danger of leg mutilation from the use of metal color bands

Vol.
XXIV
195a
R•;•;D,
Danger
o!LegMutilation
[65
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H.
1933 Zar Pbysiologie des Zugtriebes. I. Versuche mir weiblichem Sexualhormon. Vogelzug, 4: 21-24.
1934 Zur Physiologiedes Zugtriebes. II. Weitere Versuche mit weiblichem
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1937 Zur PhysiologiedesZugtriebes. III. Versuchemit kfinsdichverliingerter
Tagesdauer. Vogelzug, 8: 107-114.
1938a Zur AusliSsung
der Friihlings-Zugunruhedurch Warme bei gekiifigten
Rotkehlchen,Erithacus r. rubecula (L.). Vogelzug9: 7-14.
1938b Zur Physiologiedes Zug,triebes. IV. Weitere Versuche mir kiinstlich
vcriinderter Belichtungszeit. Vogelzug, 9: 146-152.
STADIE,R.
1938a Licht und Sohattenseitcndes Zugphysiologischen
Experiments. IX e
Congr•s OrnithologiqueInternational,Rouen. pp. 343-354.
1938b Experimentelle Untersuchungen fiber den Wandcrtrieb gekiifigter
GartenrotschwUnze,Phoenicurus ph. phoenicurus (L.) Berichte des
Vereins schlesischer'Ornit,bologen, 23:
STEINBACHER,
J.
65-80.
1951 Vogelzug und Vogelzugforschung. Verlag Waldemar Kramer, Frankfurt .am Main. 184 pp.
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1914 Eine Metbode zur Untersuehungder Ruhe. und Aktivitiitsperiodenbei
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WACHS, H.
1926 Die Wanderungender ViSgel. Ergeb. Biol., 1: 479-637.
WACN•n, H. O.
1930 0ber Jahres-und Tagesrhythmus
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Labort•torieso! Zoophysiology,
Departmento! Zoology,State Collegeo! •ashingtan, Pullman, • ashington.
DANGER
OF LEG MUTILATION
METAL
COLOR
FROM
THE
USE OF
BANDS
By PARKERC. REED
Bird bandersdo notrealizethe incipientdangerin the useof colored
metal bands.
Where two metal bands are mounted one over the other
onthesame,leg,the.loweronewill flattenand•icken :untilit is a hazard
to the,bird'sleg, if not its life.
During•he early springof 1952, whensummerresidents
were returning.tothe vicinityof our ,bandingstationin Lexington,Massaehusetks,
we first notedan occasional
bird with oneleg. As we sawmore,
andgavethemourfocused
attention,
we notedthatthe rightfootwas
missingin all cases.Sincewe bandonthe rightleg only,we werecon-
66]
R•c•cD,
Dangero[ LegMl•tilatlon
Bird-Banding
April
cerned
thatthereason
might
in some
waybeconnected
withour
banding.
Theanswer
came
in Maywhen
wetookonemale
andonefemale
Baltimore
Oriole
(Icterus
galbula),
bothof which
hadbeen
color
banded,
using
thenew
color-anodized
aluminum
bande.
Both
ofthese
birds
were
coded
"gold
over
numbered"
toidentify
them
asindividuals.
Thefemale
was
42-161632
(set
no.1inphotograph)
banded
and
coded
May
19,1951
and
retaken
May
17,1952.
The
male
was
42-161633
(set
no.
2 in photograph)
banded
andcoded
June17,1951andretaken
May 17, 1952.
Thelower
bands
were
inboth
cases
thenumbered
bands,
andthese
were
soseverly
flanged
atthetopedge
thattherightfootofeach
of
these
orioles
was
swollen
and
thediameter
ofthetarsus
had
been
reduced
byabout
one-half.
Thepounding
bythecolored
aluminum
bands
had
soshortened
thelower
numbered
ones,
thattheprefix
number
was
entirely
obscured
ononeandpartlyo'bscured
ontheother.
