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Florida Bay & Everglades Science
Report a Spoonbill Sighting
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© Brennan Mulrooney
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Two Steps to Submit your Spoonbill Sighting:
1. Confirm Visual ID; alphanumeric bands vs. plastic bands
2. Provide sighting information in online form
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Confirm Visual ID; alphanumeric bands vs. plastic bands
Spoonbills have been banded in Florida using a combination of band types. An aluminum band from the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) is used on all banded birds. This band is aluminum (silver) in color and is typically placed on the Tarsus (just above the feet) (see illustration below). In addition, one or more colored bands have been placed on the Tibia (above what appears to be the "knee"), so that they may be observed when the bird is foraging in shallow water. These colored bands are aluminum with an alpha numeric code, and plastic without an alpha/numeric code (plain). The code is read vertically or horizontally, and is repeated around the band so that it may be read from different directions. For example:
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Vertical Band
Read: “34”
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Vertical Band
Read: “AK”
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Horizontal Band
Read: “K4”
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Please note that if a plastic color band is present, it will always be paired with the colored alpha-numeric band (located above and on the same leg), and that the USGS aluminum (silver) band will always be on the opposite leg of the colored alpha-numeric banded leg. Therefore, if you see two colored bands on the same leg, it is an aluminum alpha/numeric band paired with a non-alpha/numeric colored plastic band.
Examples of all bands:
>> Proceed to Step 2
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