pros and cons of banding wild doves

[thomaslstoodley]

Hello,

I recenlty rescued, nutured and released back into the wild a mourning dove. When i released the animal I thought it better not to band the animal. I had gleaned from emails via members of Pigeon Talk that it might be better not to band this creature.

My neighbor, who fancies himself knowledgable in these and all matters, was rather upset when i told him that i had released it with out banding. He had mentioned that he would like to band the animal when i initually brought it in.

I explained to him that it seemed better to not band it. He said that i did not know what i was talking about.

Can anyone give me a balanced rundown of the pros and cons of banding an animal that is going to be released back to the wild.

Thanks,

Thomas

[maryco]

Hello,

This was a problem that I was faced with as well since I did a lot of rehab during the past 2 years and with all the birds coming in and going out (especially the babies) I also thought of banding.
Even the babies that grew up on my balcony got little fabric bands which until now are still on them.
In my area I've also noticed 2 birds with white cotton fabric bands, one of them being a lovely red grizzle so someone must have done this.

I personally would say it is not a good idea, I regret banding my birds but at least they were only fabric and with all the dirt they have gathered now it's hardly noticable on them.
As for using plastic bands, clip on ones..etc I don't think it's a good idea because if someone notices these birds then they might think they are domestic and try to catch them. As long as they are wild I think they should blend it with their friends in the wild and not be noticable.

With the pigeons that I worked with I have found other ways for my self to distinguish them from the others, like their patterns, toe nails, beaks, eyes..etc. If you look closely you can tell the pigeons apart even if you got a whole bunch of blue bars/checkers : ) I have released some of my young squeakers into the wild and they have come back to me as full adults, usually when pigeons get their adult feathers they can look slightly to totally different in many instances but there is always something to give them away and I would say it's the face..
Though because you have doves it might not be so easy but I don't think it would be imposible. Is trying to tell them apart the only reason for banding or do you have other reasons?

Let's see what other members have to say..

[TAWhatley]

I think many of us go through this debate with ourselves when releasing a bird back to the wild. In the case of a Mourning Dove, however, I believe it would be illegal for a member of the general public to band a species of bird that is protected under state and federal law. There are government agencies who do band birds for research purposes, but to my knowledge, they are the only "citizens" allowed to do so.

I know of no state/federally permitted wildlife rehab facility that bands any of the birds they release as they would also have to be doing it under the auspices of the government.

Terry

[ZigZagMarquis]

Originally Posted by thomaslstoodley

Hello,

My neighbor, who fancies himself knowledgable in these and all matters, was rather upset when i told him that i had released it with out banding. He had mentioned that he would like to band the animal when i initually brought it in.

So, what was your neighbor's reson why the bird SHOULD have been banded??

[Reti]

I thought many times to band some of the babies of the flock that was visiting my balcony.
The major reason I was reluctant to do it was that, if one of them broke the banded leg and it became swollen it would certainly harm the circulation of that leg and probably cause it to fall off.
So, I think it is safer not to band feral birds.

Reti

[phantom]

As Terry said it is a federal offense to band any protected species of wild bird, even hunted ones, unless you have a special permit to do so. We have a man in our area who will band birds if we ask him to. It should be done by a professional bander, as the bird can be injured by the band if it is not fitted properly.

Our state also has a program where they capture Canada geese every year during molt, when they can't fly, to band them for study. Again, they are hunted in this state and they are done by permitted banders only.

[phantom]

In NY they tried to pass a hunting season on doves too. I am not totally against hunting for food, but I do not believe in hunting for the fun of killing. I do not believe in trapping at all. Leg hold traps are discusting, cruel and unexceptable.

I once saved a black crowned night heron that was caught in a muskrat trap by a river. I spent a lot of time trying to save her leg with three surgeries on it and many months of therapy, but she lost half her leg. So we called her Ilene (Ilean.) (Hope no one is offended, but in this field of work, a sense of humor is a release in itself) She was ultimately released as she was hunting and feeding independently and would come and go as she pleased. When she was ready, she left to start a family.

I personally, do not understand why there is a hunting season on crows in NY. For five months. Even though the numbers have declined greatly from West NIle Virus. Crows are so intellegent and so misunderstood, just as pigeons are.

[Lin Hansen]

Phantom,

I know this is a serious thread, but your name Ileane for the heron made me laugh. I was not offended and I am sure no one else is either. As you said, in your field a little laughter through the tears is a necessity, I am sure. It reminded me of a friend of mine who used to have a cat with a missing ear....he named him Van Gogh.

Linda

[Eileen]

I work in a wildlife clinic and we band almost every native bird that we release. And Terry is right, it's a whole process to be permitted for banding, which my center is. It's a lot of work, lots of paperwork, lots of GPS coordinates...

The reason we band is to help gather information that go into reports. We often get reports on birds that we have released, sometimes they are alive, sometimes they have died. We keep all of this data. We actually got a report on a duck(he had died) that we banded 20 years ago, had made it all the way to Canada . Last year we received a call on a Cooper's Hawk that had a broken wing, and it was one that we had gotten in as an injured baby, rehabbed, banded & released. So that made twice he got himself into trouble. Identification is never the reason we band.

We don't band if the bird has a problem with its leg that a band might impede, or if it a marsh bird (the band could get caught up on a reed) or birds like whip-poor wills, as they sit squat on branches and it could pose a problem. Otherwise, everybody gets banded.

By the way, and each state is different - it's not legal to rehabilitate any federally protected/native bird if you are not federally licensed to do so, and even a vet is not legally allowed to rehabilitate federally protected birds if they are not a licensed rehabilitator. His/her vet license allows him to stabilize the bird, but once the bird is stable he/she must transfer it to a licensed rehabilitator.

In New York, anybody is allowed to rehab pigeons, sparrows and starlings as those three species were introduced here and are not native. Other than those 3 species, you must be federally licensed to rehab anything else. This includes mourning doves, robins, grackles, jays, crows, raptors just for a few. Just an FYI.

Hope this answers some of your questions.
(PS - And my name really IS Eileen!!)

[phantom]

Eileen,
Thanks for having a sense of humor. Your information is very well put. I would love to hear more about some of the birds you have released. I find it interesting to know what happens after they go. Unfortunately, as you said, there just isn't enough time. I am still trying to finish up my 2004 federal logs. Of course it would go better if I was working on them now!