Banding Laboratory

Banding Laboratory
Name	Banding Laboratory
Formation	1920s
Type	Research and conservation
Headquarters	United States

Banding Laboratory The Banding Laboratory is a central institution coordinating avian marking, research, and recovery programs under national frameworks like the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, collaborating with universities, museums, and conservation NGOs such as Smithsonian Institution, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and National Audubon Society. It issues permits, maintains recovery databases, and supports field protocols used by researchers affiliated with institutions including University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Washington, University of Florida, and University of British Columbia.

Introduction

The Banding Laboratory operates within networks involving agencies like the U.S. Geological Survey, Canadian Wildlife Service, BirdLife International, World Wildlife Fund, and academic partners such as Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, and Columbia University. It serves banders, ornithologists, and wildlife rehabilitators connected to museums like the American Museum of Natural History, Field Museum, and Museum of Comparative Zoology, as well as NGOs like The Nature Conservancy and Royal Ontario Museum.

History and Development

Origins trace to early 20th-century initiatives alongside figures and organizations including John James Audubon, Ernest Thompson Seton, and programs influenced by international efforts like Wetlands International and the Ringing Scheme (UK). Development intersected with research at institutions such as USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Rosetta McKellar-era projects, and collaboration with banding pioneers from University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Major historical milestones involved coordination with treaty frameworks like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and global conservation summits attended by representatives from Convention on Biological Diversity, Ramsar Convention, and International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Methods and Protocols

Standardized protocols align with field techniques used by specialists at Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, British Trust for Ornithology, Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme, and regional programs like NABCI-affiliated networks. Methods include capture using mist nets developed with contributions from stations at Point Reyes National Seashore, Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, and Cape May Bird Observatory; measurement and handling protocols referencing collections at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and field guides from Roger Tory Peterson and Kenn Kaufman. Techniques for age and sex determination draw on comparative studies from Cornell Lab of Ornithology and taxonomic expertise linked to American Ornithological Society checklists.

Species and Projects

Projects span passerines, waterfowl, raptors, and seabirds studied at sites like Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Cod National Seashore, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and island programs in collaboration with Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Species-focused initiatives include research on American Robin, Herring Gull, Sandhill Crane, Bald Eagle, Piping Plover, Snowy Plover, Common Murre, Atlantic Puffin, Whooping Crane, Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Blackpoll Warbler, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Northern Cardinal, Mallard, Canada Goose, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Goldfinch, Eastern Bluebird, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Marbled Murrelet, Black-capped Chickadee, White-throated Sparrow, Swainson's Thrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Wood Thrush, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Sanderling, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Tern, Caspian Tern, Black Skimmer, Roseate Spoonbill, Snow Goose, Brant, Greater White-fronted Goose, Canvasback, Redhead, Ruddy Duck, Scaup, Eider, Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal, King Eider, Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, White-tailed Kite, Northern Goshawk, Cooper's Hawk.

Data Management and Analysis

Data systems integrate with databases maintained by USGS, eBird, Movebank, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and analytics conducted in collaboration with universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Minnesota, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Maryland. Analytical methods reference statistical packages developed by researchers at Princeton University, University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, INRAE, and climate linkages studied with partners including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, European Space Agency, NOAA Fisheries, and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Ethics, Safety, and Regulations

Ethical oversight involves institutional review boards and permit authorities like U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, Animal and Plant Health Agency (UK), and national wildlife agencies in cooperation with organizations such as Society for Conservation Biology, American Veterinary Medical Association, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and regional ethics committees at University of California campuses and University of British Columbia. Safety protocols align with standards promoted by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and veterinary best practices from Association of Avian Veterinarians.

Facilities and Personnel

Personnel include banders trained through workshops at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Nevada Bird Observatory, British Trust for Ornithology, and university extension programs at University of Florida IFAS, Penn State Extension, and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Facilities for training and research are hosted at field stations and refuges including Patuxent Research Refuge, Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests research sites, Point Blue Conservation Science, Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit, and labs affiliated with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Category:Ornithology