A techniquefor makingcustom-sized
coloredplasticbird bands
BetsyTrent Thomas
Poorlycutbandsshouldbe discardedor re-cutto a
he
current
trend
toward
behavioral
bird
studies
smallersize.I foundit helpful to savethe cut-off
often
requires
a population
of color-banded
birds
(Wolfenden,1975;Smith, 1978;Balph, 1979).To study
the cooperativebreedingof the White-beardedFlycatcher (Conopiasinornata) in Venezuela (Thomas,
1979),I beganby color-banding
a'population
of birdson
adjacentterritories.I selectedthe color-bandsizenext
largerfromtheonethatdidnotfloatfreelyonthebirds'
legs.
In subsequentyears, three (about 5%) of theseflycatchers,all of themmales,caughtthe longand exceptionallysharphallux in the coloredband.The handicappedbirdswere potentiallycounter-productive
to my
projectbecausethey couldbe at a competitivedisadvantage. I tried to recapture them, but they were
exceedinglynet-shy.Fortunately,duringthe monthsit
took me to re-net them, all retained their territories and
mates,and bred, two of the three successfully.
Nevertheless,I decidedto changethe color-bandsize that I
had usedon thisspecies,in new bandingsand in all the
recapturesthat I couldmake.What I needed,however,
was a band size intermediate
between the two com-
merciallyavailablesizes(A.C.HughesRegs.bands).
Another need for custom-size colored bands occurred in
a differentstudy.The smallestcommercialsize band
easilyslippedoverthefeetof verysmallflycatchers
and
othertiny neotropical
passerines
weighing5-8g (Thomas, 1982).RecentlyI learnedof still anotheruse for a
specialsize:to preventbandlossin largerbirdsthat
need an intermediate
size.
To solvetheseproblems,I developeda simplemethod
of cuttingdown coloredbandsto custom-fitbirds as
follows:
(1) FirstI measure,with calipers,the maximumdiameter of the tarsus of the bird I want to band; this is
bestdoneon a living bird becauseallowancemust
be made for shrinkagein museumskins.Then I
select,from an assortment
of nails and shortpieces
of stiff wire, the appropriatesize for the inside
diameter of the re-sized band.
(2) Usinga pair of verysharppointedscissors
(Fig.1A)
I cut a smallsectionout of the too-largeband.It is
importantto make a non-beveledcut at a right
angle to the band for proper butt-endacetone
sealing(Fig.lB).
Page
138
snips,as they are the bestgaugefor iudginghow
much to cut off when makinga seriesof bandsthe
samesize. Next I pinch the band gentlyarounda
nail of the appropriatediameterwith a pair of
needle-nosed
pliers(Fig.1C),anddip it intoa small
pan of hot waterfor about3-10seconds,
justlong
enoughto allow the band to reforminto a closed
circle again (Fig. 1D). Better still is the use of
bandingpliers with boredholesin the jaws,if the
correct size is available, instead of needle-nosed
pliersand a nail. The water canbe kepthot,just
belowboiling,on a stove,but I find it easierto work
at a table. Therefore I use a candle in a tin can,
though a chafingdish or baby's bottle warmer
probablycouldbe usedinstead.
(4) I checkall of the newly-madebandswith inside
calipers,sinceevenwith the utmostcare thereis
often slightvariation.If I find more than 0.3 mm
difference,I divide the bandsinto separateclass
sizesfor use on differentspeciesof birds, or on
different sexesif the birds are dimorphic.For use
with smaller bands than the commerciallyavailable ones, I filed down one of the aluminum
openingtoolssuppliedby the manufacturer(Fig.
1E).
Two short cuts that I tried did not work. One was to
dropthe newly-cutbandintohotwaterwithoutholding
it aroundthe nail form. Immediatelythe circlerelaxed
and flattened, after which it became difficult to reform a
closedcircle.The secondwas to try to savemoneyby
makingtwo smallbandsfrom a largerone.I discovered
that it was difficult to bend a half-circle smoothly
arounda nail beforedunkingit in hot water,andwhenI
succeeded,
the resultingbandwasbothtoothickandtoo
wide for tiny birds' shorttarsi.
Investingthis much time and effort in custom-sizing
bandsfor birds may seem unusual,but I believe it is
worthwhile as it insures that my study birds have
correctlyfittingbands.CurrentlyI haveseveralpopulationsof neotropicalbirdsthathaveworn custom-sized
bandsfor more than three years,and they are rewardingme with excitingandvaluablefield data.
NorthAmerican
BirdBander
Vol.8,No.4
Acknowledgements
Thanksfor suggesting
thisnotego to BarbaraMassey,
JonathanAtwood,and CharlesT. Collins,who also
recommended
the useof bandingpliers;and to Martha
Balph for manuscriptimprovements.
My studiesof
birds that neededcustom-sized
bandswere supported
by the ChapmanFund of the AmericanMuseumof
Natural History and alsoby the AmericanOrnithologists'Union WetmoreFund.
Literature cited
Balph, M.H. 1979.Some color-bandingtechniquesfor
flockingbirds.N. Am. Bird Bander4:158-160.
Smith, S.M. 1978. The "underworld" in a territorial
sparrow:adaptivestrategyfor floaters.Am. Nat. 112:
571-582.
Thomas,B.T. 1979.Behaviorand breedingof theWhite-
beardedFlycatcher[Conopias
inornataJ.Auk 96:
767-775.
Thomas,B.T. 1982.Weightsof someVenezuelanbirds.
Bull. Brit. Ornith. Cl. 102:48-52.
Woolfenden,G.E. 1975.Florida ScrubJayhelpersat the
nest. Auk 92:1-15.
Apartado80844,CaracasI080-A,Venezuela
Presentaddress:I WetselRoad,Troy, NY 12182
coloredplasticbird bands
Hgure 1. Toolsfor makingcustom-sized
A. Scissorsfor cuttingplasticbands
B. Enlargedband w/th arrowsindicatingcut edge
C. Pliersfor hold/ngnail and re-sizedband
D. Hot water for br/ef immersionof plier-heldband
E. Arrowsind/ca•efiled-downbandopeningtoolfor tiny sizes
Oct. - Dec. 1983
NorthAmericanBird Bander
Page139