Ever see a bird wearing a bracelet? Well, some of them do! That is because they have been “banded.”  (Photo below © Steven Smith, found on this website: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov.)

Bird banding started in 1902 and it simply means scientists have captured a wild bird, placed a metal or plastic “band” or bracelet with a number on it around its leg and then released it back into the wild.

If the bird is recovered in the future, information is sent to the original bander (based on the number). This information helps scientists learn how far birds travel, how long they live, where they nest and spend the winter, whether species populations are rising or falling and many other things.

Philadelphia is a very important area for bird banding because we are part of the Atlantic Flyway, which is a path used by migratory birds to travel thousands of miles between their breeding grounds and tropical wintering homes.

Since 2007, the Philadelphia Zoo and Audubon Pennsylvania have partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo in a bird banding project in Fairmount Park to study this area as a stopover site of migratory birds.

You can volunteer to help the Philadelphia Zoo with this bird banding project by joining us on May 10. For more information, please contact Valerie Peckham, Conservation Program Manager, at 215-243-5347 or peckham.valerie@phillyzoo.org.

One of the greatest threats to migratory birds is glass. It is estimated that anywhere from 100 million to 1 billion birds are killed by window strikes each year in the U.S. alone. This adds up to ¼ of the yearly migratory population!

Why? Plate glass can reflect the outdoor landscape or appear transparent which can be confusing to birds. They do not realize that the glass is a barrier.

But you can help! Just try one of these quick tips: