Why is the DNR
banding ducks and geese?
When banded birds are
recovered by hunters or recaptured by other banders and the recovery/recapture
information is reported to the USGS Bird Banding Lab, we can learn how
long the bird has lived and where it is at a specific time of the year.
Banding projects that are implemented during brood-rearing or nesting periods
can also tell us where birds go to reproduce and, in some cases, if they
nested. Band recoveries from birds killed by hunters tell us where
and when the birds from the banded population are being harvested.
If a large enough sample of birds are banded and recovered annually, biologists
can estimate the average survival of the birds in the population.
This is important for monitoring the status of most populations of ducks
and geese, but particularly important for species that cannot be directly
counted such as wood ducks.
How many ducks
and geese are usually banded in Iowa?
DNR Wildlife staff band
from 4,000 to 5,000 ducks and 4,000 to 6,000 giant Canada geese in Iowa
each year. Ducks and geese are banded throughout the state.
Most of the banded birds are young-of-the-year, i.e., they hatched the
same year they were banded. Most of the banded ducks are wood ducks,
although other species are banded as well.
When are geese
and ducks banded in Iowa?
Geese
are banded in late June and early July, while in their flightless stage.
Ducks are banded after ducklings have attained a size adequate for handling
and attaching bands without harming the birds, usually beginning in late
July and continuing until the first week in September. The June 2000
Wildlife Bureau Featured Activity article "June
means Jewelry for Geese" provides information
regarding the Bureau's annual goose banding activities.
If I recover a
banded bird while I'm hunting, can I keep the band?
Yes,
you can keep the band. Many hunters like to collect their bands as
momentos of their hunts. We only ask that you report the band number,
and the date and location where you harvested the bird.
To whom should
I report the banded duck (or goose) that I shot?
You should report all
banded ducks and geese that you recover to the Bird Banding Laboratory
(BBL) in Washington D.C. The BBL keeps records of all migratory birds
banded in North America. You can do this over the phone by calling
(toll free) 1-800-327-2263
or over the Internet via the BBL web site. The BBL will send you
a certificate with information about the banded bird that you recovered.
Click
here to Report a Band On-line
(U.S.G.S - Patuxent Wildlife
Research Center - Bird Banding Lab)
Want to learn
more about bird banding?
The U.S. Geological Survey
- Patuxent Wildlife Research Center - Bird Banding Laboratory coordinates
all bird banding done in the United States and maintains records of band
recoveries. For additional information regarding the hows and whys of bird
banding we recommend visiting the Bird Banding Lab's site.
Click
Here to visit the BBL |
