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Meet
the Florida Five!
Banding Codes and Biographies for the Birds You'll Track in Spring
2002
All chicks in the flock have radio telemetry* attached
to a green/white band on the left leg above the hock. Each chick also
wears two bands on the right leg: a metal USFW band below the hock and
its individual color-coded bands above the hock. Two of the cranes also
wear satellite transmitters (PTTs), attached after they arrived at their
winter home in Florida. The banding codes in the chart below can help
you identify the cranes.
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Read the colored bands from
top to bottom. Can you identify these cranes? |
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| Photos Courtesy WCEP |
(Please click on photos to
enlarge and see bands more clearly.) |
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| Bird |
Sex |
Banding Code
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Personality Characteristics
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| Crane #1 |
male |
green/red/green |
Firstborn in the hatch order and most
dominant throughout the field training and the migration south with
the ultralights. |
Crane #2
|
female |
a single red |
Largest female. Often aggressive and
will sometimes challenge the "costume." Has a damaged
beak from injury -- the upper and lower mandibles do not meet at
the tip. This made her recognizable in the air, where she was often
in the lead position on the journey south. Produced the adult call
in January, while the others still had their chick voices. |
| Crane #5 |
male |
red/green |
Second most dominant bird and definitely
the "policeman" of the flock, approaching and then checking
any costumed handler that enters the pen. Often aggressive to handlers
that wear different shoes or boots. If a handler holds the puppet
in a submissive position, Number 5 will challenge it. Dropped out
of the southbound migration flight between sites 11 and 12 and was
retrieved. |
| Crane #6 |
male |
red/green/red |
Dropped out of the flight on the first
daysouth with Crane #4 but managed to complete the flight after
much effort from pilots Deke and Bill. Also dropped out of the flight
between sites 10 and 11 and was found and retrieved the next day.
Last of the flock to acquire the dark facial patterns of more adult
birds. |
| Crane #7 |
female |
white/red |
The lowest ranking member of the flock.
Dropped out of the southward migration between sites 5 and 6 and
between sites 11 and 12 and was retrieved. Has separated a short
distance from the other four birds several times during the winter
at Chassahowitzka. |
*Radio tracking
devices like these birds wear have to be tough. Attached upside down to
the leg band, they must be completely waterproof and not sensitive to
temperature. They must contain enough battery life to last several migrations.
They must weigh less than 30 grams and be strong enough to withstand the
constant pecking of birds who want to be rid of them!
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