Goose bands

Rings a treasure trove of information for biologists, treasured by hunters

Goose bands on a hunter’s call lanyard are considered special mementos of hunts gone by.
Goose bands on a hunter’s call lanyard are considered special mementos of hunts gone by.

For waterfowling enthusiasts, goose bands are among the most cherished mementos of the hunt. Less than one out of a thousand geese carry bands, so they are rare treasures indeed. They are to the waterfowler what big antlers are to the deer hunter or long beards to the turkey hunter: trophies, badges of distinction. Killing a banded bird is a special thrill, and wearing a lanyard of bands around your neck is a symbol of status.

The value of goose bands far exceeds that of mere jewelry, however. Hunters who harvest banded birds and report band information play a vital role in the conservation of North America’s waterfowl populations. The information gathered from bands provides interesting insights into the lives of waterfowl and is vital to the management of geese and ducks.

A brief history of goose banding

One of the first to band geese was Canadian Jack Miner. This self-taught biologist established the first sanctuary for the conservation of Canada geese and ducks in Ontario in 1904. In spring 1915, he banded his first Canada goose with a hand-stamped aluminum band. This band, like all subsequent bands from the Miner Sanctuary, was inscribed with a verse of Bible Scripture.

To Miner’s delight, in October that year, he received a letter from the Hudson Bay Co. that contained the band. The goose had been killed in unsurveyed territory in the Hudson Bay District. This was the first complete goose-banding record.

The next year, many more geese were banded, and later in the season, word was received from different points in Canada of banded geese being shot. On one occasion, the Reverend W.G. Walton traveled hundreds of miles to the Miner Sanctuary. With him, he brought a mink skin of Miner bands he had collected from Indians and Eskimos all over northern Canada. The natives had brought them to him for interpretation of the Scriptures.

Through these bands, much valuable information about Canada goose nesting and migration was learned. And so the banding continued. By the time of Miner’s death in 1944, more than 40,000 geese and 50,000 ducks had been banded at his sanctuary, and bands had been returned from 33 states and provinces covering an area of 4 million square miles. The data thus obtained was instrumental in establishing the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, a landmark law to protect birds migrating between the U.S. and Canada.

Many more people were involved with the early development of bird banding in North America, but none as influential as Frederick Lincoln with the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey. In 1920, he was assigned the daunting task of organizing the nation’s bird-banding program, and that he did. During the next quarter century, Lincoln developed numbering schemes and record-keeping procedures. He recruited banders, established standards, fostered international cooperation and promoted banding as a tool in scientific research. In 1935, using data from waterfowl banding, Lincoln also developed the flyways concept, which first defined the boundaries of the Pacific, Central, Mississippi and Atlantic flyways. Through Lincoln’s efforts, the banding of ducks and other birds became a continental program that remains a cornerstone of avian research, management and conservation.

Modern banding efforts

Today, the banding of geese and other migratory birds in North America is managed cooperatively by wildlife agencies in the United States and Canada. In this country, banding is the responsibility of the Bird Banding Laboratory of the U.S. Geological Survey in Laurel, Maryland. In Canada, the Bird Banding Office of the Canadian Wildlife Service manages banding.

These two offices do not band birds directly, but instead issue banding permits, provide bands, maintain band and recovery data, and coordinate banding projects in North America. The banding itself is a joint effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Canadian Wildlife Service, state and provincial wildlife-management agencies, the flyway councils and nongovernmental waterfowl organizations such as Ducks Unlimited.

Biologists band nearly 150,000 geese in North America each year. Most are banded in summer when adults molt their flight feathers and cannot fly. Flightless goslings are banded at this time, too. The birds are usually driven into traps using boats, aircraft and people walking. The sex of each bird is then determined, and birds are classified as goslings or adults.

Each captured goose is then fitted with a uniquely numbered aluminum band placed securely on one leg. Each is inscribed “CALL 1-800-327 BAND and WRITE BIRD BAND LAUREL MD 20708 USA.”

Why band geese?

Information gathered by banders is sent to the Bird Banding Laboratory, where the information is entered into a computer database. If a band is later reported, scientists use the information to learn more about a species.

During the earliest days of goose banding, researchers simply wanted to know more about goose migration. But today, band returns also provide information about a species’ abundance, distribution, numbers, life span, causes of death and more. Data from banded geese are used to monitor population levels, assess the effects of environmental disturbances and address concerns such as bird hazards at airports and crop depredations.

Each year, biologists thoroughly analyze band returns and use the information to assess hunting pressure, estimate productivity and survival, and measure the vulnerability of the age/sex classes to hunting pressure. This information is essential for developing the hunting regulations each of us must follow to assure that goose populations are properly managed.

Goose-banding facts

Canada geese are banded far more often than other goose species, with more than 2.8 million banded since 1914. Snow geese rank second at approximately 750,000, followed by white-fronted geese, 122,000; black brants, 107,000; Ross’s geese, 76,000; and Atlantic brants, 31,000.

Not surprisingly, the goose bands most often found on hunters’ lanyards are those found on commonly banded species such as Canada geese, more than 715,000 recoveries; snow geese, 118,000; and white-fronted geese, 22,000. Among the real rarities are the 145 bands recovered from 9,500 banded emperor geese. Rarer still are bands from barnacle geese and Hawaiian geese. Should you have a barnacle-goose band, it’s one of only nine ever recovered (only 11 barnacle geese have been banded). And only four Hawaiian goose bands have been recovered from the 700-plus birds that have been banded.

Reporting a band

Any band you recover is yours to keep, and reporting information is easy. To report a band via the Internet, visit www.reportband.gov. To report a band by phone, you can call toll-free to (800) 327-BAND from anywhere in Canada and the United States.

Information needed for a report includes the band number; how, when and where the band was found; and the name and address of the person reporting the band. About three to four weeks after you submit a report, you’ll receive a certificate of appreciation from the Bird Banding Lab and basic banding information about the bird you are reporting, including the state or province where the bird was banded, the date it was banded and the species.

Conclusion

As you can see, the value and importance of goose bands far exceed that of mere jewelry. Hunters who harvest birds and report their bands provide invaluable assistance in the effort to conserve North America’s geese. Information from hunters provides incredible insight into the lives of waterfowl and helps foster a much greater appreciation of the birds we hunt.

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