standardization of records keeping in indian zoos - Central Zoo ...

Picture 19:Bald Eagle with Orange Patagial Marker, (c) Steve Wagener of Wag the Dog Productions,
Ltd.
The vast majority of patagial tags have codes, and the individual bird can often be
identified by the code.
5.3 NECK COLLARS
The Neck collar is a method of marking which is more suitable for birds with
long necks such as geese and swans. Neck collars have been used successfully on
geese but not ducks. Plastic neck bands or collars have been used extensively for
marking waterfowl. Aldrich and Steenis (1955) concluded that properly applied neck
bands are effective markers with few adverse effects on geese. In general neck collars
seem to be superior to nasal discs for tagging waterfowls (Sherwood 1966; Raveling
1976; but cf. Helm 1955; Lensink 1968; Ankney 1975; Hawkins and Simpson 1985;
Abraham et al. 1983; Macinnes and Dunn 1988; Ely 1990).Collars can be easily read
from a distance with binoculars or a telescope. This allows researchers to identify an
individual bird using the combination of collar color, code color, and the code on the
collar.
Picture 20: Neck bands or collars
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