadian banders get their bands through the Cdn banding office, US banders from the US office.

Remember, each bird has a unique number, so no we won't have 7A bands (female) that start with 816 (a male 6 band prefix).

[bcbird]

I believe it is the latter.  If you look at the number in the records you get the info on the bird.

[RCF]

I think Hurricane was thought to be a male by those doing the banding, but the band he/she was given was already the one he/she was going to get, regardless of sex.  Is that right, TPC?

I know female legs are normally bigger, is there any information on the silver bands indicating the sex of the bird or is up to bander to register what he/she thinks the sex is?

[bcbird]

I think Hurricane was thought to be a male by those doing the banding, but the band he/she was given was already the one he/she was going to get, regardless of sex.  Is that right, TPC?

[RCF]

Okay, I have a question.  Are any of the band numbers/letters, male/female specific?

Nope

Why is the answer no?  Was Hurricane not banded as a male? 

[Kinderchick]

Very interesting.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Interesting!  
The FWS/CWS band would identify the date and location of the banding, and also that it was a release from rehab, rather than a chick?

Yes, and that's what happens with lots of bird species - geese get banded as chicks, but when adults are banded its identified as such.  Other species such as piping plovers or loggerhead shrikes (when they are banded) the sequence of bands is reversed when its an adult capture.  For example, say in Manitoba in 2010, the colour combination was red band over silver band on right leg and red band on left leg for chicks, it would be red over silver on left and red on right for adults caught the same year.  In 2011 the colours would be different - blue over silver and blue.  That lets banders tell location banded and age at banding.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Okay, I have a question.  Are any of the band numbers/letters, male/female specific?

Nope

[RCF]

Okay, I have a question.  Are any of the band numbers/letters, male/female specific?

[bcbird]

Interesting!  
The FWS/CWS band would identify the date and location of the banding, and also that it was a release from rehab, rather than a chick?

[The Peregrine Chick]

Very good reading, indeed.
I'm wondering do adults get banded when they come in to a rehab shelter?
The info of birth date and place wouldn't be known, but do banding records allow for rehab and recovery information for an adult?

I don't know if it is a requirement but I do know rehabbed unbanded birds that were banded prior to release though I do recall that it was just the silver FWS/CWS band not the coloured band that was used.  Of the two bands, the silver one would definitely be the requirement.  It is a requirement of a banding permit for band information to be sent to the federal banding office.  And to band requires a permit or more than one depending on the species and jurisdication.