Eastern Towhee June 15, 2009
Posted by Jennifer Schlick in Bird banding.trackback
One of our first birds at CLDC last Saturday was an Eastern Towhee recapture.
One of the most interesting things about this recapture was the condition of the band it was wearing. It was so worn and thin that Tom decided to give it a new band. For comparison, here is the old band sitting next to a brand new band of the same size:
Update 6/17/08: Check out Tom’s very cool picture of the thin band still on the Towhee’s leg by clicking here.
This banding project is part of MAPS – “Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship.” This recapture was particularly exciting in that light. Tom put the original band on the bird on July 27, 2004. (I’m not sure how old it was when it was banded.) According to the Cornell website (who quoted the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Website), the oldest known Eastern Towhee was 12 years 3 months.
That band must have gone through a lot of wear and tear. Looks as if it may even all off eventually. Glad you got a recapture.
OMG you are such a nature NERD… must be why we love you so!! You are one passionate woman!
I had no idea wild birds would live that long. Very nice photos.
You’re the best Nifer! Fun catching up by reading your blogs! I miss you.
AJ
I’d have never figured the bands would wear like that but given five+ years I guess it makes sense. I really enjoyed this little tidbit of information!!!!
I didn’t know the bands could wear out either–I suppose all the scratching around they do contributes to that too, right?