Further
evidence
wasbrought
tousbyBlack-capped
Chickadee
(Penthestes
atricapillus),
48-39593
banded
"numbered
over
gold"
on
July
29,1950.Setno.3 inthephotograph
shows
these
twobands,
removed
when
thebirdwasretrapped
December
14,1952.Thesame
flanging
effect
was
present,
thebird's
tarsus
was
somewhat
reduced
in
diameter,
buttheflanging
had
notprogressed
farenough
toproduce
crippling
damage.
SIZE
0
Vol.
XXI¾
Whenone aluminumbandis mountedaboveanother,the top band
actsas a hammerto shortenthe underband and to spreadthe metal,
producinga flange on the inside and on the outsideof the pounded
upperedgeof the lower band. The resultinginward flangeis thin and
quite sharp,and tendsto grip the tarsusprogressively
tighter as the
hammeringactionof the upperbandcontinues.
In the photograph
the bandsare arrangedin sets. The lowerband
in eachsetwasthe lowerbandon the bird. The upperbandsin sets
no. 1 andno. 3 are shownwith thestrikingedgesdownwardto indicate
thenormalthickness
of themetal. The upperbandof setno.2 hasbeen
turnedto showthat its loweredgehasalsobeenflangedto someextent,
thoughnot as severelyas the top of the lower band. In eachset of
bands,theupperonewaslessflangedthanthe lowerone.
Eliminationof the useof two.metalbandson the sameleg will reduce
availablecolor codecombinations.'This suggests
the desirabilityof
returningto •he useof the "wrap.ty,
pe" plasticband, at least for use
w.herever
two bands.areneededon the sameleg to regainthe maximum
number of color codes.
Everyopportunityshouldbe seizedto re•noveor breakup suchpairs
of metalbands. Whereflanginghasnot yettakenplace,thecolorband
only may be removed;.however,
if flanginghas occurred,both bands
shouldbe removed. It is urgedthat thesecasesbe reportedand that
the offending
bandsbe turnedin.
27 Hayes Avenue. Lexington 73, Massachusetts.
GENERAL
NOTES
John Beck the second American bird-bander.--Audubon is acknowledged
as the first bird bander of America by his tying silver threads to the legs of
nestlingPhoebes(Sayornisphoebe)at his homein Pennsylvaniaabout 1803, and
finding thesemarked,birds½hefollowingspring. John Beck (1791-1873) of Lititz,
LancasterCounty,Pennsylvania,
in August1812seweda pieceof chamoisleather
aroundthe tarsusof a Purple Martin (Prognesubis), and sawits return to its box
early the followingspring. Thus John Beck, the grandfatherof Herbert H. Beck,
Director of the Franklin and Marshall College Museum in Lancaster,Pennsylvania,
deservesthe recognition by ornithologistsas the secondbird bender of America,
and with the accorid record of a migrating bird.--Harold B. Wood, 3016 North
SecondSt., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Shrike Visits Banding Trap.---One of my traps at my home in BenJoia,
'California, is what is ordinarily called a house trap. It is four feet square with
a door for ½heoperator to enter and is constructedof hardware cloth covering a
redwoodframe, and has two groundopeningseasily e•tered by birds but difficult
of exit for most 'birds.
On July 20, 1952, as I approachedthis trap I found a stateof arian excitement.
In the .cagewere four linnets (Carpodacusmexicanus)and a California Shrike
(Lanhta ludovicianus). Two of .the linnets had already.beenkilled .by the shrike
and the other two were in an exhausted condition.
T.he two dead linnets had been
lacerated,abouttheir heads. The two live onesrecovered.sufficiently.
to be banded
and released,as was also .the "butcherbird" with the hope that the latter would
not return to my .bandingarea.--EmersonA. Stoner,Benicia,California.
Green Frog catches young Phoebe.--On July 4, 1949, along the Huron
River at Ann Arbor, Michigan, I banded six Phoebes(Sayornis phoebe), which
were nearly ready to fledge. They would not, in fact, remain in •he nest when
replaced. I releasedthem one by one and each bird flew to nearby trees. The