Why do we band birds?

Birds are more than just pretty additions to the scenery. As critical members of their ecosystems, birds provide important information that can be used by researchers and wildlife managers. Banding data has been collected in the United States for over 100 years. The collected information can help us understand:

• Bird migration and dispersal
• Habitat preferences and conservation
• Bird behavior
• Life spans and population sizes
• Survival and productivity
• Toxicology and diseases

LLELA's Banding Station

The LLELA Bird Banding Station is operated by the University of North Texas Institute of Applied Science. It was established in 2006 and is managed by the LLELA Director, to monitor the flow of spring and fall migrants moving through LLELA on the Central Flyway and to document species diversity and abundance from year to year. UNT staff, faculty, students and community volunteers all contribute to the operation of the LLELA Bird Banding Station. LLELA bird banding data is submitted each year to the US Geological Survey Bird Banding Laboratory. Our data contributes to an international, long-term bird banding data set, providing information on environmental change, such as the effects of global habitat fragmentation and destruction, and its consequences on bird populations. Our bird banding data is also used locally to evaluate the degree of habitat use by bird species, giving valuable clues as to the effectiveness of our restoration and management strategies at LLELA.

If you are interested in more information related to the banding station or would like to participate as a volunteer, please contact Richard Freiheit, freiheit@unt.edu.