Have you ever wondered what that ring on your bird's leg is? And what about those cryptic numbers and letters on the rings? Are those some secret codes to the bird universe? Check out these Top Ten facts about bird bands to learn more.
People have been banding (or ringing, as it is called in Europe) birds for centuries.
The first record of a metal band attached to a bird's leg was about 1595 when one of Henry IV's banded Peregrine Falcons was lost in pursuit of a bustard in France. It showed up 24 hours later in Malta, about 1350 miles away, averaging 56 miles an hour!
In America, John James Audubon tied silver cords to the legs of a clutch of Eastern phoebes in 1803 near Philadelphia. He identified the birds when they returned to that area the following year.
Bands can be made of stainless steel, aluminum or plastic.
Bands come in a variety of colors and sizes
There are closed bands and open bands. Closed bands are seamless semipermanent bands placed on the bird at a very early age (2-3 weeks). As the bird grows, the leg becomes too big to slide out of the band. Open bands are usually bands placed on older birds with legs too large to fit inside a closed band. This may be an indication that the bird was wild caught. It may also be an indication that it was imported to the US.
All parrots imported into the United States prior to the Wild Bird Conservation Act (1992) received closed bands while they were in a USDA-approved quarantine station. This was used to indicate that the bird was legally imported into the US and to identify the bird in the future. These bands will have an ID number and the quarantining station code on the band. It will have 3 letters and 3 numbers (ABC 123). Bird smugglers can be sentenced up to 5 years in prison and fined up to $20,000 per violation if convicted.
Why was import banding started? A psittacosis pandemic swept the country (US) in 1929 and it was blamed on wild caught parrots imported as pets. Bands were implemented to identify birds that successfully passed through the 30 day quarantine stations. Some states at the time (California, Colorado and Connecticut) passed laws requiring that all parakeets (budgies) in their states be closed banded. The breeders were required to register with the state and issued coded leg bands to be placed on their hatchlings.
An improperly applied open band can be dangerous. Verify the band is correctly close to prevent it from catching on items (toys, ropes, etc). In most cases an improperly applied open band can be fixed by carefully closing the band. Special "Banding Pliers" should be used to apply or repair open bands to minimize the possibility of injuring the bird.
Is there an AAC on your bird's band? The AAC most likely stands for Avicultural Advancement Council of Canada and your bird was likely banded in Canada.
