Ringing

AI-assisted Knowledge Update: This article was automatically consolidated to provide you with the most up-to-date data instantly.

--CONTENT --
Ringing is a method of studying birds and bats, where they are marked by placing rings with a unique identification code on their feet.

The code shall be entered in a database together with information on the specimen, time and place of capture, and the birds shall be returned to freedom. In the case of subsequent capture, the ringed specimens may be identified by ring code and new data added to the database. The collected data is analyzed and gives important information about many aspects of the life of birds.

International cooperation
The territory through which birds fly is usually huge, covering numerous countries and even continents. In order to monitor them more effectively, state and international organisations have been established to coordinate efforts and share databases:

EURING (European Union for Ringing Birds) coordinates the ringing in Europe. Bulgaria is a member of EURING with national representative Bulgarian Ornithological Headquarters.
SAFRING
US Bird Banding Laboratory, in collaboration with the North American Banding Council in charge of U.S. operations
Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme in charge of Australia

Procedure

The ringing activity requires first, the capture of birds, the subsequent measurement of biological parameters and their entry in a database and finally the ringing itself and the release of birds.

Catch
Catching is usually carried out with wide vertical nets raised like a wall to the places where birds are expected to pass. It is most effective to do so during the migration or post-gorge wandering period and near wetlands where birds eat and rest. The nets are usually black to avoid reflecting the sun, and there is still some freedom (not stretched out) to form some kind of pockets in which the birds are entangled.

Data removal

The most important information to determine is the species of the bird, as the remaining data would be useless if not known to which species they refer. Different measurements shall then be made of the specimen by:
dimensions of the body and its parts
Krill formula
feeding of birds
This information shall be entered in the database together with the identification number of the ring placed on the bird.

Ringing
The rings are usually metal and have a pre-graved, or otherwise applied, unique identification code. Rings have different diameters for different size birds, with a slit through which the bird's leg is inserted. With ordinary or special ring-ringings the ring tightens.

Each region has a ring coordinator who is responsible for issuing rings. The National Coordinator in Bulgaria is the Bulgarian Ornithological Headquarters.

Color rings
Except for a ring