More information

Bird Ringing

The BTO Ringing SchemeThis leaflet is printed on 9lives 80 paper, using 80% recovered fibre and 20%

virgin TCF fibre sourced from sustainable forests. The inks are vegetable based and biodegradable. The leaflet was printed by GoWise (www.gowise.co.uk).

Photo creditsCover photo: Reed Bunting (www.grayimages.co.uk)Merlin by Dawn BalmerGreat Tits by Katie FullerRinging kit, Blue Tit and Tree Pipit by Mark Grantham

Results from bird ringing are published by the BTO in a wide range of books, magazines and scientific journals, including

the Ringing Scheme’s own journal, Ringing & Migration. To mark the 2009 Centenary of bird ringing in Britain and Ireland, a new publication, Bird Ringing: A Concise Guide, highlights some of the major achievements over that time, and is available from the BTO. Also available are the Migration Atlas and Time to Fly, which give more detailed information about bird movements. For more information about bird ringing, or if you are interested in training to become a bird ringer, please contact:

Ringing SchemeBritish Trust for OrnithologyThe Nunnery ThetfordNorfolkIP24 2PUTel: 01842 750050Email: ringing@bto.orgWeb: www.bto.org

Part of the BTO Ringing Scheme is funded by a partnership between the BTO and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (on behalf of Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Environment and Heritage Service, Northern Ireland). The Scheme also receives support from Duchas the Heritage Service – National Parks and Wildlife (Ireland). Volunteer ringers give freely of their time and expertise and provide a substantial part of the Scheme’s funding.

If you find a ringed bird...

Registered Charity No: 216652 (England & Wales)Registered Charity No: SC039193 (Scotland)

The BTO relies on people reporting ringed birds, so if you do find a bird with a ring, please contact the BTO Ringing

Scheme - see contact details on next page or visit:

In your report, please include the following information:

Ring numberPlease give the full ring number and, if you are writing and the bird is dead, please enclose the ring securely taped to your letter. If you wish to keep the ring it can be returned to you. If it is not a BTO ring (address does NOT start with ‘BTO’ or ‘British Museum’), please give the address on the ring as well.

Where and whenTell us where the bird was found, including the name of the nearest town or village and a grid reference, if possible. Also, please tell us the date on which you found the ring.

CircumstancesIt is useful for us to know if the bird was alive or dead. If dead, please give the cause of death if known (e.g. hit by a car, brought in by a cat, or oiled on a beach). Also note if the bird was freshly dead or decomposed. If the bird is still alive, please say what happened to it. Remember though, if you see a healthy, wild bird wearing a ring (feeding on your bird table for example), you must not try to catch it. In these situations you may be able to read the ring through a telescope.

Your detailsDon’t forget to give us your name and address so that we can tell you when and where the bird was ringed. Details will normally be sent within a month, but there may be delays at busy times of year. If you send a report of a ringed bird by email, please also include your postal address.

www.ring.ac

bird-ringing09.indd 1 24/02/2009 09:47:31

Much has been discovered about birds by watching and counting them, but such methods rarely allow birds to be

identified as individuals. This is essential if we are to learn about how long they live and when and where they move; questions that are vital for bird conservation. Placing a lightweight, uniquely numbered, metal ring around a bird’s leg provides a reliable and harmless method of identifying birds as individuals. Each ring also has an address on it, so that anyone finding a ringed bird can help by reporting where and when the bird was found and what happened to it. Some ringing projects also use colour rings to allow individual birds to be identified without being caught.

Although we have now been ringing birds in Britain and Ireland for 100 years, we are still discovering new facts about migration

routes and wintering areas. However, the main focus of the Ringing Scheme today is the monitoring of bird populations. Ringing allows us to study how many young birds leave the nest and survive to become adults, as well as how many adults survive the stresses of breeding, migration and severe weather. Changes in survival rates and other aspects of birds’ biology help us to understand the

causes of population declines. Such information is so important for conservation that the BTO runs two special projects to collect it. The Constant Effort Sites (CES) scheme provides information on population size, breeding success and survival of bird species living in scrub and wetland habitats. Ringers work at over 120 CES scheme sites each year. The Retrapping Adults for Survival (RAS) project gathers survival data for a wide range of species, particularly those of current conservation concern.

Ringing allowed us to show that the decline in the number of Sedge Warblers breeding in Britain and Ireland was linked to lower levels of rainfall in the birds’ African wintering quarters. We have also found that the recent dramatic decline in numbers of Song Thrushes has been caused by a reduction in the survival rate of young birds. This information will help us to identify the environmental factors responsible for the decline.

The simple answer is ‘no’. Ringing is carried out by skilled ringers with the utmost consideration for the birds’ welfare.

It is not surprising that ringing has little effect on birds because, relative to the bird’s weight, wearing a ring is similar to a person carrying a mobile phone. It is essential that birds are not affected unduly by the fitting and wearing of a ring; if they were, ringing would not tell us how normal, unringed birds behave. Many studies have shown that birds ringed during the breeding season quickly return to incubating eggs, or feeding chicks, once they are released, and migrants continue to travel thousands of miles between breeding and wintering grounds.

Does ringing affect the birds?

The British and Irish Ringing Scheme is organised by the BTO. Over 800,000 birds are ringed in Britain and Ireland

each year by over 2,400 trained ringers, most of whom are volunteers. On average, fewer than one out of every fifty birds ringed is subsequently reported to the BTO, so every report of a ringed bird is of value.

The skills necessary to become a ringer can only be learnt by practice under the close supervision of experienced

ringers; effectively an apprenticeship. Essential skills include the safe and efficient catching and handling of birds, identification, ageing, measuring and record keeping. For this reason, ringers undertake a period of training, generally of one or two years, during which they are only allowed to ring birds under direct supervision. Their progress is assessed by an independent ringer, whose own ability has been judged to be of a high standard. In this way, the BTO Ringing Scheme maintains very high standards of bird welfare and scientific data. A BTO ringing permit is also a legal requirement for anyone ringing birds, and has to be renewed annually.

Why do we ring birds?

How are birds caught for ringing?

Learning to ring

Ringing in Britain and Ireland

Birds are caught for ringing in a variety of ways. About 20% are ringed as chicks in the nest; this is valuable because

their precise age and origin are then known. The method most frequently used to catch fully-grown birds is the mist net. This is a fine net erected between poles, designed to catch birds in flight. This method is very effective, but birds can only be removed safely from mist nets by experienced ringers who have received special training.

bird-ringing09.indd 2 24/02/2009 09:47:38