A Numbered, Metal Color-Band for Game Birds

Abstract

A color-band has been used with success on prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) in Wisconsin since the winter of 1955-56. On a colored-aluminum blank band, size 7A, a number is stamped with a /4-inch die. The color is then routed out with a dentist's No. 3 round burr, resulting in a silvery number on a colored background. The band is used as part of a color combination, the rest of which (on the other leg) consists of a numbered, colored plastic band above an aluminum stateissued band the color of which is changed annually on a 5-year rotation. Sight recognition of the color combination alone tells the year and place of banding; the additional recognition of either number identifies the individual bird. Color-banding has long been an important part of prairie chicken studies in Wisconsin (Hamerstrom, F. N., Jr., and Frances Hamerstrom 1949. Auk 66(4):313-337). The scheme which has been used for the last 8 years is as follows: On the right leg the bird carries the usual serially numbered aluminum band issued by the State of Wisconsin. Above this is a colored plastic band bearing a large number, which we call the reader band. On the left leg, there is a single colored-aluminum band, also with a number; this is the left-leg band and the main subject of this report. The color of the state band is changed each year in a 5-year rotation in which it is plain aluminum the first year and then successively red, green, black, and yellow. Reader bands are white, yellow, green, and light red (or cerise pink of the National Band and Tag Co., Newport, Kentucky, whose Bandette style 4-907, size 7, we use). The left-leg bands have the same colors as the state bands, except that we have not used plain aluminum. All three bands are approximately the same size as the state band, which corresponds closely to size 7A among bands issued by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; measurements are % inch wide, 1%2 inch outside diameter, and %74 inch inside diameter. The numbers on both the reader and left-leg bands are about 5%6 inch high. Numbers are black on the reader bands and silver (actually, aluminum as described below) on the left-leg bands. With good light and a 20-power spotting scope the numbers on the reader bands can b read at distances up to 90 yards; white and yellow bands can be read somewhat f rther than green and red. The best leftleg bands can be read almost as far as reader bands: black bands can be read at greater distances than the others, with red a close second, then green, and yellow a poor fourth. The difficulty with the yellow and green bands is that there is little contrast between the silver numbers and the background colors. Contrast can be heightened by intensifying the background colors, especially in the case of green, but this leads to other problems; in poor light, dark green is easily confused with black, while intensification of the yellow color produces a band which is more orange than yellow, and this can be confused with faded red. Using this marking system, birds can be recognized by sight as individuals or, failing that, even partial identification can give valuable information. For example, there is 1 A contribution from Wisconsin PittmanRobertson Projects W-13-R and W-79-R.