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Posted by Bill Pranty on 09:24:09 02/26/07
In Reply to: Bird tags commentary posted by PTO
Banding regulations do not allow auxiliary markers to exceed 3% of a bird's weight. Color bands are made of plastic, so there's no way that they can even approach that percentage. (The weight standard applies mostly to radio transmitters). The only isssue with color-bands is that they do not affect the normal walking or peching behavior of a bird, so three bands per leg is the maximum allowable.
Color-band combinations are never changed, since the identity of the bird would then be lost (i.e., the whole purpose of color-banding is to identify each individual _separately_ in the field, without having to recapture it to read its unique USFWS band number). But worn, faded, or missing color bands may be replaced if the bird is recaptured. For a bird like a Piping Plover, which probably has a life-expectancy of 3-5 years, bands are unlikely to fall off or be removed. I have nbo experience banding shorebirds, so I don't know whether or not shorebird bands fade to the degree that colors become difficult to read. (In Florida Scrub-Jays, pink bands fade to a dirty-white within a year, orange can fade to a very pale orange, and red can fade to orangey).
Best regards,
Bill Pranty
Bayonet Point, Florida
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