http://www.exoticfinches.com

Warning: All rights reserved. This article appeared in the issue of the National Finch and Softbill Society Bulletin. Anyone wishing to reproduce this article for another bulletin, newsletter, article, journal, CD, or any other public forum needs express written consent of the NFSS and of the author michael@exoticfinches.com

If keeping records of your bird's pedigree, age, and genetic makeup is important to you, you will need to have some way of telling your birds apart from one another, especially if they are similar or identical looking. I use NFSS closed bands, each of which has a unique I.D. number. They indicate the year the bird was born and have a number that can be traced to the breeder. They are put on the babies while they are still in the nest. However, these bands are not easy to tell apart and are not helpful when you are trying to catch and sort out birds in a large cage or aviary. Perhaps you wish to sell some specific birds, pair specific bird for breeding, or get a particular bird in a separate cage to condition it for an upcoming show. A method to quickly identify a bird is a necessary tool for a serious breeder. I have developed a simple method that utilizes just two split plastic bands to specifically identify up to 180 birds without even catching them. If you have over 180 birds of a species you may need to modify this method, but I suspect anyone with over 180 birds is not keeping detailed pedigrees unless he or she is home with their birds all day, every day.

In my system, the split bands are placed on the birds after they have fledged but before they are transferred to the cages or flights in which they will mature. The method relies on color alone. There is no need to take out the reading glasses to try to read tiny band numbers on moving birds. Colors are translated into numbers and then records with specifics can be kept in books in numerical order. Each color represents a numerical digit. A wall chart is handy to have but with time you will remember what number each color represents. The translated number that represents a specific birds can be kept on a page in a record book or on a computer spread sheet.

In order to use my system, you must find a supplier that has split plastic bands in at least nine colors. For example, if your supplier sells the following 9 band colors you could use the following color = digit system:

No band = zero
Black = one
Gray = two
Blue = three
Green = four
Red = five
Orange = six
Pink = seven
Yellow = eight
White = nine

Whatever color code you choose make sure you are happy with it because making a change later will be very confusing unless you plan to remove replace leg bands on many birds. The specific leg on which the band is placed is very important. I chose the bird's right leg for the "tens" digit (so if the bird is facing you, it is on your left side as seen in the illustration below) and the bird's left leg for the "singles" digit. Because the NFSS close band is put on the babies while they are in the nest, and I put it on the right leg, the "tens" digit band is added to the same leg, either above it or below it - whatever is easiest.

The table below gives you six examples of how the system works using the previously mentioned color = number code. This system works well for the bird numbers 0 to 99.

By now you must be saying "How can you get past the number 99 with only two bands"? That was my thought when my society finch population finally exceeded the 100 mark with the importation of frilled and pearled society finches from Japan. I did not want to go to a three-band system because it would be more expensive and time consuming. So, I came up with a modification of the two-band system that works for MOST but NOT all of the numbers between 99 and 200. First I will tell you about the high number modification and then about its limitations.

I put my NFSS bands on the right leg. If you use the left you may need to reverse the logic below. To get past the 100 barrier with two bands, what I chose to do is put both bands on the same leg - in my case the left leg. As soon as I see a bird with TWO split bands on the LEFT leg I add 100 to the value. The band on top is the "tens" digit, the one on the bottom is the "singles" digit. Using another table I will give six examples. Remember that BOTH bands are on the bird's LEFT leg.

The following illustration portrays a bird with the number 189.

Now for the limitations. There are certain numbers you will need to skip for a two-band system to work on numbers over 99. They are 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200. This is because these numbers have a zero in them and because I use "no band" to be zero, the numbers could be confused. For example, number 105 would be the same as number 5 or 150; all would have just one red band on the left leg. Number 108 would be confused with numbers 8 and 180; all would have just one yellow band on the left leg. Remembering to skip these "zero containing" numbers does not require much thought. If you know you are banding a 100+ bird you know it must have two bands on its left foot. Of course, this "zero" problem can all be avoided if you chose a tenth color to represent the digit "zero" rather than representing zero by "no band". At the time I devised this system my band supplier had only 9 colors and I did not envision ever exceeding the 100-bird mark (I bet we've all heard that before!). I have decided not to use a tenth color even though more colors are now available. It is cheaper to use as few bands as possible, not to mention that it saves time and that some of the colors start looking too similar (e.g. dark blue and black.) Besides, I need to challenge my aging mind by adding some complexity to the system. I am happy with the limitations because they might keep me from owning over 180 birds!

All in all, I like my system. I can quickly find a specific bird in a flight cage or look up a bird's pedigree if someone is interested in the bird's genetic background. It has saved me from catching and recatching the wrong birds and has allowed me to sort out my birds quickly and with less stress.

If you have any questions about split banding or record keeping feel free to email me at michael@exoticfinches.com or visit my web site at http://www.exoticfinches.com

the end

---