SAFE AND EFFECTIVE METHODS FOR TRAPPING AND COLOR BANDING TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA

We evaluated the safety and effectiveness of two trap designs, two hands-off methods for transferring trapped birds from traps to transport cages, and five methods for sealing plastic color bands placed on tricolored blackbirds, Agelaius tricolor, at six breeding colonies in the Central Valley. Nearly 7,000 tricolored blackbirds were banded in 68 days of banding, an efficient hands-free method for transferring birds from traps to transport cages was developed, and a small electric soldering iron attached to an automobile battery through a power inverter was found to be the most efficient method to seal colored plastic bands. Our materials and techniques may be useful to capture and band a wide variety of granivorous and omnivorous birds, especially where portability and low cost are important.