MONTGOMERY-For many duck hunters, the ultimate reward is to harvest a banded duck. “Banded” does not mean the duck has colored stripes on it. It means the duck was captured in the past and had a distinctive leg band placed on it, usually by a federal or state agency. In many instances, the bird has traveled across the country from where it was captured and banded. Duck hunters cherish and showcase these bands and they are a standard by which bragging rights are set. Though most hunters are not aware of it, duck hunters are not the only ones with the opportunity to harvest banded birds. Approximately 1,000 mourning doves are banded in Alabama each year.
Bird banding is done either by or in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(USFWS). The purpose is to determine migration routes and distances, survival rates and recruitment rates of migratory birds. Trapping and banding efforts take place during the summer months. When trapped, a small aluminum leg band is placed on the bird and, at a minimum, the age and sex of the bird is recorded. The bird is then released and GPS coordinates of the trapping location are recorded. When the banding period is over, all information is sent to the USFWS and entered into a database. This data is referenced when a hunter harvests a bird, calls the telephone number on the band, and reports the band number and when and where the bird was killed. Then the USFWS reports that information to the banding agency. This provides the agency with information on survival and movement patterns.
Dove banding sites are distributed throughout Alabama. Wildlife biologists and other wildlife resource professionals trap and band the doves. As with waterfowl, data collected from the birds is reported to the USFWS. It has been noted at multiple banding locations that some dove return to that same site year after year. Due to Alabama’s mild winter climate, most birds banded in Alabama don’t migrate very far. Doves from northern states move southward as harsh winter temperatures invade the northern U.S.
Mourning doves have a relatively short lifespan. Although most mortality is from hunting, very few bands are reported each year. Hunters should be aware that the dove they harvest during hunting season may have a leg band and be careful to check each bird they harvest. Hunters should be vigilant in reporting bands so that the information can be recorded and used in future management decisions. How many hunters do you know who can say they have harvested a banded mourning dove?
To report bird bands call 1-800-327-BAND or go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at www.fws.gov.
MEDIA RELEASE/ Adam Pritchett, Wildlife Biologist, Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries
