Bird ringing

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ringing a girlitz
Herring gull with a metal ring and a colored ring that can also be read with binoculars.

Bird ringing identifies a bird by means of at least one metal or plastic ring with individual letter, number and / or color coding that can be read off by attaching it to its feet or wings.

Avocets - this species of bird has a very complex migratory behavior that can only be explained on the basis of ring finds.

In wild birds

Ringing helps to examine wild birds. By ringing, the behavior of individual birds can be tracked over a long period of time, since birds that have been captured or found dead can be identified . Among other things, bird migration , lifespan, mortality, nutrition and reproduction are examined .

Objective and method of ringing

Birds are ringed either in the nest or by short-term removal from the nest (e.g. goshawk) or after they have been caught using Japanese nets , fish traps (especially the Heligoland trap ), decoys or the like . Expert ringing has to be learned and requires a great deal of sensitivity for large and small bird species.

A ring of the appropriate size with an individual number and contact address is attached. In addition, the birds are usually measured, weighed and checked for parasites (which can then be removed). As far as possible (e.g. on the basis of moulting limits ) the age of the ringed birds is also determined and documented. Age determination is, for example, an essential part of the integrated monitoring of songbird populations , a nationwide standardized trapping and ringing program. Using the age structure data of the bird populations, z. B. determine whether there are enough individuals of reproductive age.

The rings are extremely light and usually do not harm the ringed bird. The individual bird can thus be identified if it is caught again or found dead. In addition to aluminum rings, which have been used since the beginning of ringing, colored celluloid rings are also used today. These support a more precise observation of smaller populations in certain areas. Different colored rings can be used, for example, to mark the sex of bird species with only slightly pronounced sexual dimorphism in such a way that it can be identified with binoculars even at a greater distance . In birds with a longer life expectancy, such as falcons, for example, the year of birth, which can be identified by colored rings, can provide information about the breeding success and social behavior of increasingly aging birds. If rings with large numbers are used, usually additionally, for example on ducks, geese, birds of prey or storks, these can be read with binoculars or spotting scope .

People who find a ringed bird should inform a ringing center of the find data (ring number, location and date, circumstances) and, thanks to the ring number, find out where the bird was ringed and has been found before. The same goes for ring readings. Based on the finds and catches, the scientists can determine the pattern of bird migration for large bird populations. This is particularly helpful for bird species that have a very complex migratory behavior that varies depending on the breeding area, as is the case, for example, with the avocet and kestrel .

In Germany there are 3 ringing centers that issue their own bird rings: Helgoland (for north-west Germany), Hiddensee (for east Germany), Radolfzell (for south Germany and Berlin).

historical development

Ordinance on scientific bird ringing (Bird Ringing Ordinance) of March 17, 1937

The concern of ornithologists with bird migration increased sharply at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The first attempt was made to decipher the patterns in the migratory movements of the birds through field observations. However, this very quickly turned out to be a completely unsuitable method.

The Dane Hans Christian Cornelius Mortensen was the first to carry out the scientific ringing of birds on a large scale in 1899 . Based on feedback, this procedure passed its practical test very quickly and was quickly adapted across Europe. Prof. Johannes Thienemann was the first to start ringing birds on a large scale in the Rossitten ornithological station on the Curonian Spit in 1901. This soon produced such detailed findings that a large number of volunteers were found who supported this study by ringing adult birds and nestlings. Aluminum rings of various sizes were used, which contained a consecutive number and the name of the respective ornithological station .

In Great Britain organized ringing was started ( 1909 ) by Arthur Landsborough Thomson in Aberdeen, Scotland, and by Harry Witherby in England. The Helgoland ornithological station has also been ringing since 1909 .

Ringing centers

There are four ringing centers for scientific bird ringing in German-speaking countries:

The Federal Republic is regionally divided among the three ringing centers. It is not permitted to ring free-range birds without the approval of the ringing center and the responsible regional authorities. Ringing permits are subject to conditions and are usually limited in time and region.

In bird keeping

Birds bred in captivity are often ringed. In some cases this is mandatory. Some aviculturists also ring their birds, e.g. B. to be able to distinguish from one another to avoid inbreeding. The ringing centers cannot provide information about breeders' ring numbers, as they only keep their databases on rings that have been issued for scientific purposes.

Epidemic protection

All parrots (including parakeets) had to be ringed due to the psittacosis ordinance in order to be able to trace the origin of the disease, which can also be transmitted to humans, in birds affected by it. In 2012 the PsittakoseVO was abolished.

Species protection

Specimens of protected species must regularly be individually marked with a ring. This serves to reliably assign the evidence that it has not been illegally taken from nature or imported to this specific body and an import certificate or purchase or possession permit that may have been issued for it. Bred young birds are usually ringed with closed rings (which is only possible in the nestling age). The open rings used in scientific ringing, on the other hand, can also be put on and changed later, which can render proof of origin worthless and thus endanger this function.

For the European Union , Regulation (EC) No. 865/2006 of the Commission of May 4, 2006 with implementing provisions for Regulation (EC) No. 338/97 of the Council on the protection of specimens of wild fauna and flora by monitoring the For this purpose, the trade provides for the identification of birds of protected species that have been bred or born in captivity or in other controlled environments by means of closed rings.

In Germany, the ordinance on the protection of wild animal and plant species ( Bundesartenschutzverordnung - BArtSchV) has regulated in more detail which species are to be ringed and how. Specimens of the affected species are to be marked immediately by the keeper, i.e. a zoo or falconer , and animals bred in the process must be marked with a closed ring, otherwise with a one-time open ring or with a transponder ; Separately regulated documentation is only sufficient in exceptional cases. The rings must be animal welfare-friendly, permanently legible and indestructible by the animal; Closed rings must not be detachable from the adult leg without destroying the ring or injuring the animal. These rings may only be used by the Federal Association for Professional Nature and Species Protection. V. (BNA) and the Zentralverband Zoologischer Fachbetriebe Deutschlands e. V. (ZZF) output. The ring numbers of the BNA begin with “B”, those of the ZZF with “Z”, supplemented by an “O” for an open and “G” for a closed ring; This is followed by identifiers for the year of issue, the ring size and a sequential number and often one for the breeder. Birds of prey hybrids can be recognized by a blue ring and the addition "HY". In the event of its preparation , the ring remains on the bird in order to secure the assignment of a permit for a commercial exhibition and to exclude unringed trophies from the market.

literature

  • Hans Bub, Werner Schloss: Bird catching and bird ringing. 5 volumes, reprint. New Brehm library, Ziemsen, Wittenberg Lutherstadt.

Web links

Commons : Category “Ringed Birds”  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Elke Brüser: Rings: Everything for the hawk. In: flapping wings and stepping quietly. December 25, 2018, accessed June 25, 2020 .
  2. Art. 66 Paragraphs 2 and 4 of Regulation (EC) No. 865/2006 ( consolidated version 2019 )
  3. Section 4 of the BArtSchV, on the rings see § 13 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 and Paragraph 2 as well as § 15; List of affected species with ring type and z. T. size in Appendix 6 . BNA: Information on the identification of protected animals
  4. Section 15 (1) BArtSchV
  5. Appendix 7 to the BArtSchV
  6. Section 15 (7) BArtSchV