Bird banding is a popular technique which utilizes the mark-and-recapture method to assess phenological trends and overall health of avian populations. While the database of this practice is abundant with information in locations such as North America and Europe, the high species diversity and unique climate conditions of regions in South America make it harder to assess phenology accurately and consistently. For my project I chose to work in the Chocó cloud forest of northern Ecuador – which boasts a significant number of endemic species and unique seasonality – with the purpose of establishing a template to classify age and sex classes of the birds native to this region. Pictures of various species were collected using a consistent methodology. Lighting conditions were controlled using a color target, a non-reflective white background and shade cover to ensure detailed image quality. Birds were posed showing their profile, wing and back. Characteristics unique to species (e.g. bill striation in hummingbirds) were also collected. These pictures were then used to make five, species specific, templates containing the age, sex and identification information needed to process the birds when captured. The goal of the templates, format and methodology is to create an additive product which can grow along with the collection of new data at the banding station and be used as an education tool for banders to train new ornithologists.
As an aspiring bird bander, this project has successfully trained me in the skills necessary to handle, capture and assess birds. Additionally, the scope of this project is to enhance the educational aspect of the practice, which I will employ in my future as a researcher in ornithology to contribute to the conservation of avian populations.
Author: Dhruv Iyengar, Zoology and Neuroscience Major
Advisor(s): Nicole Büttner, Ginny Boehme, Science Librarian, David Russell, Biology Department
You must be logged in to post a comment.