Neck rings with a neck collar ring. These can be read at long distance, increasing observation rates. Most
waterfowl are leg ringed, but some are marked with a plastic neck collar, which can be read at a greater distance. Neck collars can also be used for other long-necked birds such as
flamingos.
Wing tags has been tagged with wing tags as part of a breeding study In some surveys, involving larger birds such as eagles, brightly coloured plastic tags are attached to birds' wing feathers. Each has a letter or letters, and the combination of colour and letters uniquely identifies the bird. These can then be read in the field, through binoculars, meaning that there is no need to re-trap the birds. Because the tags are attached to feathers, they drop off when the bird
moults. Another method is
imping in a brightly coloured false feather instead of a natural feather. A
patagial tag is a permanent tag held onto the wing by a rivet punched through the
patagium. Wing tags can be a problem for some smaller raptors like
harriers as their conspicuous nature makes them more obvious targets for other more powerful predators like
peregrine falcons.
Radio transmitters and satellite-tracking Where detailed information is needed on individual movements, tiny radio transmitters can be fitted on to birds. For small species the transmitter is carried as a 'backpack' fitted over the wing bases, and for larger species it may be attached to a tail feather or looped to the legs. Both types usually have a tiny (10 cm) flexible aerial to improve signal reception. Two field receivers (reading distance and direction) are needed to establish the bird's position using triangulation from the ground. The technique is useful for tracing individuals during landscape-level movements particularly in dense vegetation (such as tropical forests) and for shy or difficult-to-spot species, because birds can be located from a distance without visual confirmation. The use of satellite transmitters for bird movements is currently restricted by transmitter size – to species larger than about 400g. They may be attached to
migratory birds (geese, swans, cranes, penguins etc.) or other species such as penguins that undertake long-distance movements. Individuals may be tracked by satellites for immense distances, for the lifetime of the transmitter battery. As with wing tags, the transmitters may be designed to drop off when the bird moults; or they may be recovered by recapturing the bird.
Motus wildlife tracking network is a program of
Birds Canada, it was launched in 2014 in the US and Canada, by 2022 more than 1,500 receiver stations have been installed in 34 countries, most receivers are concentrated in the
United States and
Canada.
Field-readable rings A field-readable is a ring or rings, usually made from plastic and brightly coloured, which may also have conspicuous markings in the form of letters and/or numbers. They are used by biologists working in the field to identify individual birds without recapture and with a minimum of disturbance to their behaviour. Rings large enough to carry numbers are usually restricted to larger birds, although if necessary small extensions to the rings (leg flags) bearing the identification code allow their use on slightly smaller species. For small species (e.g. most passerines), individuals can be identified by using a combination of small rings of different colours, which are read in a specific order. Most colour-marks of this type are considered temporary (the rings degrade, fade and may be lost or removed by the birds) and individuals are usually also fitted with a permanent metal ring. Image:European roller (Coracias garrulus) 2.jpg|Ringed for the
European roller conservation project File:Gull with bands on both legs.jpg|A gull with rings on both legs. The orange ring is
alphanumeric; the large characters makes it easy to read from a distance
Leg-flags Similar to coloured rings or bands are leg-flags, usually made of
darvic and used in addition to numbered metal rings. Although leg-flags may sometimes have individual codes on them, their more usual use is to code for the sites where the birds were ringed in order to elucidate their
migration routes and staging areas. The use of colour-coded leg-flags is part of an international program, originated in Australia in 1990, by the countries of the
East Asian - Australasian Flyway to identify important areas and routes used by migratory
waders.
Other markers Head and neck markers are very visible, and may be used in species where the legs are not normally visible (such as ducks and geese).
Nasal discs and
nasal saddles can be attached to the culmen with a pin looped through the nostrils in birds with
perforate nostrils. They should not be used if they obstruct breathing. They should not be used on birds that live in icy climates, as accumulation of ice on a nasal saddle can plug the nostrils.
Neck collars made of expandable, non-heat-conducting plastic are useful for larger birds such as geese. == Education ==