Bird Banding at Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier Science Brief

Marlene Wagner, Tara Chestnut, Adam Hannuksela, Alaiya Cave, Cory Zaller-Edmonds, and Najee Shahid

Alaiya Cave (Greening Youth Foundation – Historically Black Colleges and Universities Internship (HBCUI) program), intern from Cheyney College examines the molt patterns and flight feather condition of an adult male MacGillivray’s Warbler.

NPS/T. Chestnut

Mount Rainier National Park monitors songbird populations at a MAPS (Monitoring Avian Survival and Productivity) banding station. Mount Rainier National Park has been banding birds since 2017 at the site of the old Sunshine Point Campground on southwest side of the park near the Nisqually Entrance. The MAPS project is run by park ecologists (with the required permits) and serves as an entry point for many student interns interested in field biology from across the country. As of 2019, seven students have completed internships that included bird banding training from Oregon State University, Western Washington University, the Mosaics in Science Diversity Internship Program (Hiram College), and Greening Youth Foundation-Historically Black Colleges and Universities Internship (Wiley College and Cheyney College).

Bird banding summaries at Sunshine Point Banding Station at Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington from 2017-19.

NPS Figure

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is bird banding?
   Bird banding is a technique used to study bird populations. Birds are captured in soft light nets called mist-nets. A trained biologist removes the bird from the net and places a small numbered aluminum band on its leg. Each band has a unique number that identifies each individual, which allows analysts to track their movements and migration when the bird is caught again—sometimes many years later! While the bird is in the biologist’s hand, they also record its age and sex, as well as measuring indicators of overall health such as fat levels, weight, and feather length and molt. After banding and measuring the bird it is released.
2. Why band birds?
   The MAPS station at Mount Rainier is one of more than 1,200 stations in the United States and Canada. Bird banding allows scientists to monitor bird populations across both space and time. We can determine how many young enter the population from year to year, monitor site fidelity (tendency for a bird to return to the same site year after year), and evaluate migration patterns. Successful reproduction and site fidelity may reflect high-quality habitat. This information allows us to track changes in bird populations and identify regions where declines may be occurring – so that conservation planning efforts and limited funding can be directed in the most cost effective ways.

3. How many songbirds have been banded at Mt. Rainier National Park?
   As of 2019, we have banded 28 species and a total of 180 birds, and recaptured many returning individuals. The most common resident bird we catch is the Oregon Junco. The most common migratory bird captured is the Swainson’s Thrush, which winters in Central and South America, flying more than 4,000 miles every spring and autumn.

4. What should I do if I find a banded bird?
   If you find a bird that has been banded, please call to report it at 1-800-327-BAND or at submit a report online with the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Bird Banding Laboratory.