M A R K I N G ANIMALS FOR I D E N T I F I C A T I O N 402

Bird banding at New York ZOO J O S E P H B E L L Associate Curator, Department of Birds, New York Zoological Park, New York Zoological Society, USA

The use of coloured and numbered leg bands or rings is an important tool in the management of captive bird collections. While there is a valid criticism concerning the display of birds marked in this fashion, the value of the information gained from numbered bands far outweighs the argument against their use. Surely this is the most accurate method of determining longevity, particularly when more than one representative of a species is kept. Coloured bands can be extremely helpful in recording bird relationships and breeding activity; and they are invaluable in species where there is no sexual dimorphism.

The use of leg bands to catalogue the birds in a large representative collection poses a consider- able problem. While there are many types of markers available, almost all have been designed for commercial use in the poultry trade or for marking pigeons. Only a few styles and sizes are available for small cage birds. The ideal leg band should be lightweight, strong, numbered and available in a selection of colours for each size. At present, no one series of bands fulfils all these requirements for the New York Zoo’s purpose. There are several kinds of plastic, coloured, ‘wrap- around’ bands in commercial use but they too were designed for domestic forms and many zoo species of comparable size have little difficulty in removing them.

When the banding programme was initiated in the New York Zoological Park’s bird collection, a sturdy leg band manufactured by the National Band and Tag Company was chosen because it was obtainable in many sizes to fit the smallest finches right up to the large waterfowl, and cranes: all can be accommodated in one series. The bands are of a ‘butt-end’ style: the ring is split on the side and there is a special tool for

affixing each size to a bird’s leg. This band is still the staple marker of the New York Zoo collection. The style is now available in several colours which have been sprayed and baked on the band’s surface.

Before a new bird is banded several matters should be taken into consideration. First on the list is the type of bird to be banded. All but the very long-legged species are best ringed on the tarsometatarsus where the band is always in plain view. Storks, herons, cranes and flamingos are better banded above the ‘hock’ on the tibiotarsus, again in plain view, even though the bird may be standing in the water or walking through high grass. The sex of the bird, if known, should bc indicated by the common practice of banding females on the left and males on the right. Very close attention must also be given to the way a band fits; it must ride freely over the leg bone. It is wise to shape the band slightly for various species of diving birds whose leg bones are flattened. This is easily managed with a pair of pliers on the metal bands, and the plastic ones can be shaped if heat is applied.

Marking the bird and recording the information on a specimen card is not the end of the operation. Once ringed, a constant watch must be kept for the slightest infection or swelling in the area of the band may cause it to bind and result in the loss of the bird or its limb.

BIRD BANDS USED AT NEW YORK ZOO

Bands used by the New York Zoo for marking birds are manufactured by: The National Band and Tag Company, Newport, Kentucky, USA; The Gey Band and Tag Company, P.O. Box 363, Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA; and Hughes Superior Rings, I High Street, Hampton Hill, Middlesex, Great Britain.