Abstract
Abstract A captive study was conducted to determine the most appropriate method for attaching radio transmitters to a medium-sized (20–100 g) passerine, the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Using mock transmitters, three methods of attachment were tried: a body harness, a glued backpack, and a tail-mount. The harness was the most reliable in terms of duration of attachment, with six of eight attachments (75%) retained by the birds at the completion of the 24-d trial. In contrast, just two of eight (25%) glued backpack attachments remained in place at the conclusion of the study. Tail-mounts performed only slightly better than glued backpacks, with only three of eight tail-mounts remaining in place at the conclusion of the study. Flight, feeding, and perching activities were not affected by the attachments; however, some birds showed initial annoyance toward the mock radio transmitters, inferred by pecking directed at the attachment site. Each attachment method was found to slightly alter the activity...
Published Version
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